Part of my 2013 plan is to delve further into traveling in the nineteenth century from what it was like to travel to the baggage. Advice books and contemporary magazines are filled with cases and bags meant to make travel easier. As toilette bags have come up as a topic of conversation on FB, I’ll share a few of toilette cases that can be made at home.
Toilette cases used a variety of materials. For the exterior, you will want something strong, that will travel well and hold up to moisture. You will see period recommendations for using firm material such as ticking as well as Oiled silk and Russian duck. As I have seen some sewing case made with a dark painted canvas that I think would do well for a toilette case as well. For closures, buttons with button holes or loops work well, as do pairs of ties done with ribbon.
The Workwoman’s Guide has a case for just about everything starting on page 208. There are bags for shoes, nightgown bags, travel tidies, etc.
This Travel Sachet from Godey’s has each pocket embroidered with the contents. It can roll up as well as hang. Click on the image to see it reproduced.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
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