Before I came to San Jose, I had never heard of a “ditty bag”.

Now I think they are essential.

Google tells me the definition of a ditty bag is:

“a receptacle for odds and ends, especially one used by sailors or fishermen.”

I totally agree, except for the sailors/fishermen part.

You can have one ditty bag for a show, you can have one for each costume.

Whatever works.

If you have a bunch of costumes and quick changes – put the gloves, jewelry, purse, shoes – whatever goes with the costume – in each ditty bag.

And then you hang the ditty bag around the hanger for the costume!

Voila!

No loss of valuable time searching for (and trying to remember) what goes with that costume.

Also, it keeps all that stuff off of the floor and the makeup table.

A tidy dressing room is a happy dressing room – especially if you are sharing it with others.

This is actually kind of hilarious because I am the worst housekeeper in the world.

There are few things in my life that I am tidy about – but the dressing room is one.

I also usually keep a spare ditty bag for – spares!

Spare panty hose for example.

(Nothing like the thrill of going to put on your hose and putting a finger through the leg and you don’t have a spare pair!)

Spare anything that I might need during a show.

Also a good place to put things you may or may not need that won’t fit in your makeup kit – like safety pins, extra bobby pins, sewing kit, etc.

So if you have never heard of ditty bags before, now you know.

Ditty bags are a wonderful thing.