Date: 19 February 2015. Sewn Up
(shopping bag repair)
© janice142
It is always something. And today it
happened to be my shopping bag. You see, I have sewn bunches of bags
out of light weight *spinnaker fabric. They fold small and fit into
my purse. When going to the grocery store or a book sale at the
library, I always have a way to get my goodies home. Almost that is.
*Spinnaker: A
spinnaker is the big poofy sail that is
useful for sailboats when the wind is light. It will often have a
brightly colored decoration though not always.
Photo from my
Chapman's.
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Today, when I loaded my
groceries one of the handles of my fabric bag tore free from the
seam. Nonetheless I was able to use it to get the items home.
Knowing that in addition to putting
away the rabbit food (think "produce") I would have to fix the bag
did not make for a happy boater! The Pity Party lasted all of two or
three minutes before I came to my senses:
I am living on a boat
in Florida. And life is wonderful afloat!
Having a sewing kit [see
Sewing Kit Saves Time vignette] at
the ready makes these minor irritations a relatively easy repair.
Not having to hunt
down the components or dig
them out of a locker means I fix stuff immediately.
After perhaps twenty
years of use and umpteen trips through the washing machine, the
threads in my bag had deteriorated to the point where they were
breaking. Of course I could have thrown out the shopping bag and for
many that is a valid decision. For me however, budget constraints
mean I have plenty of time and not so much cash. Thus, I got out my
sewing kit and went at it.
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My sewing kit is not fancy. It
is a little snap fabric bag (Chinese, bought decades ago) and in
it I have a needle, a thimble, a pair of folding scissors, and
one spool of thread. It matters not to me what color thread I
use, as long as it is a Coats & Clark brand.
Cheap thread
doesn't last and as long as better brands.
When fixing something I expect
it to last a long time. I doggone sure do not want to be doing
the same thing again soon. That is exactly why I buy decent
thread.
Coats Outdoor thread is quite thick -- about 3
times thicker than normal
Coats & Clark thread.
On some items I am more than willing to take a short cut and go
for lesser cost items, but not for sewing.
Side Note:
If you are making this type of carry-all bag, do make the
straps wider. Mine are too narrow at one inch wide. That means
that when carrying heavy items the straps cut into my
shoulder. Wider is better.
Length of
handles: You want to be able to have
your arm straight down and not drag the bag. I aim to have
mine about 1" above ground level when my arm is extended.
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Of course there was a reason
for my immediate repair. Later this week, on Saturday is the annual
book sale at the Carrabelle Library and I fully intend to do all I
can for the local economy. And this is better than your usual
library book sale. Check it out:
What is not to like
about a library that in addition to sharing
wonderful books, also adds soup and bread to their annual sale?!?
And in Carrabelle, the
LIBRARY (#2) is located on the
waterfront, just right for boaters coming through.
#1 is Lady Pamela IV, a
beautiful Hatteras; #3 is an unnamed
powerboat.
Life is good afloat. I
am going to
read another book. And when I finish with it, I will do as is the
norm: return it to the library so they can sell it again. I did
notice a few books at the sale that I had previously bought, read, and returned.
Carrabelle is a small town and that
is indeed one of it's charms. I met Richard from Lanark Village at
the sale, and another lady I had seen at the post office earlier in
the morning. Folks are friendly and that makes all the difference in
the world.
Happy cruising and perhaps I'll see
you along the waterways one day.
Are you a library fan?
Given a choice, would you rather go to a library sale, a used book store
or a place like
Amazon?
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© 2015, 2023
Categories:
Boat Talk,
Boats,
Books,
Characters,
Locations,
Money
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