To Market, to Market.....

I realize this will not be useful information for most of my readers, but it is interesting, none the less.

Yes, to market to market to buy a fat pig. Unfortunately it will have to be a mighty small and thin pig to fit into this market wallet. A market wallet is most commonly associated with the 18th century, and was often called simply a wallet, or a bag. It may be used to carry goods to and from market, to carry food, accessories, or as a saddle bag.

The wallet can be large or small. Small ones can be carried on the belt. Larger ones over the shoulder and even larger ones over the withers of a horse. The opening in the center can be twisted to close it, and keep contents from falling out. This market wallet is made to carry over the shoulder, or around the neck with the contents resting on each shoulder.

The material used should be sturdy. Canvas, oil skin or ticking are all good choices. I used a light, white canvas as the outer fabric, and black cotton for the lining.

Dimensions:

Unfinished pieces (one of each canvas, and cotton lining) 23" X 36 "

After cutting the 2 pieces to the same size, I sewed these together, right sides facing, almost all the way around. I used a 1/2" seam allowance for this.

After clipping the corners, I turned to the right side, and pressed.

To close up the 4" opening I left for turning, I pressed the seam together. Then, I folded the wallet to it's finished size. The recommendation is that each side is about 6", with the opening in the center. Stitching the ends by machine in this way allows me to skip the step of sewing the 4" opening closed.

After stitching the ends, I stitched the center closed, leaving a 13" opening in the middle.

I did this stitching by hand.

This market wallet is intended to be used by a reenactor who portrays the character of Judge John Howard at our local museum Living History Program. For this reason, I embroidered the initials "J H" in the corner.

Now - off to the market!