for my sister

a pillow; I’m going to make one for myself too, but first it was important to me that the pillow for her got finished, because I really don’t know how much longer she will live, and I felt the need to give her something loving from me again, since visiting is completely out of the question. She has been in palliative care for weeks, with ZERO immune defenses, so I’m not taking any risks by visiting her and possibly bringing something to her. The pillow is going to her by mail.
I spent a whole week fiddling with the lettering and digitizing on this pillow; I had already embroidered it 3 times, and each time it was a TfT, because it looked awful embroidered. Now I’ve found the font I wanted and that fits, and I digitized the little rose myself too; the names and the heart are from my embroidery machine

Best wishes, Inge

Oh, it turned out so sweet and beautiful. All the best to your sister, dear Inge.

Such a beautiful pillow—and such a sad occasion! I wish you both lots of strength during this time.

A wonderful gift for your sister.

I wish her all the best. I’m sure she’ll be very happy with it. 

I really like your pillow.
Your sister will definitely be happy to receive it and will know that she hasn’t been forgotten during this difficult time.

Dear Inge, there’s so much love in this pillow. The message and the knowledge that you’re thinking of your sister during this difficult time—and that she’s not alone—will comfort her. We all reach this point eventually, and when we do, it’s comforting to know that we’re not alone in our hearts and don’t feel alone, but that others are thinking of us. After all, you can’t always be right there in person. And that’s where a soft pillow like this—one that even smells like you—comes in handy.

A pillow like this also carries a weight when you know who it was made for. It was certainly much harder to sew than when you make colorful, cheerful teddy bears for the children at the food bank. That’s just how life goes.

Warm regards, Ina

@everyone, thank you all for your kind words

Ina, you recognized that very well—quite a few tears were shed while digitizing and creating the file, because I really don’t know how long she’ll be able to enjoy the pillow.
Right now, the pillow for me is being embroidered on the machine in slightly modified colors; the one for my sister is already on its way in the mail

Best regards, Inge

Inge, there’s so much heart and love put into this—your sister will definitely feel it, and it will touch her heart.

It’s always very sad to say goodbye to a loved one. I wish your sister all the best, and I hope you both find strength and comfort.

I made myself a pillow too, with a slight modification—I still need to practice centering the design in the heart a bit more :-)

LG Inge

That’s nice, too :-)

That’s absolutely beautiful, Inge.
I hope your sister is well taken care of.

Yes, thanks, Josefa. It’ll be okay—her partner and her sons are making sure she has everything she needs. The only thing that simply isn’t possible is for us to see each other.

Best regards, Inge

Okay, but in your hearts, you’re still together.

Definitely, Josefa—not a day goes by that I don’t think of her, because unfortunately we don’t get to talk very often; she simply doesn’t have the breath for it, since with end-stage COPD, you very often just don’t have enough air left.

Love, Inge

I’m thinking of you / all of you.

I want to thank you all for your comforting and kind words. Yesterday my sister called me and told me she was thrilled with the pillow. She said, “I’m going to take this with me every time I have to wear the oxygen mask for a few hours—it makes it only half as hard for me when I feel like you’re holding me through it.” “That’s exactly how it should be,” I told her, and I was happy myself that it was so well received.

Love, Inge

Oh, Inge, that’s so lovely! It really touches the heart. It’s great that you have each other and that you can send such messages of connection and comfort through your sewing projects.

Love, Ina

That sounds good.

Dear Inge,
your post really touched me. The sister pillows were a wonderful idea. How lovely that your sister was so happy with them and that this has brought you even closer together.
I wish your sister in particular—but also you—lots of strength for the difficult time ahead.

At the same time, I’d also like to give you a big compliment here for all the beautiful things you’ve made again. I really admire your dedication.

Best regards
Marlies