A better use for your lanyards

I only found out what a lanyard was last week.

I sometimes go over to Matthew Taylor's blog. I'm forced to think when I go over there; then I discover I have to work out what a lanyard is as well.

Now I find lanyards are more complicated than ever. Whole industries and Special Economic Zones are built around these things.

Then I have the sudden illumination that while hundreds of them have been thrown away into landfill from this house, they'd make great bag handles.

There you go. Social theory into practical action. Send your unwanted lanyards to me.

So the bag handles are lanyards. They combine all kind of interesting pincer-type clips and plastic snap things. I bet those clippy things have technical terms too, but I don't know what. From where I'm standing, they can snap round teddy's ear, or clip onto gloves or other useful stuff a toddler needs to tow around the world.



The jeans are those dreadful Maine jeans I bought for 50p at the RSPCA. Really, I would find it difficult to go lower than those, what with the string. I think the bag is the left leg.

Tiger's old pink trousers and canvas scrap

The canvas scrap came from Scrapstore. Don't ask where they sourced it from. Looked like it should have been a scout tent from 1950. Fancifully, it could be stretched over a wooden frame and turned into an oil of the dales. It's turned into a playbag round here.

With canvas as the base, I stitched on a pair of Tiger's old trousers. She was none too happy about that, I can tell you, and immediately demanded their return. Since the trousers were sized for a six year old and she is pushing ten, there was no chance of that. Even if I could wave a magic wand round those John Lewis durables there was also the matter of the gigantic hole in the right knee. So the pockets are staying on the bag. They have big, sturdy press studs that would suit exploring fingers. Too good to waste.


The pig is looped on with red lace and hours of amusing fun can be spent shoving him in the pockets and taking him out again. OK, call it an experiment.

On the reverse I started sewing a variety of pink things in different materials, but became distracted, so there are not many. The canvas was also quite difficult to stitch by hand, and I am weedy.


Not sure about this bag, whether I like it or not. I ran out of steam with it, and I blame the canvas for that.