Saturday, December 17, 2011

Did You Think to Pray?
(And what happened when I did…)

I’d planned to sew all day today. On my list: three pairs of pjs, two Christmas dresses, and a partridge in a pear tree. (I know, I know…I already used that song. But I just couldn’t resist.) Just one problem. I bought this flannel for the girls pjs 2 years ago. It was prewashed and soft and ready to go. But I didn’t think to measure how much I had, I just started cutting a few nights ago while we were watching Downton Abby, our new favorite show. And before I knew it, I had cut the bodices and sleeves for two nightgowns and realized that there simply wasn’t enough fabric for the rest.

After some consideration I decided I would have to go back to the fabric store and find something that I could use with the fabric I already had. I dropped Jared off at the orthodontist a few days later and ran over to the fabric store, determined to find something that would look great as part of a nightgown. The selection wasn’t great, but I bought a couple of yards of the piece that seemed like it would match the best. I brought it home and threw it into the washer and dryer. In the meantime I tried to imagine how I was going to incorporate this fabric with my original fabric into two nightgowns. I thought about horizontal stripes. I thought about vertical stripes. And I could not figure out something that I really thought would look ok.

This afternoon I was ready to do it. I draped the fabric over my cutting table first one way and then the other. Nothing looked good. Everything I tried looked strange or off balance. I walked into the laundry room to start the washing machine, and in my mind I thought a prayer—an unplanned prayer, a prayer without any expectation of success. I thought

please help me figure out how to use these fabrics together.

And then I started a load of wash.

And do you know what? By the time I walked back into the sewing room, not three minutes later, there was an idea in my mind. A whole different idea than my original one (tops instead of nightgowns, paired with pj pants) but I knew that it would work. And instead of the awkward combinations I had been thinking of, I knew it would look cool, and even designer. Something I would be proud to have made and pleased to see worn.

I am really kind of surprised.
Who knew?


So—has anyone else had any odd little prayers answered??

2 comments:

  1. Yesterday. I had been wrestling with how to get my computer to interface with Costco for my mom's calendar. Keep repeating what I was told to do, and messed with it for a couple days in the middle of "my head is killing me cold" this week...while I was in bed, thinking over the problem again...I said A TINY prayer, please help me, it's important to my mom....the next morning, I had 2 answers to how to make it all work and Boom...I was off and running..:) And, as always...it's amazing to me...that it mattered to the heavens above...for me!

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  2. I LOVE this! What a great reminder! My graphic design teacher used to say that when your creative juices were depleted and your project is due in three hours, pray like you mean it and you'll be designing in no time. Some of my BEST work has come from divine inspiration.

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