Reusable bag of the month: strawberry bag

I have certainly gotten behind with posting these! For my second bag I chose to make a Strawberry Bag that folds into triangular pockets. I began with a pattern downloaded from craftpassion.com, but altered it to attach handles separately, as I experienced a lot of frustration in trying to sew bias tape around the handles in the original pattern, and the triangle pocket was too small. The original pattern can be found here:
Strawberry bag pattern and tutorial

This is how I made my version.

Cutting out the pieces

For the main bag you will need to cut two pieces 14.5 inches wide x 15 inches long (37 cms x 38 cms). For the handles cut two pieces 2.5 inches wide x 16.5 inches long (6 cms x 42 cms). For the casings cut two pieces 7.5 inches x 2 inches (19 cm x 5 cms). From contrasting fabric cut one 7 inch (18 cms) square and then cut this in half diagonally to make two triangles for the pockets.

Make the pocket

Turn the ends of each casing piece in 1/4 inch and sew them down.

Fold them in half and mark the middle with a pin. Fold the longest side of the triangle down 1/4 inch and iron. Then mark the middle of this with a pin. Pin the casing to the long side of the triangle, matching the centre pins.

Sew them together, then sew a line along the casing 1/4 inch from the top.

Sew the bag together

Pin the pockets to the bottom corners of the bag pieces, wrong sides together, making sure that each is on an opposite corner, so that they will meet when you sew the bag sides together. Baste them to the bag close to the bottom and side edges.

Then, right side together, sew the sides and the bottom of the bag together. Overlock the seams to neaten if you like.

Make the handles

Right sides together, fold each handle in half and sew along the long sides.

Turn right side out and iron, so that the seam is in the centre of each handle.

Attach the handles to the bag

Pin the handles to the top of each side of the bag, with each end 3 inches (8 cm) from the side seams. Make sure the handle seam is facing up. Baste the handles to the bag.

Turn the top of the bag over 1/4 inch, including the handles if the turn.

Then turn over again to make a hem and pin and sew around the top.

Finishing off and folding the bag into the pocket

Thread a 25 inch (64 cms) long cord through the casing on the pocket, taking it all the way around both sides of the pocket, then tie the ends together with a knot.

To fold the bag into its pocket, you could simply stuff it in, but I folded the sides in and then rolled it into the pocket.

Pull up the cord, and now we're done!

Remember: Build someone up. Put their insecurities to sleep. Remind them they're worthy. Tell them they're magical. Be a light in a too often dim world. Gratitude App.

Connecting with grandchildren

One of the saddest things I am finding for me during this time of social distancing is being physically cut off from my grandchildren. I know that Skype, Duo, Signal etc allow us to communicate electronically, but I realised that I needed more, and came up with the idea of sending daily episodes of a story about a doll, Marilyn (that used to belong to my daughter) that my 2 yr old granddaughter fell in love with at Christmas time (but then thankfully chose to leave at Gran's house). Any toy loved by your grandchild would do.

This has had added bonuses, like being able to send messages to my daughter daily when I attach Marilyn's next adventure, keeping my creative brain functioning, giving me something positive to do/ think about every day and creating a lovely connection between myself and my granddaughter (she asks to see Marilyn when we have Duo sessions).

Marilyn helps me with daily tasks and sometimes goes out with Pa to do farm activities -- all I need to remember to do is to photograph her helping with a task, and then create a simple story around this. I often try to include a photo of my granddaughter doing something similar at the end of each episode. The episodes range from 4 to 6 pages.  Here are some themes:

Cooking

There is a lot of mileage in this one, and I have photographed her helping me to make dishes for dinner, hot cross buns and Easter eggs, chai latte mix, a tart etc, and have plans to have her help me make yogurt, bread and anything else I decide to cook.

Gardening

Once again, there are lots of opportunities here, from sowing seeds, checking seedlings, weeding, harvesting vegetables, fertilising beds, to adding mulch. 

Household chores

What a way to make vacuuming, washing, washing up and dusting etc more interesting and enjoyable!

Sewing

Marilyn has helped me with both hand and machine sewing.

Playing with toys

I began with Marilyn playing with some of the toys that my granddaughter has loved when she has visited us, but then included her in the making of new toys and, in particular, a mouse house with car, furniture and a mouse family that I will eventually give to my granddaughter for her birthday.

