Holtzlattentashen (slat bags)

Wood framed bags made of linen or leather were common in Germany and Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, where they were used by travellers, schoolchildren, farmers, workers and soldiers. They are a practical way to carry items both large and small, with easy access to the contents.

While researching the archery kit bag, I found many examples of these useful bags, which go by several names: slat-sided bags, batten bags, Schulsack, Holzlattentasche, etc. And although they all used flat wooden slats for support, I realised there were some distinct groups of cut and construction.

I’d seen several other recreations of this style of bag, often with complex patterning or inefficient cutting. I didn’t agree with many of these realisations – I thought the answer had to be simpler. To test my patterning theories, I spent a few happy hours playing with fabric scraps, crochet cotton and paddle-pop sticks to make mini versions of the various styles!

And then of course, I wanted to make a set of full sized ones, so others could look at them and maybe make one for themselves. It was also a chance to try out some options for materials and techniques.

My friend Moniker suggested that wooden rulers would work well for people with less access to woodworking supplies and equipment than I have. I think this is a GREAT idea, so I’m going to do that for this set of samples.

(This is a long article – lots of research and then multiple designs to make…)

Research

Researching these bags has been somewhat frustrating. Goubitz (2007) briefly refers to gathered bags with ‘wooden trees’ as ‘harvest bags’, but does not comment on the other styles and uses. I found other re-enactors who have looked at specific images as inspiration for making their own bags, but not much detailed or systematic research.

Wooden bag handles have been found in Norse archaeology in many forms, usually with slots or holes to attach the bag. Even the basic forms without extra holes have an arched shape, which argues against their use with a simple folded casing. An article by Project Forlog provides many recreations of ‘Viking’ bags – but all show the bag tied onto the frame, not encased in a flat pocket.

There is some evidence of early history for the Holtzlattentashen style. Volker Bach (thanks!) alerted me to a pair of wooden laths with holes drilled through the ends, found in the Roman Nydam Mose site in Sundeved, Denmark, just north of the modern German border. Although only 12.7cm long, they look remarkably like the slats from later bags, as you can see below (Rau, 2010).

Moving to the 12th century, I found a German Psalter with what looks like a similar bag, probably made of leather. It is suspended from cords which go through the ends of a straight top opening – the same format as these bags. But I have yet to find any other examples before 1400!

All the other images I have found for these bags come from the 15th and 16th century in Germany and Italy. I have looked in vain for examples from other countries – they seem to be a localised fashion. This is surprising, given how useful they are (if you have seen examples from other countries, please let me know!).

I found a few scanned pages online from a German catalogue (actual source still unknown) which provide details on extant examples in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. I could not find these in the GNM online collection, so the museum staff kindly checked the physical collection. Sadly, they were not found.

After collecting dozens of images of slat bags, I realised they fall into three main classes, with distinct characteristics, so I’ve assigned them to Types:

• Type 1a – Partially sewn up the sides, one piece rectangular pattern, no pleats, square final shape
• Type 1b – Partially sewn up the sides, 2 piece trapezoid pattern, no pleats, trapezoid final shape
• Type 2a – Sewn up the sides, 1/2 piece rectangular patten, one pleat, trapezoid final shape
• Type 2b – Sewn up the sides, 3 pleats, one piece square patten, trapezoid final shape
• Type 3 – Flat (not sewn), rounded rectangle shape, many pleats, rounded final shape.

Type 1a – square wallet

This version is a simple rectangle, sewn most of the way up both sides to make a roughly square bag. This common style was used by travellers – and by schoolchildren to carry their books. It was worn on one cord across the body like a satchel, or hung from the shoulder by both cords.

The German catalogue noted above lists extant examples of this style. Fig 833 describes a Schulsack (schoolbag) from the later 16th century, made of linen, in a 2/1 twill weave, 12/10/cm, 36w x 28h. The bag is shown inside out, so the construction is visible. It was sewn with backstitches, with the seams folded and overcast.

The wooden slats are missing, but you can see the holes where the ropes went through. There is no sign of sewn eyelets, so maybe they just threaded the rope through a pieced hole, as was often done with purses!

Another undated bag from the same catalogue (fig 761) is also made from twill woven linen and has retained its slats. If the cord is original, it is much thinner than I expected from the artworks. I can’t tell if the eyelets were worked or not. The design (stamp/stencil?) of a deer is also seen in this 18th century hunting bag, which has an iron rod in place of the wood.

Type 1b – trapezoid wallet

This is similar to the first style – flat, with no pleats – but cut as a trapezoidal shape, wider than tall, usually with rounded ends. It is made in 2 pieces, as you can see in the Luini Annunciation fresco below. Like Type 1a, they are sewn most of the way up the sides, leaving a gap at the top for access.

This is the most common style I’ve found, with larger versions in linen used by travellers or soldiers, often slung from a pole, as you can see in the Spiezer Chronik below.

