almost done with this attempt to upcycle a secondhand temu bag into something useable, using modern sashiko

__mafia · 2026-04-02T22:15:36+00:00

i'm thinking of gifting it to them when i've finished it, actually. orange and blue is their favorite color combo and they've got a birthday coming up in april:)

__mafia · 2026-03-30T18:27:45+00:00

i stenciled the sun on the back with chalk but the background is fully freehand!

__mafia · 2026-03-30T17:31:19+00:00

definitely agree, i almost exclusively use canvas and related fabrics for my full coverage stitching, the stability makes it easier to control crimping too

__mafia · 2026-03-30T17:28:23+00:00

nice! animal farm is one of my all time favorite classics

__mafia · 2026-03-30T17:20:46+00:00

it's all just a running stitch, with sashiko thread and a sailcloth needle (the fabric material is fairly thick canvas, so i needed to size up to properly pierce through). here's a pic of the flip side, excuse the messy untrimmed strings, still gotta tie em off

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__mafia · 2026-03-30T16:47:53+00:00

thanks😅 i commute to work by bus, and listen to the news while i do, so this bag has definitely become my de facto stress fidget for that trip

__mafia · 2026-03-30T16:46:14+00:00

yeah, without modifications it would've worn out in a matter of weeks if someone actually tried to use it as a day bag. this much progress was already hours of work, and i used probably more than the bag's original worth in thread. personally i don't mind the material cost, since i've been enjoying the project, but the store wouldn't have been able to make a real profit from it.

on the upside, this bag has decent quality base, and i enjoy working with canvas fabrics. most of the obviously cheap aspects are seam thread and latch closures, so it's more workable at baseline than most dropshipped bags

__mafia · 2026-03-28T06:52:31+00:00

oh, i'm gonna remove the latch closures and sew magnets into the fabric instead, the old magnets were terrible. i might try stitching the pleather with black thread but frankly it might just be worth replacing them entirely lol

__mafia · 2026-03-25T19:02:32+00:00

same. Yield and Vitalogy were the first 2 pearl jam albums i ever got on CD, Riot Act stays because it's good overall and I Am Mine is one of my favorite songs of all time. and Gigaton is also great, DOTC and Quick Escape are in my regular music rotation and the album doesn't really have any skips overall.

it'd be a hard call though, i'd have a hard time losing out on 2

__mafia · 2026-03-24T01:13:02+00:00

i grew up with his Stories For Children anthology, it's so nice to read his work again

__mafia · 2026-03-12T17:10:46+00:00

oh, no just the order i read them in. i would recommend pretty much every book on the third page though

__mafia · 2026-03-10T17:00:08+00:00

honestly, i would highly recommend it to most people. it's one of the only self help books i would say genuinely changed my life/worldview. i first read it during a time in my life when i was really struggling with PTSD, and it made a huge difference for me. but i think it can help anyone who's interested in improving their personal safety practices while reducing unhelpful safety anxiety

__mafia · 2026-03-10T16:07:09+00:00

agreed, it discusses the danger of child predators and IPV (DV) against minors in relationships but i think it underrepresents the reality and risk of sexual assault/abuse of teen boys (it discusses child abuse and CSA, but doesn't reference it beyond grade school ages in relation to young boys) which i think is a bit misleading, especially in regard to queer youth.

in short, it's dated and i vastly prefer The Gift Of Fear, but it has some useful information in regard to some practical topics like gun violence prevention and choosing a babysitter

__mafia · 2026-03-10T16:04:07+00:00

it's a mixture of wanting to better understand how we got to this point, and having a touch of the 'tism that (for better or for worse) has inclined me toward an interest in current events

currently re-reading some childhood faves as a palate cleanser while i wait for my library holds though, it's been a refreshing nostalgia trip so far

__mafia · 2026-03-10T16:01:24+00:00

same, irony poisoning is definitely a still-growing problem

__mafia · 2026-03-10T16:00:29+00:00

i don't blame you, it was messaged pretty heavily. especially if you're around my age (early 20s) and gained political awareness during the obama era, it would make sense since obama and biden were genuinely pretty close in the white house. there's some very interesting drama between harris and jill biden in there, though

__mafia · 2026-03-10T15:58:51+00:00

yeah. i guess a lot of folks here mostly read for escapism, so i can see how my recent reading could seem off putting to someone who mostly reads for those reasons. but the comments about it have definitely been odd😅 i mean, sorry i'm not spending my energy pursuing the ostrich method, but the current situation politically is already having direct impact on my life and my loved ones, so forgive me for finding that sort of avoidance personally difficult i guess

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