A ditty bag was traditionally an indispensable item of a sailor’s kit.
David Parker describes how to make a different take on the design
which will prove handy for all sorts of boat accessories
A
‘ditty’ bag was traditionally
used by sailors for their
personal items aboard ship.
It was smaller and a bit
fancier than a basic sea bag – the
classic nautical holdall – and had rope
handles so it could be hung from a
nail near a sailor’s berth.
On old sailing ships a first task for
youthful new crew was often to make
their own. A piece of duck canvas,
waxed sail twine, a sail needle, a sewingfiddly to fit and you need to buy a punch
and die as well as the eyelets. The brass
plated eyelets also corrode rather too
quickly, I have found, especially when left
aboard dayboats.
But the US Army stores tailors had a
better idea with this bag. It uses no eyelets
but a hem folded outwards instead of
inwards incorporating a shaped opening
either side. With this method there are no
holes needed around the top and no
eyelets to corrode over time either. I have
made several and also think it makes a
more efficient closure.
Here I copied the design to make an
accessories bag for an inflatable dinghy,
but the size can be adapted to suit
whatever you want to hold. It can be sewn
by hand, but I used my old hand cranked
Singer for this which makes a much
neater seam than I can. Also shown is
how to join two lengths of material so you
can make a larger bag if you’re using
offcuts of material like I was.palm and patience were all that were
needed. I have made a couple of copied
variations of it over the years for various
bits of kit.
But not long ago at a garden sale
where a load of old military memorabilia
was being sold off, I discovered a
revolutionary design in canvas which
would bring things bang up to date (well,
into the 1950s as opposed to the 18th
century). It was a US Army cutlery bag
circa 1950 from Korea for an outfit of 20
men. Cost me 50p. Bargain.
The reason why this bag caught my
attention was its simple and clever design
around the top closure. The traditional sea
bag at the top has a folded-in hem with a
flat seam to accommodate the eyelets for
the rope drawstring. On a three-masted
top sail schooner the mate would have
had the new deck boy sewing his eyelets
by hand around small rope grommets.
Today, typically, manufactured eyelets
are fitted on bags instead. They can beA simple DIY canvas storage bag which is handy for all sorts of boat kitDavid Parker is a south coast-based marine
journalist who has
built and restored
various boats from
dinghies to yachts.
He owns a Seaward
23 motor-cruiser
which he moors
on the River
Hamble.Bags for stowage
PRACTICAL
ABOUT THE AUTHOR