I’ve made a Liz Haywood zero waste satchel before and loved it, but it was beginning to look a bit tatty so I thought it was time for a new one.  The pattern is in her May e-zine, or in her new book!

I wanted to make a few modifications such as having the ability to remove the straps and replace them with a single strap to go across body, and to be able to use a clasp to close the bag instead of a threaded closure. I also wanted a pocket on the back.

I used the dyed remnants from my mother’s sofa recovering in the 1980s. These were actually left over from making the Pattern Union Felix duster. This time I mostly used the inside of the fabric, just occasionally showing the flowered side in places such as the bag gussets.

and random places such as the little straps that hold the D rings

and some of the bias binding

As you can see I lined the bag, using some leftover fabric I bought from an Aboriginal shop in Broome.

I was going to use a black plastic clip from a laptop bag, but couldn’t find a single one in my stash, and I certainly wasn’t going to buy one. I dug around and found this rather lovely antique filigree silver belt buckle. It works perfectly.

I put an upcycled label on the back, which isn’t very obvious when the straps are attached, but I know it’s there.

I also added a back pocket, ostensibly for my phone or a wallet. I went to some trouble with this, remembering not to sew it closed when I added the short handle. It works perfectly – except for the fact that my phone doesn’t fit into it. Ah well!

Every component on this satchel has been repurposed from elsewhere, which is very pleasing, although my swivel hooks don’t all match. The D rings came off a tarpaulin which was disintegrating, but the D rings were in perfect shape. I haven’t yet tried the satchel with the single strap for cross body, but it’s comfortable as a back pack and holds quite a lot.

I’ve been trawling for furniture for Archie to buy for his house. Not that he’s bought much, except the outdoor table, which I have zhuzhed for him. It began life as a rather sad pine table with a disintegrating top, and now has black legs and a faux stone top, which has been painted on using special paint. The jury is out about whether it needs to be all black or all white. I’m saying nothing!

Before I go I have to show this ad I found on Facebook Marketplace. I have been enjoying assorted spelling “chesser draws”, chester draws, cheesa draws and cubberds with draws – you get the picture, my heart lifts when I see drawers spelt correctly, never mind all the other things. This is the one that most appealed though, for quite obvious reasons! It was remarkably cheap for a toy boy with his own mattress…