On a day when I could've done pretty much anything, I chose to make pillowcases. Yep. Of all the things I need to do, and should do, I set out to accomplish a task that's been in my mind's eye for too long.
We can find ourselves attached to items that remind us earlier versions of our children. These can be special toys, keepsakes, clothes they were 'just so cute in', or any other number of things. Maybe they were gifts and the source of the item is the sentiment. The reality though is that they are things — just things. And sometimes things can weigh us down.
For example, I've been holding on to a couple of t-shirts that my little boys have long since outgrown. These boys, now young men much taller than me, proudly wore those John Deere shirts while they played with their little John Deere tractors. These shirts have been tucked away, with the thought that one day, someday, I'm going to make them into pillowcases.
There's another sentiment for this pillowcase idea. Years ago, when they were elementary age, I was the engaged 4-H mom trying to help them explore different areas of interest and challenge them to do new things. When the extension office offered a DIY pillowcase project, we stopped in a picked up the kits so my boys could 'learn' how to sew.
These kits consisted of a little pillow, and three pre-cut pieces of fabric, impossible to mess up. One piece from the back of a dress shirt, and two from the front. The front pieces were key. They button together, which lets the pillowcase open and close, allowing you to stuff the pillow after sewing is complete (and remove it for washing). You simply pin and sew the front and back together. And it was simple. They still have those little pillows on their beds, though they never picked up an interest sewing.
Fast forward. I happened across those saved t-shirts (again). As a self-proclaimed somewhat minimalist, a sense of use it or lose it came over me. I saw a few flannels on marketplace that could be the right solution for one shirt, but made a last minute decision on my way out of town to stop at a thrift store. I found a 3XLT dress shirt - the most fabric of one kind with a button down front. Immediately, I'm thanking God as I notice his provision of a pattern I liked, in the largest possible size.
Without further ado, with so many other options to turn my attention to, I busted out my Singer and sewing box. I noticed a sense of gratitude. Both of these items were gifts given to me when I had no knowledge of sewing, but desired to acquire a skill that was common to most women only a generation or so ago. Good thing that machine came with a manual; "See bobbin, page X" flashes in my memory. I can now say I know how to sew, at least well enough to make things that suit my needs.
Pillowcases at hand. For the one with the documentation of all the John Deere logos, the front was two sections. To get enough button down for my two pillows, I had to add a third section of fabric on both 'backs'. Not quite as simple, but doable. Done.
A couple years of thinking;
a couple hours of doing.
For those of you holding on to those special items, do the thing. Or let it go, so you don't have to think about it any more or let it weigh you down.
