Barefoot Hippie Girl: Gathering Leaves

The sun is shining, the sky is blue. It is a warm and gorgeous October fall day.

I have the windows open again because you have to know that the nice weather isn't going to last very much longer. It will get rainy and chilly and grey.

Since we are in a new month, I picked a new poem for the boys to memorize for school. I went with Gathering Leaves by Robert Frost. I am pretty sure we are going to park on his poetry all year.

It is a fun poem. I can definitely picture it in my mind. Though, we, the Barefoot Hippies, are rather leaf-raking challenged.

I think we may have actually raked our leaves once or twice since we moved here 7 years ago. The leaves quite often haven't all fallen before we take off for our annual Thanksgiving trip to TX. And why rake them up before you can get them all?

Except, we inevitably come home from TX in a snow storm, and alas, our leaves never get raked. Great stirrings of heart...no raking of leaves.

Gathering Leaves
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

-Robert Frost

Pretty good, huh! I can't wait to see if they understand it on first or second reading. And I can't wait to see what they come up with to illustrate it. I'm thinking we are going to haul out the watercolors.

We have guests coming in from out of town to celebrate ArtPrize and Sweden with us. Linda is Swedish, and she just visited her homeland a couple years ago. She is bringing her pancake pan, and Vasa bread, and pictures, and an authentic outfit.

We are going to get elbow deep in Swedish meatballs and salmon, boiled potatoes, and salad. Look for pictures next week.

It is Friday, and I have no recipe for you. I sewed instead! I was in a projecting mood.

I have been wanting a bag to carry my Bible and notebook in to BSF. I have a really nice leather bag, that is huge, and is overkill. I have another black bag that has become our diaper bag. Really quite a pain to empty every time I need to go out without diapers. And what about the times when the bag really must go with Meres? What do I do then?

The choice was to buy or to make. I went with make. I know how to sew, plus I have 3 binds worth of beautiful material that a friend gave me. Slowly and surely I am using pieces. I had everything on hand. All that was needed was some ingenuity.

I decided I wanted the end product to be 15" long by about 12" wide. This is big enough to carry my Bible, notebook, and wallet. Or to carry the laptop, and wallet, and notebook. Plus pens, keys, business cards and phone. And I wanted it to have a flap closer.

I started by cutting out the lining to 12" by 30". Since the bottom is just a fold, I didn't figure in seam allowance for that.

I cut the outer material 12" by 36", to give me a good 3" flap.

I had some beautiful blue cording that I'd had since our bedroom redo.
I braided it to add strength to make an about 3' long strap.

the outside and the lining. LC loved the lining.

The first sewing step was to make a 1/4" hem on the top edge-for the flap.
This became redundant later.

With the hem. Folded over 3". Sewed corners diagonal, starting 2" from edge.

Nice finished edge for the flap.

with right sides together, sewed the side seams.
Brought the upper edge of the non flap side about 1/2" higher than the top of the flap.
(where the flap is going to fold down)

Folded lining in half lengthwise and
sewed the side seams of the lining-ride sides together.

Tricky part...sewed the lining to the bag-right sides together on the top edge
Only on the non flap side. See next picture.

sewing only between the 2 side seams on one side at the top.

tucked in the raw edge of the non sewn top seam of the lining, pressed,
and stitched through the layers.

Then I decided a pocket inside would be nice for keys and such.
For the flap of the pocket you put the right sides together of the top inch or two.
Sew 1/4" from the edge all around the pocket.
Turn, press under the edge along your seam.
Voila', stitch your pocket where you want it.