Frank Rosenow - The Ditty Bag Book: A Guide for Sailors

There is no denying that the ditty bag concept owes its tools and methodology in large measure to professional sailmakers and, to a lesser extent, riggers. Let us therefore begin with a passing glance at a right-handed sailanakers bench and see how it is professionally utilized, even though it is unlikely that this particular tool will fit into your focs.le, let alone the ditty bag.

The right-handed sailmakers bench shown in (for a left-hander, the bench ends and work direction would have to be mirrored) is designed mainly for hand seaming, but since its occupant has a wide selection of tools within easy reach, the wooden bench can be adapted to every phase of traditional sailmakingexcept panel cutting, which is most conveniently done on the floor. Benches employed in landlocked lofts are recognized by their straight legs, while a sea-going bench spreads its legs wide for stability as befits a nautical character.

The most comfortable height of the bench or the more compact sewing stool (an alternative for on-board use if fitted with an attachment point for a sailhook lanyard, a couple of holes for fids, and a. shelf or canvas bag for oddments) of course will depend on the length of your own legs. I am six feet tall with legs to match and work comfortably on the 15high bench in the drawing. This may seem low, but there is a reason for it, as we shall see.

But try it out for yourself. Youre sitting on a cushion which can slide along the 6-long bench. On your right, theres a small, holed shelf to hold the fid collection, and a pin around which the roll of seaming twine can revolve. Nestled in just beside you to the right is a 10 16 area bordered by a 1 rim. In this cozy nook, which was referred to as the cow pasture when I was apprenticed, you can leave your palm and needles (stuck into a soft felt pad where they are readily at hand), along with clew rings, beeswax, knife, thimbles, and the half-dozen other items youll want within arms reach. At the far outside corner, the pasture is overlooked by a 20high post (actually an extension of one leg) which has a sailhook and lanyard twisted round the top. Some benches, notably in the U.S., lack this post, the sailmaker simply looping the lanyard through a hole, instead.

Our man on the job in demonstrates the hooks use. He is in the process of flat-seaming, joining two cloth panels which he has tucked in and overlapped at the edge to prevent fraying. The sailmakers hook is inserted at the seam, enabling him to tension the cloth with his left hand while taking stitches with his right. The lower cloth is doubled back so that left-handed tension can be applied near to where the stitches are being taken.

The workpiece is draped over his knees and, when positioned correctly, his upper body is nearly at a right angle to the seam, with stitches being taken in the vicinity of his right thigh. This is the reason for the low benchit elevates the knee to a position where a workpiece resting on it is within comfortable reach.

If you look closely, you may also be able to see that our sailmaker is using a roping palm. To heave home a stitch properly, he has let the needle slip out of the iron and under his ring finger, so that he can take a turn of twine around the thumb guard and pull tight on the stitch.

As the seam progresses, hell slide down along the bench on his cushion, unlaying the sailhook lanyard from the post from time to time to reinsert the hook closer to where he is stitching, thus lending stability to the work.