Impatient Seamstress: Cosmetic Bag

This piece takes about 30 minutes (or less).



Cut a 2 pieces of fabric that are a little wider than you want your finished bag to be. I use the zipper I bought as a measure, because I hate math and would rather just never use a tape measure. I just cut it an inch and a half or so longer than the zipper. I like to just trim the edges down afterwards- better longer than shorter, right? The picture above is before I cut my big piece in half to make 2 pieces.

For height of the bag, just cut it a little longer than you want your bag to be. So, you have two pieces of fabric that are a little wider than your zipper, and a little longer than the depth of your desired bag.

Open your zipper package and remove the zipper from the packaging. I don’t know why they staple it down, I mean- it’s really wedged in the package, so it’s not going to bolt once the package is open, right? Anyway…



If you are don’t know/care what interfacing is and instead are using double-sided quilted fabric like me, choose which side will be the outside of the bag. Now, place the “top” of the fabric against the zipper. The darker print is the right/outside side of my cosmetic bag for this project. The right side of the zipper will be up against the right side of your bag. See how my zipper is facing the outside of my bag?



Pin and sew this. Repeat with the other side. Now you have both “top” parts sewn to the zipper- and it looks kind of like your bag is inside out.



Open the zipper a few inches (this part is important).



Now sew down one side of the bag- my mother-in-law told me to do a little reverse stitch to lock it in at the beginning and at the end of the line of stitches, and so that’s what I do!



Repeat along the bottom. Then back up the next side. Where the stitches cross at each corner, cut a little diagonal- this will help your corners look like actual corners, rather than nubs.



Trim any excess fabric off.



Then, reach into the bag, and open up the zipper as much as you can manage. It’s a little difficult since its upside down, but its doable with a little concentration. Well, maybe it’s just difficult for me because my fine motor skills are lacking. You probably will have no problem.

Once you do this, you should be able to zip your zipper up easily and you will have a lovely cosmetic bag.

Founders Park (3-26-10)

Just a post with some stuff for analyzing. I haven't gone through even fifteen minutes of my audio, and I have a few interesting things to post. I'll add more as I go along.


This was a little over a minute into just walking around in the park. To me, it sounds like a little girl saying "come with me." You also hear a "whoo" sound that is over the "me" part of the phrase and background whispering that was not us.

40-0125-comewithme by barefootwitch

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This is from right after we talked about doing an EVP session. Jessica is mentioning a new device she just bought, and we hear a little voice chime in with a "heeheehee." Its really close to the mic, and you can hear how far away Jessica is. And it's definitely not me.

40-1253-Hehehe by barefootwitch

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Using the "spirit box," Jess came up with "baby," and then we hear an odd sound that might be a baby sound?

42-1433-Baby by barefootwitch

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I'm going to be editing this post with stuff as I find it.

Paranormal Investigation = Séance ?

In the world of Facebook, Twitter and Ning, it’s easy to find information on paranormal groups in your area. Many groups have a fan page on Facebook, as well as a website of their own, and possibly even a public message board. What one finds on the science-minded groups websites is almost always the same. “We don’t do séances, nor Ouija or Spirit boards. We use our (scientific) instruments to gauge levels of paranormal activity.” Now, to someone who is in the paranormal community, we know that there are no devices that have been created solely to gauge and/or prove paranormal activity (except for the Ovilus, etc- but it doesn’t seem as though the paranormal community accepts them, yet). Instead, we use devices that have been used for other purposes- audio recorders, EMF (electro-magnetic field) meters, video cameras. Investigators also use devices using existing technology adapted for seekers of the paranormal, like the K2 Meter. An outside person or client might not understand that, and the technology that we use might seem mysterious to them.

Merriam-Webster defines “séance” as a meeting to receive spirit communication. Séances and spiritualism become popular in the nineteenth century, and the popularity continued on into the twentieth century. Still now, in small “séances” people are using Ouija or other spirit boards- I’ve even seen a pink one at the local toy store. People at séances would try to communicate with spirits on the other side, usually with the aid of a medium. They’d try to get the spirits to speak using raps on the table, spirit trumpets (horn-shaped tube thought to magnify the whispered voices into a range that humans could hear), and of course the well-known spirit board. Communication was also said to be happening with the appearing of objects, or a strange smell- anything out of the ordinary.