Farm tasks

It was important to include Pa in the stories too, and to have Marilyn doing some of the things that my granddaughter enjoyed when she came to stay.

Celebrating special occasions

I will photograph Marilyn with a wooden birthday cake on Sunday to acknowledge my son-in-law's birthday, but so far we have celebrated Easter, and there will be more opportunities to come, like my youngest grandson's first birthday.

A complete story

Here is a complete episode, so that this all, hopefully,  makes more sense.

Remember: It's your road, and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. Rumi

Making soap for hand washing

In this time of increased hand washing, our hands can become quite dry. However I have found that my hands have stayed soft and healthy by using my own gentle home-made oil based soap.

I was surprised to discover that commercial soap has had its glycerine removed to be sold separately (as glycerine is seen as a valuable resource). The soap-making process naturally produces glycerine, which is good for our hands. Commercial soap is usually, of course, also full of chemicals.

 So, how do we make our own soap? There are 4 main steps, but for detailed instructions, I have provided links to two of the best sources of information that I have found, and these are:

Down to Earth Blog (this will take you directly to her post on soap making)

The Nerdy Farm Wife (this site has a wealth of information on soap making

Please refer to these for ingredients and amounts to use.

Step one: Gather protective gear and make the lye solution

You will need goggles, rubber gloves, a face mask, a plastic container made of strong plastic (rated as 5 for recycling), a stainless steel spoon for stirring, a measuring jug in which to weigh the lye (caustic soda) and measure the water, a thermometer for testing the temperature of the mixture, and a well ventilated space. I go outside on my front verandah. It is recommended that glass and aluminium are not used for this process, although stainless steel is OK.

 Weigh the lye and measure the water, pour the water into the plastic container and ADD THE LYE TO THE WATER (never the other way around). Be careful, as it will become very hot and give off fumes.

If you are looking for caustic soda, make sure it is suitable for soap making, not just drain cleaner. It can be found in supermarkets in the laundry aisle, and some hardware stores may stock it.

Step two: Heat up the oils

I use a combination of olive oil and coconut oil and weigh them in a plastic measuring jug before heating them in a glass saucepan to the recommended temperature. I also keep checking the temperature of the lye solution (which I leave outside on the front verandah until it comes down to the desired temperature).

Step three: Add the lye solution to the oil solution

I take the glass saucepan off the stove and place it in the kitchen sink, so that any spills will be contained. Then I pour in the lye mixture and begin to mix it together with a stick blender (alternating between using it for no more than 2 minutes at a time and then mixing with the motor turned off until the blender cools down). Continue this until the mixture reaches trace. Then I added some eucalyptus oil and mixed it in.

Step four: Put the soap into moulds

I use silicon moulds, but a box lined with baking paper or an empty milk carton will also work (the  soap can then be cut into bars when set and unmoulded). I find I need to leave the soap in the moulds for a couple of days before releasing it (check that it is not still sticking to the mould). 

 It will then need to be left to harden for about 6 weeks before using (and this is important, as the soap will just dissolve away if it is not left to properly harden).

Remember: When some things go wrong, take a moment to be thankful for the many things that are going right. Annie Gottlier

Connecting with community in a time of social distancing

I have come across some lovely ways people are enhancing community connectedness without the use of on-line technology, and I would like to share some here.

Teddy bears in windows

My youngest daughter told me that in her street people had been placing teddy bears in windows for children to find from footpaths as they walked with their parents (for exercise), whilst keeping social distancing rules and not entering people's yards. So this becomes a teddy bear hunt.

After further research, I identified that this is a whole movement, that has its own Facebook Group in Australia, and it can be found here:

Going on a bear hunt Australia

Rainbow trails

In a similar idea in the UK, pictures of rainbows were placed in windows for people to find, but in Australia this idea has been expanded to making colourful artworks, including rainbows, to "spread some joy during these testing times". People are encouraged to draw rainbows on footpaths and driveways and to place pictures in windows and, in rural areas, the artworks have been placed on sheds, water tanks, fences and hay bales. There is a Facebook Group for this too:

Rainbow trails Australia

Chalk Street Art

Locally, a lady and her daughter have been using pavement chalk to brighten up our community with pictures and words on encouragement. They have drawn flowers, hopscotch, cartoon characters and rainbows, amongst other things. Messages have included: Anyone can be anything, Better days are coming, Music is good for the soul, Your kindness can change the world, and Smile. Their aim is to make people smile whilst out exercising, and they have discovered that their work is on-going when rain washes it away.

