Pillow Cases... Not Just for Beds Anymore

Deb from work came in with a dress she made out of a pillow case and I was blown away.  It was absolutely precious.  She’s been getting pillow cases at thrift shops and making them for a mission trip to Haiti. How cool is that?  I can just picture the little girl’s faces lighting up when they see them.  I wish I would have known about this type of dress before my mission trip to Costa Rica. 

Here is a picture of Deb and one of the dresses she made:

You know me, as soon I saw it I had to make one.  This could be a problem since I don’t know even own a needle and thread.  I pondered the use of duct tape but thought this might be the one and only time it wouldn’t suffice.  I immediately got on the phone with my Mama Bear whose middle name should be “sew’er” (had to use the apostrophe because if not it looked like another word… lol) and asked her if she would teach me.  She said sure come on down.  Within minutes, I was headed South with a quick stop at Wal-Mart for a pillowcase. 

She took me to her sewing room and I was like a kid in a candy store.  I picked out this and that to decorate my dress.  Then she showed me the sewing machine and asked me to thread the needle.  Huh? It was like she was speaking a foreign language. At this point, I think she may have been getting a little nervous… quite frankly I was.  The pain of getting my nose pierced was still vivid and I for one did not want to relive it with my fingers.  I finally managed to thread the needle with no bloodshed.  I was pretty impressed with myself, my first lesson and all.  I thanked her and said I would come again tomorrow.  I was exhausted.

Just fooling, we continued on.  She had me iron the pillowcase a certain way.  Really… iron?  I thought that was what a dryer was for.  Next I cut out the top , again used the iron (fyi… most I’ve  used an iron in my entire life) and sewed the part I ironed to put the ribbon through.  Then it was on to the rift raff (in case you aren’t a sewer, this is not the same thing as the scary people that hang out at the corner. It's squiggly ribbon) on the bottom.  Now folks this was the hard part.  I kept sewing the front of the dress to the back of the dress and having to take it out.  Mama Bear thought this was pretty funny.  When I told Papa Bear that Mama Bear was laughing at me, you know what he did?  Yep… he laughed too.  Just wait until they are rest home age… then we'll see whose laughing.  J

Once I finished, I was feeling like I was a master sewer rock star so I added some pockets, buttons and even made a little purse out of the pocket the sheet came in.  On on the way home I stopped at Michaels, bought some matching ribbon and made a bow.  Drum roll please… here is a picture of my final project:

Not trying to toot my own horn but toot, toot it’s pretty darn cute. :)  Next problem… no granddaughters.  I thought about putting it on Bailey but she didn’t seem too interested:

 Then I remembered… Logan’s friend, Auzha has a little girl, Kaedyn who is just about the right size.  I was sooooo excited to give it to her.  She is the sweetest, darlingest thing ever.  They barely walk in the door and I'm having Kaedyn try it on.  I asked if I could get a picture of her and she ran right up to the camera.

 HAHA… How cute was that?  I did manage to get a picture of the whole outfit: 

Someday when I have grandchildren, I’m sure I will be sewing these like crazy. I might need to go with a different color rift raff for the boys, but I’ll play it by ear. J  Who knows by then they might make some improvements on duct tape. If not, I’ll be off to Mama Bear’s for a refresher course.  Don’t tell her, but I think I’ve already forgotten everything she taught me. L

Life’s better with butter" and trying new things. Thank you Lord for Deb whose dresses, made with love, have brought many a smile to the children in Haiti, for Mama Bear and all the patience she has shown me and sweet little Kaedyn whose life has brought sunshine into mine.