In the twenty-first century that we live in, those trying to communicate with spirits will sometimes call in a paranormal investigation team. The team brings in all of their equipment: audio recorders, cameras, meters, thermometers and more. The team then asks questions and awaits the response of the spirit world. Can the spirit finish the “shave and a haircut” knock? Will they light up the lights on a K2 meter (the K2 is based off of EMF technology and an increase in EMF lights up the lights)? Many of these questions are asked, and we hope to hear answers once we review all of our recordings. Investigators also look for objects appearing or moving.

Today’s paranormal investigations are very similar to the séances of yesteryear. One difference being that most investigation groups do not connect their collective energies like those attending a séance might- by holding hands, or touching the same object. Besides that small fact, it seems like both a séance and today’s paranormal investigators use the same techniques. While our ancestors were listening to a spirit trumpet, trying to hear voices not on our frequency, so do we listen to our audio recordings, hoping for hidden words. Both séances and investigations use raps, or lights, or some other physical change as an example of communication. Both investigations and séances look for things out of place- however presently, we have the advantage of being able to view video to do so. Sometimes those on investigations use mediums, even to speak with the dead. There’s no reason to think the ability of today’s mediums would be better than the abilities of mediums past.

It seems as though these two ways of contacting the dead are very similar. Both use physical movement of some sort to gauge activity, both seize the concept of spirit voices unheard by human ears, but able to be heard using a device, and both communicate with spirits using the best technology of the day.

"Paranormal Project" Blog

I'm discontinuing my paranormal project blog. It was kinda silly, really. I'd rather just post everything about my life on one blog. This one! :) So, I'll just post everything here: my pagan stuff, para stuff, life stuff, crafty stuff (I've written the cosmetic bag tutorial, should be up within the next few days), writing stuff, and all that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I've uploaded a possible EVP that I got a few weeks ago here to test a new audio hosting site.

EVP-24-ABORTION ROOM-Whisper (Im Dustin)  by  barefootwitch

A Little Rant for Ostara

I'm taking some time off of getting ready for our Ostara celebration tonight. I've just finished compliling our ritual- in my coven, we all decide on key parts of the ritual, and we all help write it- and I'm getting ready to start my potluck dish.

Ostara is the name of a Germanic goddess of springtime, and the day bearing her name falls on the Spring Equinox, a day where the light and dark are balanced- literally. On the equinox, we have equal lengths of day and night. Ostara is a day to celebrate new growth, reverence for the Earth, slowly awakening from Her winter slumber, and also balance. That's the cliff notes version.

I was looking at all of the #ostara tweets coming out of twitter today, and a few reminded me of tweets I see every time a sabbat rolls around.

"OMG! How did I not realize that today was {nameofsabbat}! I must make last minute plans for this evening!"

The reason that you didn't realize that today was Ostara is because it's not important to you. If it was important to you, then you'd know. It doesn't just come sporadically. It's close to the same day every year. If you wanted to pay attention to the cycles of your environment, you'd realize that spring is on the way. Even if it's still cold where you are, the natural cycles will give you subtle hints. Or, you could just use a calendar to remind you of Her cycles and to tune into them.

Not that this has never happened to me. When I was solitary, and just starting out on my Craft path, I wouldn't realize that a sabbat was basically upon me, and I wouldn't do a ritual just because it was March 21st. I'd use that as a reminder that I should be tuning into the natural cycles of the Earth.

If you don't feel the seasons, and it's not a priority to be aware of the nature around you, or are still learning to do this, don't feel that you HAVE to do a ritual. Circle because you want to celebrate Spring. If you don't feel that its Spring yet, you can wait until you feel that it's Spring in your area to circle (unless you are practicing within a tradition that dictates otherwise). Don't fake it. Do what feels natural.

Ides of March Update

It’s been awhile since I wrote a personal blog about what’s up with me. And if you don’t really care about my mid-march Christmas newsletter, it’s fine- I totally understand. :) I know I missed the Ides - its the 19th, but so what? It sounded pretty good.


Family
Everything is well. My (super adorable cutest baby in the world) niece recently had surgery, and it went well! My husband and I are happy, and both sides of our family are doing well. We went to a fun party a few weekends ago, and I made jello shots. I think everyone liked them.


