abaaya bag

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This an exact re-post from my other blog.

When womenfolk go out in Saudi Arabia, most of us wear an abaaya. It has many other names depending on where (in the world) it is being referred to and is a cross between a cloak and a coat worn over one's usual clothes. But this post isn't about abaayas, their different styles or why they are worn.

Many social gatherings here are gender-segregated so upon entering a party/wedding/get-together there is the initial "dis-robing" of the abaaya and other bits. Depending on the layout of the room or home I've just entered, I've often been caught with my abaaya half-on half-off while having to greet someone. And then there's the matter of finding somewhere to put baby (if I have one with me!) so that I can take my abaaya off. Of course, for women who have been doing this all of their adult lives, they've got it down to a tee. They will very gracefully enter a room and have their abaaya off, hair and make-up perfect in such a flash that you'd think they walked in like that. I, on the other hand, often find myself in a position where I fumble around with everything. After clumsily ending up with it all in a heap in my arms, I'm faced with another problem. I don't know what to do with it while I "powder my nose" and for the rest of time I'm there! I'd attempt to fold it all up neatly for a start. Then place the abaaya roll strategically where it will be easy to find when it's time to go. Wedding halls have cloakrooms and attendants for this task and will hand you a numbered tag to identify your gear. The organised hostesses have bags and markers for this very ordeal. But when you go to certain places there is an unspoken rule: "It's your abaaya. You look after it!" So I decided to put my basic crochet skills to use and made this:

Folded up like this, it fits nicely in to a handbag.

See?

And when it's not folded up, it looks like this:

It's a delightful little shopping bag (The Three Dozen Apple Bag by Laughing Purple Goldfish) that I have added a pretty flower to and used as my Abaaya Bag!