If you want a really fun and crazy idea, try making 77 pillowcases. In 24 hours.

Trust me, it’s not for the faint of heart.

We started with 84 completed pillowcases from other sewing days and a box of donated fabric. Working together, things seemed slow at first and then suddenly huge stacks of pillowcases formed. By the end of the sewing day we added 77 pillowcases, bringing Caramon’s total to 161!

Friends getting together to help one another? WIN!

My friend, a mom of six, wanted to help out and so we packed things up and headed to Manassas. She and I stayed up late cutting fabric until we both came off a little punchy. This is sleepover – Mommy style! I gotta say, it was pretty fun!

After breakfast in the morning, we really set ourselves to the task of making pillowcases. We left her daughters in charge of matching up fabric pieces.  With donated fabric, you don’t necessarily get things matching up well.

That’s all right, the girls did what they could and we started sewing.

I will say, we mastered the assembly line! Kingdom of Sir Megabyte Child Labour Sweat Shop – open for business!

Seriously, we really hit a groove and it was a true thing of beauty.

Some of the pillowcases turned out absolutely beautiful. Other pillowcases look a little crazy. The thing about children – they really don’t care. They actually like crazy. Only a child would wear plaid, polk-a-dots, and tie-dye all at the same time. It’s what makes kids great.

If only we could all be so open.

One thing I learned on the pediatric oncology (kiddie cancer) floor was that children just have a brightness around them. Even when things are C-R-A-Z-Y. It doesn’t matter how hard their life is, children just shine.

It boils down to this: Kids bounce.

Sick kids come in all shapes and sizes. Some babies born already have a cancer diagnosis. Kids lose tonsils, get ear tubes, or worse. One young man I knew sacrificed a leg to his cancer. Sitting in the chemo room with all the children with no hair, you couldn’t tell these children battled for their life.

I’m so glad to see this project wrap up. I look forward to delivering all these pillowcases!

–Lady O