All the work for the week is finished (hoorah!) and I can get back to being my usual aimless flit from this to that. I think I always have been an aimless flit, which is probably why I have so many wips in a special box in my cupboard.

In an effort to not add this I decided to cut the lining before my dinner guests arrive (I guess I should really be cooking…). I’ve been bothered ever since I saw on the pattern that it need more fabric than the exterior – 1 and 5/8 yd – and seeing how much fabric I had left over from that I was feeling fairly sceptical that the bag would turn out to be a tardis.

But first things first, I had a read through about the pockets and how to attach them to the lining, and it seems like a very good idea to do the pockets in a contrasting fabric to add a bit of life to the inside. I had a little look through my stash and came up with something perfect:

I only had half a yard of the damask pattern, which came from Purl. It’s by Anna Griffin for Windham, part of the ‘Dorothy’ line and it’s for sale here, or if you want something similar from the UK Lisa has a nice damask here. I’m such a fan of this kind of pattern at the moment. Anyhoo –

This is all I had left from my half yard after I’d cut the four pocket panels. I considered briefly making the false bottom cover out of it, but I think there might be enough here for a little cosmetic bag or purse so I’ve set it aside. Like I’ve set aside a hundred other small scraps and just get them out to gaze at.

The main part of the lining is all in unbleached cotton, which I always seem to have stacks of. In the interests of my experiment I measured the length of the bit I used and it came out at 57”, which my dodgy maths makes just over 1.5 yards.

And this, dear readers, is what I was left with:

Helpfully sat on by Miss Charlie, and no – not a sign of David Tennant. The bit that was completely untouched at the end measured just over 18”, and I think there’s certainly enough room to squeeze the pocket panels on.

Which means that you could more than likely do the lining out of a yard if you’re clever with your placement, but perhaps add an extra quarter or eighth if you want to be safe. Of course you’ll need more if you’re doing pattern matching but if the fabric is plain there’s little point in having an extra half yard floating around.

And for us Europeans who buy in metres I think a metre will suffice, given the extra 9cm we get versus the yard.

Naturally, ignoring the suggested layout is a personal choice, and if you want to follow the pattern then by all means don’t heed my penny pinching ways in the slightest.