Brand new bag (© 2010 by Lev Rickards)

So over the weekend, Negin taught me how to sew! I’m pretty sure Mom taught me when I was little, but I don’t really remember. I’m now fairly comfortable threading a needle, putting a knot in the thread so it doesn’t pull out of the fabric, and poking a sharp needle in and out of said fabric. We had decided to make a small bag, and Negin helped me pick out a piece of fabric from her scraps pile. (It turned out to be the sleeve of one of her old shirts.)

Backstitch (© 2010 by Lev Rickards)

Near as we can tell, Negin taught me a backstitch. If Wikipedia is to be believed, this stitch can be used for pretty intricate needlepoint. But we just wanted to have a simple, strong stitch that would hold two ends of the fabric together. Of course, now that I’ve started this stuff, I want to learn all sorts of different stitches. Plus I want to darn some of my socks that are getting worn in the heel. More to come!

YouTube Videos!

One other note. I’ve been listening to WUMB during our morning commute, and one day I heard this song called “You Stay Here.” Apparently it was written by Richard Shindell, he of Cry Cry Cry. The song is beautiful, if menacing. I may have heard the Richard Shindell version, but I remember it sounding more minimal. Could have been the cover by Gabriel Yacoub off of “The Simple Things We Said.” Another winner heard on that station was Marcia Ball’s cover of the Randy Newman song “Louisiana 1927,” off her album “Let Me Play With Your Poodle.” “There was six feet of water on the streets of Evangeline.” And finally, not heard on WUMB, but stumbled upon while googling for all these other things: Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?, released last summer as part of the 500 Days of Summer process.

Good night! Happy Baha’i Fast for those of you fasting. I broke the fast tonight with two glasses of water and a Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie. (Don’t worry Mom, I followed it up with something more substantial: Mark Bittman’s polenta with italian sausage.)