Jewells of Thought

This was the pillow that brought me to my climactic decision!

Over the summer I was offered an opportunity to expand my capabilities. I was very much flattered and even now I still can’t believe the blessing of this amazing gift of my Mother’s friendship. Her classmate allowed me into her sanctuary this afternoon.

If someone would have told me how far I would be taking this new interest in pillow making to this degree I would have laughed out loud for several minutes. It’s something that had truly perplexed me and seemed out of my reach. I really thought I was simply a one person hobbyist. Well I guess that’s kind of weird though I do have more than one hobby, but that I couldn’t do more than just cross-stitch. Using the sewing machine was an idea not an actual reality for me.

Wow though… here I am having made a dozen pillows already. My niece got the bug and finished a pillow and has several ideas yet to work on, but it has become something just as fun as finishing a cross-stitch piece. If only Grandma Rosie could see this new interest, I have seen the twinkle in Grandma Betty’s eyes when I have recently shown her some of my finished pillows. I am just perplexed at why I let myself think I couldn’t do this years ago when I could have really learned from my Grandma’s and their personal machines.

The timing is in God’s control though and at least I have found this new creativity. Thanks to Mom’s classmate I have now nearly tripled my fabric collection. One bag from her personal sanctuary gave me a double addition of what I already had. Oh my goodness some of it I really looked at well and some I just put in the bag quickly and didn’t get to see until later this evening. It feels like Christmas figuratively and literally I have a whole Christmas section of fabric now. This may have just been the first bag though I was invited to come back and fill more bags whenever I need to look through some more. My mind is still reeling from the collection I just brought home. Some ideas are already circulating about some of the trim I have coupled with some of her fabric.

This is an amazing journey I have been on this year with adding the sewing machine into my cross-stitch projects. I have been mightily blessed and to think this all came about because of one baby shower earlier this year in February. Rummy’s baby shower for Addison was when I delivered my last bought pillow ready to cross-stitch and put the inner pillow into. I didn’t know what to do when I couldn’t find anymore of the pillows I used to make from JoAnn’s or anywhere online. It finally made me pause and wonder why I thought I couldn’t use the sewing machine. Making their family pillow was a climactic time for me what would I do if I couldn’t find a way to make more pillows? That decision led to this beautiful bounty of fabric that I will enjoy working with in the days and weeks to come.

We can’t let doubts and fears assail us. God has made so many beautiful colors that have made fabrics so versatile to so many different styles. I have greatly enjoyed the challenge of creating patterns with the pillows I now have the ability to make and create into little works of art that I couldn’t have done before quite as well.