Plastic Bag Crochet + The Power of the Blood

Plastic Bag Crochet

The Power of the Blood

All her household are doubly clothed in scarlet. Her clothing is of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made].
—Proverbs 31:21-22

The woman in Proverbs was well aware of the power of blood within the Jewish sacrificial system. Under the law almost everything was purified by blood for the release of sin, guilt, and punishment due. Therefore she covered her family in scarlet garments that may have well represented the blood of the coming Messiah to her.

One of the things you can do as a confident woman is apply the blood of Jesus Christ by faith to your household. I do this regularly. I apply it to my own life, my mind, emotions, will, body, conscience, spirit, finances, relationships, my walk with God, my husband, children and their families, co-workers, and all the partners of our ministry.

Regularly repenting for sin in my life and keeping my conscience covered with the blood of Jesus helps me be more confident before God, in my prayers and daily life. Guilty people don't function well. You don't have to be guilty and condemned; you can admit your sins, and ask God to forgive you and to cleanse you in the blood of Jesus. As you place confidence in His Word, your own confidence will increase.

Lord, search my heart and show me any sins that I have not confessed to You. Cleanse me by Your blood and free me from guilt and condemnation. Amen.

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From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Sewing Shortcuts to Save You Sewing Time! + Keep It Simple

Sewing tips to help organize your next sewing project, reduce frustration and save you time.

By Sarah J Doyle

For part one and part two of this series, see Choosing the Right Sewing Thread and Choosing the Right Needle

When a deadline is near, shortcuts can mean the difference between it being wise or foolish for an expert or novice to undertake a sewing project. For those home sewers who dislike detail, or those whose temperaments demand that a project must go quickly, shortcuts can mean the difference between continued interest or giving up sewing completely.

Quality must not be sacrificed, and it needn't be if the entire project is viewed with shortcuts in mind. Consider some of the following shortcut suggestions.

Rely on easy-to-sew patterns. Easy patterns have fewer pieces, fewer seams and fewer hard to follow details. 

Utilize items which are already available. A favorite chain or leather belt or scarf can eliminate the need for making a belt or collar.

If you have a more-than-one size figure, it may be easier for you to purchase separate sizes in patterns for the top and bottom of a garment, just as when buying ready to wear. Or buy patterns styled for your easiest fit that have a minimum of "fitting" requirements.

Avoid difficult fabrics - ravelly ones, or those that do not feed easily, or the one-way naps. Shun fabric designs that require careful matching such as one-way stripes, plaids or large designs.

Cut the fabric with right-sides together; the wrong side will then be exposed for quick marking.

Sew the center seams right after removing the pattern from the fabric.

When you reach the end of a seam, and before fastening off, check to see if there is another seam that can be fed into the machine; this will make fewer starts and stops, and clipping of loose threads.

When you don't have a second seam to feed into the machine, always clip the threads "as you go" to eliminate the need for finding and clipping all loose threads when finished with the project.

Substitute basting tape or basting-adhesive glue stick for basting stitches whenever practical, even for holding zippers in place. This will eliminate the need to spend time on removal of basting stitches.

 

With fusible webbing, fuse pockets in position for top-stitching; fuse hems instead of hand sewing them; fuse facings. (Of course the use of this shortcut would be determined by the type of fabric being used).

When practical, sew in sleeves before sewing the side seams and sleeve seams. If done in this manner, you can make one "side seam" stitching from the cuff to the waist or to the hem of the garment.

Keep It Simple

I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
—2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV

God really wants our relationships and communication with Him to be simple, but the devil has twisted our thinking about prayer because he not only knows how powerful it is, he also knows how easy it should be for us.

Just ask yourself, Why would God create us for communication and fellowship with Him and then complicate it? God has not complicated anything; He has made a simple and enjoyable way for us to pray and enjoy spending time with Him. Satan wants us to believe that prayer has to take a long time and that we must follow a specific formula. He surrounds prayer with rules and regulations and steals the creativity and freedom God desires us to enjoy as we pray. He tries to keep us from having faith and to convince us that we really are not worthy enough to be talking to God anyway and that we cannot hear God's voice.

When we do pray the devil always tries to condemn us by telling us that we do not pray enough or the right way, and that our prayers do not make a difference. He also attempts to distract us when we are praying. For these reasons, people often feel that prayer is so difficult and unfruitful that they rarely do it.

In general, many people seem to be frustrated and dissatisfied with their prayer lives, but that can change. We can pray simple, heartfelt prayers in faith and be assured that God hears and answers.

God's word for you today: A "kiss" for you: Keep It Simple, Sister (or Brother)!

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2010 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Electrical Wire as Cording to Make Stiff Piping + Honor Him First

A Great Tip from Brenda Scofield While Sewing in Hong Kong

I'd never heard of maxi piping and certainly it wouldn't be available in Hong Kong (few people sew for themselves here!) so I thought about what might do the job. I went to an electrical shop and just felt the various wires (cables). One for computers seemed to have the right thickness and bend-ability so that's what I bought. They thought it was very funny that it was for sewing!

I just cut strips to make the piping from the bag material (sadly I didn't have enough to cut it on the bias as I should have but it worked OK) and covered the wire using the adjustable zipper foot to the right in to the wire.. Because I'd chosen quite thick wire I had to pull some of it out before making and sewing the top of the bag but that wasn't too much trouble. I'd used a good quality canvas so it was pretty thick.

