Every time I travel I get tired of having a toiletries bag that I have to dig about in to find anything, Years ago my mother gave me a hanging one and it was so handy, so I thought I’d try and make another one. I was going to have a go at drafting a pattern but then found this Sacôtin Pavane pattern and it was exactly what I wanted, and so much better than anything I could come up with.

I used the same Autica Cotton Canvas as for my laptop bag, and added a thick cotton pillowcase that I had dyed with sourgrass for the accent fabric. The pattern comes in two sizes and I chose the smaller one. I didn’t interface my fabric so it collapses a little when it stands up on its own, but I don’t mind.

There are so many handy features. It’s quite long and has three zippered pockets. The lobster clasp is secured to the inside with a magnet so it doesn’t swing about during transport. There are also two magnetic buttons at the top, which clip on to two magnets on the outside to hold it all together when it’s folded.

The magnetic snap for the clip looks like this

The lobster clasp on the strap is attached to the D ring on the front and this means that the bag can be hung up – on a door knob, towel rail, or anywhere else that’s handy.

The middle pocket is quite large and holds just about everything I need including my hairbrush. I have put most of the things I take with me in the bag and I still have room to spare.

Ok, my door knob is a little large, but it does fit over it properly. This will give you a better idea of how it looks when it’s hanging.

To travel, just fold it into three. The lobster clasp is reattached to the magnet, and it’s folded from the bottom.

The two magnets on the outside attach to the two on the inside and it turns into a little case.

I think this is such a clever design and I can’t wait to use it.

My step daughter is a fine equestrienne and has a beautiful horse farm just out of Perth. We took Pepper for a visit and she had her first interaction with horses. She managed very well, although the horses are very well mannered and very used to dogs. She did run around them in the paddock, and I held my breath when she was close to their back legs, but all was well.

She had fun, with 13 (maybe more?) horses, four dogs, three cats, numerous chickens and ducks. She passed out on the way home! I had some lovely snuggles with my granddaughter’s horses – she’s also an excellent equestrienne.