The other day, when I was on a quest for a pair jeans that fit, I stopped by a coffee shop to fortify myself with caffeine.

I was, at that time, one hour into what turned out to be a four hour long journey, and at the time, I was no closer to my goal than I had been when I started. I needed something, and I decided that the something I needed was coffee.

While I drank my coffee and plotted my next shopping move, I noticed someone in the coffee shop wearing a t-shirt the back of which read “Do something that scares you.” It caught my eye because at the time, I was doing something that scares me; I was shopping for jeans and braving the florescent lights of the dressing rooms.

So one cup of coffee, a dinner, and six stores later, I eventually found not one, but two, pair of jeans that were acceptable.

Now that I have successfully weathered that experience, I am ready to take on a new challenge and do something that scares me even more: I am going to attempt to sew a purse lining.

My first memories of sewing date back to the fall that I entered the 9th grade. I took the usual courses, math, English, history, P.E. science, and, another standard of the time (at least for girls, as we were then known): Homemaking.

Homemaking, as it was termed, was comprised of two semester long courses: sewing and cooking. In looking over my report cards from that year, I saw that I managed to receive an A- for my efforts in sewing. Clearly my teacher Mrs. Mosher must have been giving me credit for something other than sewing, because my efforts were rather bleak and in no way merited a grade above a C, if that.

Be that as it may, I now need to summon what few sewing skills I have and put them to use so that I successfully transform this pile of yarn:

into an amazing bag.

The body of the bag is completed:

and all that is left to be done before I crochet the straps is to take this piece of fabric and make the lining:

Tomorrow, I will summon all of my courage and do just that.

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