All I wanted was to find some fabric scraps for sewing a small loose pocket.

As I lifted out a stack of fabric from my fabric chest, I realised that the bottom was this close to falling out. The chest is about thirty years old and somewhat cheaply made to begin with. The fact that I sometimes press the lid down to compress the contents hasn’t helped its structural integrity. The bottom is a thin sheet of plywood, held in place by grooves in the sides. Pressure has made it bend, and it’s really not staying in those grooves any more.

I have my sewing materials now, but I also have a living room corner heaped with fabric, and a DIY project waiting for me.