SCGC – Local Paranormal Group
I know in a previous blog I said that I quit the paranormal group that I was a part of. Well, I didn’t, really. So, I’m still doing that – it’s so very interesting. It’s a mystery, not unlike the mysteries that those who follow a Craft path explore. What turns up on the photos, who is talking on my recorder? It’s so strange- in a sexy good way. I’m lucky enough to have met some really awesome people in this group- it was interesting having non-Pagan friends, as literally almost ALL of my friends are some flavor of Pagan. Experiences with these people have also peaked my interested in another spiritual aspect of my life, which I’m sure at some point, I’ll be willing to share more about. Probably. It seems to have been worth the obstacles I found in my way.


CTM – Eclectic Wiccan Coven
The coven is fantastic. I’m so lucky to be a part of this circle of young women. Well, I guess some of us are getting older. Like me. Are you still a young woman if you are over 30? Oh, eff it. You are as young as you feel, right? Anyway, we’re gearing up for our Ostara (spring equinox) circle tomorrow, and planning our Beltane campout. We’re also hosting a meet and greet next month for those who want to join us, and also a SCSW party- but really most of that ends up falling on the sisters who’s house we’re at for that. Our dedicant is over halfway through our dedicant classes, and we might end up taking more dedicants in the summertime.


SCSW – Witchy Social Group
SCSW stands for SoCalSisterWitches - a witchy women’s social group that we spun off of another inspired women’s group. Any witchy woman in southern California can join. We’ve had quite a few new members and I hope that they’ll come to the party in April!


Crafty Business – Twisted Vine Studio
Well, though I haven’t felt inspired lately, I’ve purchased a few displays. One is an earring display that was MUCH bigger than I had anticipated and now I have nowhere to put it. Suckage. That’s my bad. I don’t’ even have enough earrings made to fill it up. Ha! I was planning on using some of my bonus money last month to pay for my business creation paperwork stuff, but it ended up having to go to bills instead. Well, eventually, I’ll get that taken care of. Until then, I’ll work on marketing ideas, inventory and display ideas. I do have a website, although I’m having an issue with getting the paypal to work. You can add stuff into your cart, and fill out your shipping/billing info, but not actually pay. Hilarious! Oh well. I’ll get it there eventually. I did change the look and I love it now. It matches the earthyness of my marketing materials. I need to re-do the Midnight Artemisia logo, though. If you want to look around (since you can’t actually buy anything- LOL) its at http://www.twistedvinestudio.com.

Other Ventures – Writing, etc.
I’m still working on my Wicca 101 book- its going to be a culmination of my classes- marketed toward study groups, and solitaries needing some structure. I also have an idea of another book, but it’s in a completely different genre and is about relationships. I also might start teaching online classes through my own site, since I installed moodle in a subdirectory of my shop site. If I could make a little money through that, it would be nice, but I’d have to find time first, right?

Wicca - Witchcraft - Paganism

This is a question that I get a lot, so I thought it was blogworthy. This is my opinion, how I view the terms- it's also a very common opinion.

What’s the difference between Wicca and Paganism?

Paganism is an umbrella term used to describe several earth based and/or non-Abrahamic religions. Dianic, Goddess Path, Druidry, Wicca, Asatru, and more all fall within this term “Pagan.” Each of these paths (traditions) have their own holy days, their own way of doing ritual, their own traditional structure.

Wicca is a specific tradition. Those who are Wiccan celebrate the full moon (and sometimes the new moon), called Esbats, and at least eight seasonal celebrations called sabbats-usually in ceremony called rituals, sometimes followed by festivities and feasting. Wicca is often confused with witchcraft, as many Wiccans are also witches, but witchcraft is a practice, like prayer or meditation and many Wiccans do not practice the craft.

Wicca has no central dogmatic authority and each coven/group ( or solitary practitioner) is autonomous. There are many different traditions ( Like denomination) of Wicca. The practitioners of the original tradition of Wicca, called British Traditional Wicca, believe Wicca to be an initiatory religion (meaning one MUST be initiated) and can trace their initiatory linage back to the first high priest of Wicca
Due to the popularity of Wicca, many other traditions have sprouted up, and many solitary practitioners learn about different traditions and practice what calls to them. These solitary practitioners are more predominant than those in covens, and are referred to as Eclectic Wiccans.