Small versions, such as seen in the Huber painting above, are often depicted made from white leather. These were used to This would have been whittawed leather (alum tanned) – a process which makes the leather tough, pliable, stretchy and soft. It was used for purses, gloves, indoor shoes, laces for armour and bookbinding.

Type 2a – one pleat

This style has a little more width, due to the pleat, but is typically small in size, and commonly used for carrying lunch or – in the case of the Ulrichsalter, bread rolls for the table.

The rectangular pattern with the pleat naturally makes a trapezoid bag, but can be made more square by tucking in the bottom corners, as seen in the painting of Christ stripped of his Garments.

Despite the apparent difference in shapes, all versions are made from a simple rectangle (or a pair of them) sewn up the sides.

This style is usually made of leather, either white and brown. The white leather is probably whittawed, as noted above. The brown leather might be oil-tanned or oak-tanned.

Type 2b – many pleats

This style is commonly used as a harvest bag – a large bag with small slats and multiple pleats at the sides. All the examples I’ve seen have 3 inside pleats (5 including the slat ends), which enable you to open the bag fully flat. Like the single pleat version, this is made from a simple rectangle, sewn up the sides.

The square pattern and small relative size of the slats mean it gathers to a trapezoid shape with pointed the bottom corners. This can be reduced by rounding off (as in the Tacuinum Sanitatis example) or by sewing across the base of the seamed sides, which would give the square effect seen in the Flight to Egypt. I’ve also seen an example with the corners knotted.

The large examples are typically made from linen canvas, which would work well for harvesting broad beans and the like, but the small example used as a travel bag in Flight to Egypt could be white leather (probably tawed, as above).

Type 3 – flat

This style also has many pleats, but no seams. It is made from a single piece of canvas or leather with semicircular ends, made with long slats. I has rounded ends and can be opened completely flat. The example below from Tacuinum Sanitatis would have used a whole cow hide!

For more information on this style, see my article on the Archery Bag.

Construction

The construction of the various styles use similar methods, but each style has its own sequence of steps.

Type 1a – square wallet

For this style I used a 30cm ruler and a piece of heavy linen 35x70cm. A larger scale would also work well and hold more (40cm ruler, 45x90cm canvas). And 170cm of 6mm hemp rope, which is much softer than sisal rope – any strong 3 ply cord would work, but anything under 5mm will make an uncomfortable handle.

My rulers came with an 8mm hole in one end, so I drilled a matching hole in the other end, and rounded off all the edges and corners with sandpaper, to reduce the risk of them wearing through the fabric.

I sewed the side seams by machine with a 15mm seam, leaving the top 15cm unsewn (if sewing by hand, I’d use backstitch for strength, as in the extant example). Then I turned the seam allowances and basted – using the ruler as a dolly underneath to avoid sewing the main fabric. Then I felled the seam allowances using waxed linen thread.

The top of the slit is a weak point and is likely to tear in use, so I worked a buttonhole bar across the slit to strengthen it. Sewing a little patch of canvas across would also work, although there is no evidence of this on the extant example.

I folded a 5mm hem at the top and then folded this over the ruler and marked where the casing needs to go to. Then basted this in place, leaving the ends free. (I should have just marked it, and sewn it all later – much easier!). I marked the position of the holes to match the rulers, then removed them.

The eyelets needs to be as large as the hole (8mm) to make the 6mm rope slide easily. I’ve used my large awl to pierce the canvas and open the hole (never punch a hole!), then worked a quick round of spaced whip-stitches in doubled waxed linen thread to keep the hole open (using the awl as needed to keep it large). Then I whipped around the edge to finish it.

For a quick version, you could just pierce the hole and thread the cord through. The slat provides protection and support, but the fabric will wear in use over time.

I put the ruler back in, then put the awl through the hole into the linen behind to mark the position, then worked that eyelet the same way. I did the same for the eyelets on the other end, and then for the other side – 8 holes in all.

With the eyelets done, I felled the casing – down one end and along the straight, then inserted the ruler and sewed up the other end. Then again for the other side.

Finally, I threaded through the 6mm hemp rope, then joined the ends with a splice. I tied off the rope at the join points, then unravelled the ends and sealed them with beeswax to stop them unravelling. I worked one side, removed the ties and completed the splice, then trimmed the ends.

The final bag is simple to make and use. (Given the size, a finer cord would work as well, or better).

Type 1b – trapezoid wallet

To get the right proportions for this style, I made a quick paper mock-up to fit a 30cm ruler. I added allowances for seams and the top casing, then cut this from un-primed artist canvas – to compare this to my heavy linen. The art examples show larger versions too – use a 40cm ruler and scale up…

I machine-sewed the main seam (twice, for strength), leaving a 12cm gap at the top. By hand, this would be backstitched. Then I basted and felled the seam allowances around, taking small stitches on the curved corners to control the extra thickness. And I worked a buttonhole bar at the top of the slit for strength.

