Rickrack makes everything better...

Okay, I realize Bag #2 looks a lot like Bag #1...BUT, the difference is in the fact that I made Bag #2 all by myself! (well, maybe Robbie helped me a little.) I bought some beautiful and slightly expensive fabric at Hancock's the other night and before cutting into it I decided (wisely, oh, so wisely) to make another bag to work out my plans first.

Things went wrong with the first cut. I measured wrong and almost sewed the fabric together facing the wrong direction. (This is where Robbie saved the day.) I struggled with sizing the straps and cursed the makers of the handy dandy inside out fabric turner thingy. All in all, however, I feel like this was a successful project and the rickrack ribbon edging tops it all off. I even sewed in a button clasp on this bag. Robbie marveled at my complete and apparent inability to pay attention to the details.


As you can see I had to sew the button in by hand. And as you also can see, the sewing job was a sloppy one. (Side note: I am dying to get a digital 35 mm camera...mostly b/c of the flexibility in shots. I think this button picture is one of the best shots I have ever taken with my little point and shoot digital, but I digress.)

A couple of nights ago I had dinner with a couple of girlfriends. We talked about those fascinating people we know who dream big and live lives that parallel their dreams. I told Laura and Laresa of my BFF from junior high and how we recently reconnected again after nearly 17 years of separation. Linnzi Zaorski. Seriously, how could you ever forget a name like that? Well, she hunted me down and it turns out she is affectionately referred to as "The 9th Ward's Torch Singer." She lives in New Orleans, has albums out and will be traveling to Paris in the fall to sing. Her music was showcased on NPR and she is amazingly talented and still just as cute as a button. She dreamed big when we were kids. She always had an adventure up her sleeve. She was the one who could convince me to speak all day in some made up accent, just to see if we could convince others that we were some exotic, blond-haired Norwegian types. When we were 13 I had no idea she would become a successful musician, but man did we play the heck out of the Nirvana Bleach album.

The girls and I talked about how amazing it was to us that there are people in the world who will drop everything and take that leap of faith to do something they are passionate about. We each named a few people we knew who were currently pursuing such endeavors. I instantly thought of my friend Melissa who moved to LA to attend school for a career in air traffic control, which wasn't even a set-in-stone guarantee. She desired to do it, had a family who supported it, filled out the paperwork, sold a house and off she, her husband and her dog went. And now? Well, now she is controlling air traffic...doing exactly what she set out to do.

My brother Daniel has always, always, always dreamed big. Maybe gigantically is a better word. Generally, at the root of all of his dreams, he has a tremendous desire to help someone. He is currently talking of moving to Nepal to work with children and teach English. Granted, with Daniel, you can never be sure of the path he will take to get to where he is going, but somehow, he manages to find his way. There's no doubt in my mind that he will always pursue his dreams and find a way of helping others along the way.

This conversation has stuck with me in the last couple of days. I am learning to sew...something I have never done before. I am typically pretty passionate about a new creative endeavor for approximately two weeks and then I move on to something else. I retain my desire to card make, shoot photographs, scrapbook, paint, crochet, felt, cross-stitch, garden, decorate, and now sew, but, I can never seem to concentrate on the One Thing. My passion seems to be in learning and usually as much as I possibly can.

I am sloppy when I hand sew just about anything. I cross-stitched for years and I would often get together with a couple of friends on Thursday nights to cross-stitch and watch Must See TV. One of my fellow stitchers would always say, "If the back of your cross-stitching looks as good as the front, then you know you're a successful stitcher." Good gravy, my backs were a complete nightmare. I imagined people truly judging my worth based on how awfully messy and knotted up they ended up being when I was done with a project. I suppose if I would work harder at one thing, maybe tried to perfect just that one thing, I would fine my passion. I work pretty hard at dreaming I was more of a Dreamer, but I don't think that counts. I do love to learn though and I suppose I am pretty good at that...but can I call it a passion? Hmmmmm...back to the buttons.