Community prayer hour with candles in windows

The Churches in our local town have combined to have a weekly prayer hour from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday, and people are encouraged to place a lighted candle in their window to indicate their participation. This began on Maundy Thursday and will continue for as long as needed. Over the past two years of drought the Churches combined for monthly prayer meetings for rain (with groups meeting in different Churches each week), and this is an adaptation to fit current times whilst we are isolating ourselves in our homes.

The banner on our fence

Before finding out about the rainbow trails, and knowing that the teddy bear in the window idea was not practical for us (we live in a house in the middle of our farm, unseen from the road), I decided instead to make a message to hang on our fence near our mailbox. I cut the letters from paper, glued them onto coloured A4 sheets, which were laminated before stapling them to lengths of wood with a staple gun. This was then tied to the fence with pieces of wire. This replaced the first version I did, where I just stapled the letters to a length of ribbon and tied this to the fence, with twisters added between each letter. Wind and rain soon took care of that, and there is still an "a" and a "y" floating around the paddock somewhere (despite searching).

Remember: Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people. Roy T. Bennet

Surviving

I think that, like a lot of others, I found it very difficult to know what to say when Covid 19 hit China and then spread around the world, and to Australia, as we watched the numbers of cases and deaths grow and grow. On reflection, I realise that I actually responded in a number of ways that were almost linear at first.

Shock and disbelief

This was my initial response, and came along with fear and immobility (and speechlessness), and I know that this is how I have responded to previous unexpected crises in my life. I also felt a sense of relief when Governments (both State and Federal) began to implement isolation measures, including border closures, social distancing and other closures, that rapidly increased in severity.

Taking inventory and beginning to problem solve

Next came a time to take stock:

• of food and hygiene supplies (as some of these became difficult to obtain, and bare shelves in certain sections of the supermarkets confronted all of us)
• of sewing and craft supplies (that might become difficult to find in the future, and of what I already have), so I can keep myself occupied (although I still find that lack of motivation is a challenge for me)
• of ways to shop safely in the supermarket and other places
• of skills I have, and things I have learnt, that will help me at this time (e.g. making soap, growing vegetables)

I am reminded that our brains are naturally titled to the negative (and we are being given an overdose of negatives right now), so then problem solving becomes vitally important to tilt our brains to the positive. I try to look at what I can't do now, and then ask myself what I can do instead.

Finding new ways to do things/ being creative/ taking action

Technology has became a major communication tool, as it has for many people, and my husband and I have made a point of reaching out to at least one person by either phone or email each day. I have found that it is better for my anxiety to look and reach out, instead of looking inwards. Technology is also a major source of information for me, whether it be about keeping up to date with the progress of the Virus, or finding creative solutions to issues that arise. We don't watch the news on TV and limit our updates to a few bulletins on ABC radio and our I-phones, the NSW Health site and Norman Swan's Coronacast, as there is too much exaggerated and misleading information out there.

I have also found ways to connect with the community and with young grandchildren (which I will outline in separate posts).

Then there have been ways of finding substitutes for difficult to obtain food items.

Feelings of grief and loss

For some reason, Easter really stirred these up for me, and I realised the time will come when we will need to grieve for all the losses this major lifestyle change and upside-down-turning of the world have brought us. I particularly grieve for not being able to visit my grandchildren (two are across a closed state border and the other two are long journeys away at a time when travel is not permitted). However, I acknowledge that the time to grieve is not whilst we are in survival mode (apart from the tears we are allowed to shed from time to time).

Do we dare to hope?

It is hard to trust the signs of progress in Australia, especially as there are other countries still living in a world of nightmares. I have to ask myself if it is really possible that we can get off so lightly by comparison, and wonder if there is worse to come, but I think this is shock and disbelief talking again. 

Then I need to be reminded of things to be grateful for and of the strategies we have put into place to stay safe.  I know that I need to not be so caught up in the concerns that I miss the good things in life. After two years of drought and looking at bare paddocks, this year we have had regular falls of rain and our surroundings are green again, removing a major worry. And I have taken note of acts of kindness that others are providing to people around them. These have inspired me to take action too.

Remember: For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7