Using this thickness of piping means that you can't use a serger for construction but I used a good jeans needle on my regular machine.

 

Here are some pics to show you the effect. I remembered handling bags which have very thick piping so that's what I was aiming for. I might get around to sewing a lining and a money pocket but we'll see!

Choose the cording that you want to cover. Cording is available in a variety of sizes.

Using a tape measure

• Lay the cording on the tape measure at the amount of seam allowance you will be using on what you are attaching the piping to.
• Wrap the tape measure around the cording and back to the end of the tape measure.
• Where the end overlays the tape measure is the width of the fabric you will need to cover the coring.

The length of the cording will be the measurement from the area you want to insert the piping. Add a few inches to be sure you will have enough.

Cut Bias Strips

Cut bias strips wide enough to wrap around the cording with the seam allowance.

It is important that this fabric is cut on the bias. Bias will cover the cording smoothly and allows the piping to bend smoothly around corners.

Join the Bias Strips

Match the ends of the bias strips as shown in the photo, using a 1/4" seam allowance, match the long edges of the strip where the 1/4" seam allowance will be sewn.

Press the seam allowance to one side.

If you are using very heavy fabric grade the seam allowance to prevent a bulge caused by the seam allowance.

Join enough strips for the length of the cording you need.

How to Cover Cording to Create Your Own Piping

• Set up your sewing machine with your zipper foot.
• Place the cording in the center of the bias strip.
• Wrap the bias strip around the cording matching the edges.
• Align the zipper foot so the edge of it is against the cording. Sew the seam allowances together to enclose the cording.
• Allow the machine to feed the fabric under the needle so that you maintain a true bias grain around the cording.

Sew the Piping to the Item

 

Check that you have the correct seam allowance on the piping for the items seam allowance. Trim or compensate for the seam allowance if necessary.

Using the zipper foot, place the coding on the seam allowance of the item and sew the piping to the item.

Always sew the piping to one layer before joining the layers that will enclose the piping.

Clip where necessary to turn corners.

 

Ending Continuous Piping

Continuous piping is piping that does not end, as in the edge of a pillow or a cushion cover. There are two methods which are equally acceptable.

Heavy Piping

• Sew the piping to the item stopping about a half inch before where you started.
• Trim the piping allowing enough fabric to turn under and enclose the beginning of the piping.
• Trim the ends of the cording so that they but up to each other.
• Fold under the fabric to enclose the beginning of the piping and sew in place.

Narrow Piping

• Sew the beginning of the piping with the end of the piping dipping into the seam allowance.
• Continue to sew joining the piping to the fabric.
• As you approach the starting point, place the ending of the piping over the starting point and dip it into the seam allowance. Allow for a continuous visual line of piping on the outside of the seam allowance.

Ending Piping in a Seam Allowance

 

When the end of piping will be enclosed in a seam allowance, as in edging a collar, continue sewing the piping to the entire edge. Trim the piping from the seam allowance after all sewing of that area is done to prevent trimming the piping too short.

 

Enclosing Piping in a Seam

 

Place the next piece of fabric under the piping, aligning the edges. Use the stitching that is holding the piping on to the first layer as a guide to sew the second layer of fabric. Be sure you sew exactly on the stitching which is holding the piping in place or just beyond the stitching so that the stitching will not be seen from the right side of the item.

Tips and Tricks

A finished pillow with piping.

Pat emailed a great tip: "Sandwich cord inside fabric and place stitch witchery inside close to cord. Iron up to cord as close as possible (on outside of fabric) This will eliminate a row of stitching when applying to project. Hope you like this tid-bit." Thanks for sharing Pat!

Experiment on your scraps to get the "feel." If you are having difficulty getting the "feel" of the piping through all the layers, buy a yard of large cording at the upholstery section of your local fabric store and practice with it.

Trim a little girls jumper with a contrasting piping at the arm holes, neckline, and pocket edges. Use a straight cut scrap to make a matching "scrunchie".

Compliment your Ruffled Pillows with corded pillows. Use the same dimensions listed, substituting cording for the ruffle.

Compliment your throw pillows with alternate trims. For example: If you make a denim pillow with bandanna trim, make bandanna pillow with denim trim.

Be creative with your scraps. Use them to make your own cording and "jazz" up a plain outfit by adding small piping at arm holes, neckline, and pocket edges.

Use piping in the seams of backpacks and pocketbooks to compliment an outfit.

Debbie Colgrove, www.About.com

Honor Him First

But as for you, the anointing (the sacred
appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides [permanently] in you; [so] then you have no need that anyone should instruct you.
— 1 John 2:27

This verse isn’t suggesting you don’t need anyone to teach you the Word. Otherwise God wouldn’t appoint some to teach in the body of Christ. But it does say if you are in Christ you have an anointing that abides on the inside of you to guide and direct your life.

Sometimes you give more consideration to what people tell you than to what God has said.You might occasionally ask somebody for their wisdom, but if you hear from God and then start asking everybody else what they think, you are honoring people’s opinions above the Word of God. You need to say, “God, no matter what anybody else says, no matter what my own plan is, if You say something to me, I am going to honor You above anything else.”


From the book Ending Your Day Right: Devotions for Each Evening of the Year by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.