Then I followed the same process as the rectangular bag above – marking the casing depth over the ruler, working the eyelets to match the wood. This time I was smarter – I measured and marked the casing without basting it, then worked the eyelets, then basted and sewed the casing, then inserted the slats and sewed up the ends.

To finish, I threaded the rope through the holes and spliced the ends together as for the first example, using 170cm of 6mm hemp rope. (Again, a finer cord would work as well, or better).

Type 2a – single pleat

This style has a smaller opening, so I cut a 40cm ruler in half to match the size on the Karlsruhe painting. I made a mock-up in scrap fabric to check the scale – it took me a few tries to get the proportions right.

I decided to make this one in leather, to match the images. The best leather for the purpose would be soft oil-tanned (brown) or alum-tawed (white) – both are strong and flexible. I don’t have either on hand, so I’m using some soft 1.5mm brown chrome-tanned leather from stash, which will work well enough.

I sewed the side seams using saddle stitch at 1/4″ spacing, similar to extant purses from the period. I sewed it using linen thread treated with coad (beeswax/resin mix), which helps lock the stitches. I used a fine awl and boar’s bristles, but saddler’s needles (or blunt tapestry needles) and waxed linen thread would work just fine.

With the side seams done, I folded the leather over the ruler and marked the casing depth, then marked the location of the slat holes on the casing (making sure it was centred) by impressing with the end of a pencil into the hole in the wood.

I punched these out, then marked the matching holes on the front and punched these too.

The leather makes the side seams bulky, so I hammered the seam allowances to one side, changing direction at the top of the casing, so they will lie off-set where the seams line up.

Then I folded the casing down, matched the holes and made several reference marks to make sure everything stays aligned as I sew it.

This seam is not visible from the outside in the paintings, and it doesn’t need to be very strong – the slats and holes do all the work. So I’m whip-stitching over the edge into the back of the leather (binding stitch) using a glover’s needle and light waxed linen thread, leaving a gap to insert the slats.

With the casing sewn, I measured the pairs of side holes (equally spaced from the existing holes) and punched these through both layers.

I put in the slats, moved them out of the way and sewed the last section, then moved them into position, lining up with the holes on the leather. The I turned the bag out the right way out – ready for a handle.

Then I threaded 6mm hemp rope, tried on the bag and checked for length. 170cm makes a comfortable double handle over the shoulder, and – with a loop knotted off, as in the picture – the right length when worn on the back. Then I worked the splice, as for the previous examples.

The bag naturally forms a trapezoid shape – but tucking in the bottom corners turns it into a solid rectangular shape, which will stand on it’s own flat base!

Type 2b – many pleats

This style also has a small opening relative to it’s size, but the bag is large! I used 30cm rulers and again, made a mock-up in scrap fabric to check the scale. I tried the tied corner too, but realised it would need an even smaller slat in proportion. The basic shape worked perfectly: a piece of canvas 90cm square.

I made this one entirely by hand, starting with the side seams worked in running backstitch in doubled waxed linen thread, with a curved corner at the base to match the Tacuinum Sanitatis manuscript. Easiest to sew the corner first, then trim the seam…

I trimmed one side of the seam allowance and folded over to the side, then basted and felled the seam allowance to make a run and fell seam, taking care felling around the corner.

I folded over the casing and marked the depth, then marked the eyelets to match the holes in the slats. I worked the 8 slat eyelets, then basted and felled the casing all around with a single thread, leaving a short section open at one end of each slat position.

I marked out the remaining holes – 8 each side, spaced evenly from the previous holes – then worked the remaining 16 eyelets through both layers of canvas. I inserted the slats and finishing off the casing seam.

To finish, I threaded my 6mm hemp rope through the slats and eyelets and opened the bag as wide as possible. I needed 180cm of rope, allowing for an overlap to make the splice. Then I spliced the rope as above to finish it, as in previous versions.

This bag will can be laid open to start loading, and will take a large amount of harvest, or other goods!

Type 3 – one piece

This style is also usually made as a large bag, and can be opened completely flat, with no seams at all. Unlike the previous version, it usually has very long battens. I made a version of this for the archery kit bag so I won’t duplicate the details here.

Just like the market wallet (Martebo sack), I think these Holtzlattentashen are a practical medieval solution to carrying all sorts of goods, and an easy replacement for modern bags.

I’d love to find examples from other times and countries, but in the meantime they work well for my own early 16th century German focus.

Afterthoughts

This has been a fun project to work my way through, in between other projects. Some thoughts:

• Making the mini versions first was a great way to test my ‘simple pattern’ theory with very little cost in time and materials
• The bigger the rope, the more comfortable the handle – BUT there is a limit to how large you can make the eyelets without cutting threads
• Eyelets need to be large enough to allow the rope to move without friction. It’s worth doing a test eyelet first – you may need to use smaller rope, especially for the pleated types.
• The linen was easier to sew than the cotton canvas, but the latter will be harder wearing. The extant examples were made from a sturdy linen twill, which would work well.
• The leather ones are much faster to make – no eyelets to work!