There are so many tarot bags and tarot pouches around nowadays that it can be hard to choose the best one for storing your tarot cards. Bags come in printed or plain fabric, in silks, velvets or brocades and in just about every colour under the sun. Some are made from gorgeous antique and vintage fabrics, which makes them limited edition and particularly special.
Pouches with printed illustrations on the front - which Baba Studio did first, way back in 2006! - have become very popular. You can see some of ours below - themes include fairytale, Victorian, Gothic, Bohemian Cats, Mythical Beasts and more!
Here are a few things to consider:
1. Size. The tarot bag obviously needs to fit your deck - do you prefer a snug fit, or do you like a bit of space around the deck? Some people like to wrap their tarot cards in a piece of pure silk (there is a belief that this gives the cards better energy - more on that below). If you do this, you'll need to allow more space in the bag. About 5.5 * 8 inches (14 * 20 cm) is a good, standard size for a drawstring, and should fit most decks. Foldovers can be smaller, as there is no wasted space at the top of the bag. We make ours about 4.6 * 6.8 inches (12 * 17 cm) and again, these fit all but the very largest decks.
2. Shape. Do you prefer drawstring or foldover? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Drawstrings are arguably more traditional, and if you choose a double drawstring construction (all of Baba Studio's drawstring pouches are of course double drawstring) then it's perfectly secure. Foldovers, though, are perhaps neater and if you keep your tarot bag in your regular bag, then there are no drawstring threads to tangle in anything. We lightly pad both types of tarot bag, but in general, foldovers can be more padded, and stiffer, than drawstrings, so give very good protection.
3. Fabric. Tarot bags come in everything from plain cotton to beautifully illustrated satin and silk. When you come to choose the fabric, take into account the style of the tarot deck you are going to keep in the bag, and also whether or not you will display the bag, and if so, how it will look in its surroundings. If you use a tarot cloth (whether or not purpose made - you may have a particular shawl or piece of special fabric that you use to lay out your tarot spreads) how will your bag choices go with it?
If you are a tarot reader, you may want spectacular bags with "wow" factor when you take them out. But if you carry the cards in their bag every day, durability may be more important.
Lastly, back to that old belief that you should keep your bags in silk. Do you think this affects the energy or vibe of your cards? Does it matter? At Baba Studio we always have a range of bags with pure silk and silk-mix linings, for those who do feel this matters. But we all have different beliefs - decide for yourself if your decks should be kept in silk.
4. Style. Tarot enthusiasts often have quite a large collection of decks. These can range from the classics like the Rider Waite Smith, The Thoth and the Tarot de Marseilles, through to themed decks on a range of popular themes like fairies and fairytale, Celtic, Pagan, Gothic, Mythical Creatures (from unicorns to dragons and more!), Victorian, Myths and Legends, Witches and Wizards, and LGBT.
5. Colour. We all react differently to colours, and many of us have a particular colour or hue that feels very personal and special to us. However, as well as choosing your favourite colours, you'll of course need to think which colours go with which decks and - this is surprisingly important with a large collection - colour can be a great way of remembering which decks are stored in which bags. How about pastel shades for Fairytale decks, reds and blacks for Gothic decks, and dusty plums and mauves for Victoriana and pre_Raphaelite?
Metallic golds and silver work for almost everything of course!
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Finally, what can you keep in a tarot bag? Our animated video suggests some fun ideas - strictly tongue in cheek!