The Ditty Bag was used by the Sailor to carry his tools, which may have included his sewing palm, needles, seam rubber, bench hook, Bees wax, sewing and whipping twines, serving mallet, marline spike, fids and anything else he may have found necessary for his art.

The bag would be hung on a hook next to his bunk, always ready for action.

A ditty bag was made of light canvas and would be from 6"-8" in diameter and 11"-14" tall, the lanyard would have from 4 to 8 legs and the grip could consist on anything from a simple sinnet, to a marline spike master piece containing as many complicated knots, sinnets and coverings as you would care to shake a fid at.

All of my Ditty Bags have a toggle or button on the base, to which the lanyard can be attached, so the bag can be worn as a shoulder bag, or across the body. Some of the bags have the lanyards attached with buttons, making them removable or replaceable, this innovation I had not seen on any other Ditty bag before.