Sewing Project: Drawstring Bag

I've had in my mind for a while a sewing project I've wanted to do, and with a few days off between spring semester ending and summer classes starting, I decided there was no time like the present. For a few years, I've been holding on to old jeans, mostly for a big sewing project that is still in my future, but also because I thought it would be great to make a purse/bag out of denim.

Recently, I've been spending a lot of time at D*sneyland. When I go someplace like that, I just can't stand carrying a purse, it's got to be a backpack so my hands are free. So for a while, I've been using this simple bag where the draw strings are also the backpack straps.

This was a freebie. No offense to the Eastern Municipal Water District, but I always wore it so the words were against my back because they're kind of ugly. The fabric is cheap and it's not going to last forever, so eventually I'd need something else. At some point, I realized that the style would be pretty simple to copy without a pattern, so an idea was born to make one out of some of the denim fabric I've been hoarding.

I'm not by any means a super seamstress, but I've started following a few blogs for sewing tips, and have been loving the tutorials and free ideas at Stardust Shoes. When I saw this post, an idea was born to use one of her techniques on my bag, so I bookmarked her tutorial on Reverse Applique.

Fast forward to this weekend, and I have some time to "play" with the sewing machine. Keep in mind that when I "play" it is not without the making of many mistakes, so there was some seam-ripping involved when I had to fix a few things. Remember, no pattern was involved, so I occasional sewed part of it together only to realize that I should have completed another step first... and therefore spent some quality time with the seam ripper.

I dug through my stash of fabrics and found some fun patriotic prints to use for the accents on the bag, and this is the result. This first photo shows the bag laid flat. You can see the basic rectangle shape. Rather than stitch together pieces of denim to make the right size, I used the legs of the old jeans, including the existing seams.

I made a couple design adaptations here. First, the original used grommets to anchor the bottom end of the straps, and I wasn't feeling like I wanted to attempt grommets in my finished project. (Not to mention I had neither the grommets or the tool to set them.) Second, I think the bag will be easier to use (that is, pack full of stuff) with a simple box bottom. So I added a box bottom, securing the backpack straps into that seam. Second, the original used grommets to anchor the bottom of the straps, but I am less confident of using hardware on my fabric items than in my sewing, so instead, I decided to sew the straps into the seams that formed the box bottom.

So what about that great reverse applique idea I raved about? My camera isn't the best at close-up shots, but here's a tidbit of the design:












And finally, here's the front of the bag with the full design, and also folded over to show the coordinating fabric I used to line the bag:





























Yes, I know. I'm officially M*ckey crazy. But isn't it cute?? Can't wait for my next trip to the happiest place on earth.

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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Book: Redeeming Love (Re-read)

By the same author as A Voice in the Wind, Redeeming Love is a retelling of the story of the prophet Hosea, set in California during the 1840's gold rush era. Like his counterpart in the Bible, Michael Hosea is called to marry a prostitute. Like her counterpart, Angel shames him by returning to her old ways time and again.

Through her retelling, Rivers shows a picture of a God full of grace, love and tender mercies. She shows us a man obedient to God through challenges so great, he must only be able to endure them because of the God's grace.

This is a wonderfully written love story, but the love Michael Hosea for his wife is only half of it. The real love story is the life-changing love of a God for his people. And that is what makes me want to read this story again and again.

Redeeming Love
by Francine Rivers
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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Book: A Voice in the Wind

I am a fan of Francine Rivers, and up until now, had read quite a few of her books. I've actually had a copy of this one for years, and haven't gotten around to reading it. I tried once or twice before, but it was a "slow starter" and I just couldn't get into it. A month or two ago, as I was running short on fresh reading material, I picked it up again. And I can't figure out why I waited so long.

With a bit more patience, I would have discovered this was not an exception to Rivers' ability to weave a good tale with strong, distinctive characters, and enjoyable to read. Set in the early Roman empire, sometime not long after Christ's death and the fall of Jerusalem, we meet characters from various backgrounds who find themselves struggling to find their way in Rome.

Hadassah, a slave from Jerusalem and a Christian, quietly and humbly serves her spoiled mistress Julia and her family. Julia's brother seeks the wealth Rome has to offer despite his father's wish that he take over the family business. Atretes, captured in Germania, is a slave of the fighting arena, forced to kill or be killed in vain, as he serves as entertainment in Rome's insatiable thirst for blood.

Each makes decisions that affect their own lives and those around them, until at the end, their stories are intertwined, and the heartbreaking choices of one threaten all of them. As soon as I finished reading, I requested the second book in the series from the library, I will look forward to it arriving!

A Voice in the Wind
by Francine Rivers -- Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Book: The Red Tent (Re-read)

I did not spend my entire holiday weekend reading. However, I've slowly been accumulating a stack of books that I've finished reading without blogging about them, this is the first of three.

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I love this book. I think this reading was probably at least my 3rd time, possibly the 4th or maybe even the 5th. I received my copy as a gift, on my birthday in 2001, from a friend who loved it, too. (I know this because she was kind enough to write in it, ensuring I will never part with this copy!) Diamant is terrific story teller. I have since read some her other novels, and while I generally recommend her has an author, I have enjoyed this one the most.

The Red Tent is a fictionalized history of the four wives of the Biblical Jacob, and "their" daughter Dinah, born to Leah. Other than a brief mention in the Biblical account, we don't know what happened to her after her brothers avenged her honor at Shechem, thus the fiction which tells of her life both before and after that.

The title dwelling was a place where women had a respite from their usual work for a few days during each new moon. A few days spent only in each other's company. Babies were born in the red tent. Friendships were formed. The bonds of sisterhood deepened. As the only daughter in the family, the story tells her upbringing by four mothers not just the one who gave birth to her.

Some may not like this book because it embellishes the Biblical account and fills in narrative where it is quiet. It is a work of fiction, so like any book in that genre, it can't be read as truth. However, it is a beautiful story, one I highly recommend.

The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant
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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/

Sing Me a Memory: My Savior, My God

Worship at my church was awesome today. I was singing on the praise team today, which I love, because I get to worship at Wednesday rehearsal AND on Sunday. The songs this week included several favorites that hadn't been in the rotation recently, so it seemed like our rehearsal was punctuated with an, "I love this song!" for pretty much every one of them.

One of today's songs I remember singing for the very first time at this church, only a few weeks after I'd started attending there. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but I remember that my heart was not at peace. I was frustrated, or upset about something. I think that in my state of mind, I most likely did not feel like even going to church that day, so it was one of those Sunday mornings when I showed up out of obedience and not out of desire.

Then we sang these words:

My Savior loves, my Savior lives,
my Savior's always there for me
my God He was, my God He is,
my God is always gonna be

I was overwhelmed with the reminder that God is eternal, He is powerful, and most of all, His plan for me is SO much bigger than any crazy, earthly, temporary circumstances in my life. This was over three years ago, so I no longer remember anything about that particular Sunday. But every time I sing this song, I remember God's perfect timing in using it to teach me exactly what I needed to hear the first time I heard it.

My Savior, My God is written by Aaron Shust.
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Originally posted at: http://rebeccasmiscellanies.blogspot.com/