The ethical core of Wicca is the Wiccan Rede - " An it harm none, do as ye will ". This advice is what most Wiccans try to live by as best as they can. There is no central book of Wicca (though a plethora of books have been written on the subject), and the practitioner usually keeps a journal of notes and experiences in a book usually referred to as a Book of Shadows (sometimes Book of Light or a Grimoire).

An eclectic Pagan will utilize concepts and ritual from different paths, finding the way that best works for them. An eclectic Wiccan will utilize concepts and will usually honor deities from different pantheon, but they still follow all of the concepts above, and also practice ritual using the traditional Wiccan ritual outline.


What’s the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft?

Wicca is a religious path, described above.

Witchcraft is a practice, like meditation or prayer that can be applied to any path. Most Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan.

Witchcraft is the practice of magick, usually to create change on the physical plane of some sort (including changes in ourselves or other people). This is referred to as low magick or thaumaturgy. This differs from ceremonial magick- which is a different sort of path- and referred to as high magick or theurgy. Many people practice witchcraft and call it their religion- those people capitalize the name and call it Witchcraft, but most believe witchcraft to be a practice that can be applied to their personal spiritual path.

Granada Theatre: Lessons Learned

This weekend I went on a paranormal investigation with the group I’m in; we went to the Granada Theatre in Ontario. It was a very interesting experience. Not so much as in the paranormal activity, though I haven’t yet reviewed my stuff, but in a different way for me. It was a great opportunity for me to figure out how I need to grow as an investigator, as well as recognize the skills that I already possess that make me the investigator that I am. I learned a lot.

1. Just because I heart my Nikon, doesn’t mean that it’s very helpful on an investigation. It won’t take a photo / the flash won’t activate in a dark room. Now, probably there is some way I can bypass it, but why bother, really?

2. I need to become more confident in asking questions in an EVP session. I overthink what I’m going to say, and worried that I’ll sound dumb, or stupid or say the wrong thing. It’s the same reason I refuse to do voice chat and I avoid picking up the phone. It’s something that I probably won’t get over completely, but I need to either remember some standard questions, or just get over worrying about what other people will think. It’s just one fun facet of social anxiety- yay!

3. I also need to stop being afraid of speaking up. Period. I need to mention if I hear a weird noise or something, because here its important, not something to treat as a normal occurance.

4. I need either a K2 or another way to be able to read my EMF meter in the dark. I love my meter, but it’s hard not to be able to read it. I have a workaround in my head- maybe a small unbright glowstick- like the mouth ones for ravers?

5. The ability to meditate has made it easy for me to just sit still, silent and unmoving. Apparently, some people can’t do that?

6. I follow direction well. If someone tells me to be quiet, I will be quiet. I don’t see the reason to have a conversation while other people are trying to have an EVP session – what can’t wait for 10 minutes? I think that might go back to meditation- I don’t feel the need to fill the silence.

7. I’m not sure when I lost complete fear of the dark, but the ability to sit in a completely pitch black old theatre without any anxiety is really awesome for me.

8. My little bag that I made held up fairly well, so that was a little “yay”. The strap didn’t break, even with the big Nikon and the camcorder in the largest pocket. The recorder slipped out of the pocket, though, but it was fixed by using the clip on the recorder.

9. It was fun to use my IR thermometer, but it’s hard to tell where you are pointing in the dark. I need to figure out how to use that a little better if I don’t want to permanently blind my teammates.

10. Thick socks. Always pack thick socks. My feet were ice.

11. I need to practice opening myself up so that I can be more “sensitive.” This was kind of my dry run in this respect, and I did get some impressions (one I had no idea about until afterwards, and the name I got wasn’t the one a psychic had given our guide). I need to figure out a way to practice this. Trying to do this in a group of like eight people –as someone who is trying to get used to it- was a little difficult. I might take a little trip up to Founders or something and see what I can sense. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday. Expand my awareness or someshit. I had a pretty good thing going on at suicide bridge, and heard a voice and saw a dark figure there, and got EVPs when I was in the place I was drawn to. I’d love to go back there again.

12. Also, in regards to sensitivity, I’d like to figure out a way to take notes of what I’m feeling- I guess I could speak quietly into my recorder, but that might seem like ‘evidence’ to another person on their recorder.

And that’s what I learned this weekend. :-D I’m still going to work on that bag tutorial. Also, a cosmetic bag tutorial, too. 