The Anti-Crafter Crafts?

The other night, while reading the manual for my brand new sewing machine, my husband asked me, "How do you feel?"  I don't think he was exactly expecting this response, "I feel like a waste of human flesh."  It was a good thing he wasn't drinking anything because I think he would have spit it out all over our bed.  He tried to tell me this was not true and I have had many accomplishments in my life.  But, for the past month, I have been a bit sulky and my husband is not the sulky type.  He is the make lemons into the lemonade type of person and this is where our story begins!


On July 15, 2011, I received an e-mail from my boss that the law firm that I was working for was closing.  This was a huge blow for me for a couple reasons.  1.  It was an e-mail that I was not at all expecting.  2.  As a mom of two girls, I had finally found a job that was super flexible.  I worked at night, on Saturdays, and from home.  It is highly unlikely that I am going to find a professional gig like that again.  So, I applied for unemployment and was denied due to not earning enough per quarter.  Bummer.  Then, I applied for an adjunct position at the local community college.  I am not much of a workaholic, my identity is not tied to my job but I do kind of miss having a role outside my home.  This is where my husband's featherbrained idea comes into play.  


About a week ago, I met my husband in Boston for a mini vacation without our kids.  This is when he announced what he thinks I should do in my spare time.  He thinks I should make pillows and sell them online and at craft shows.  Here is how I respond, "Are you out of your freaking mind!  Have you forgotten that I cannot cut in a straight line, I cannot measure, I cannot sew, and I cannot craft."  He keeps telling me over and over and over again that yes, I can do this because he thought about for a long time.  Hmmmm....I think he has seriously lost his mind.  


After a compromise and reality check, I am going to set out on an adventure in sewing.  I am going to sew pillows as he suggested, maybe place mats, maybe a tote bag, maybe something else depending on how far my new found talent takes me.  At any rate, the title for this blog, Seven Hundred and Fifteen Pillows comes from the date that I got my e-mailed layoff notice.  Can I make seven hundred and fifteen pillows?  Can I make seven hundred and fifteen sewn crafts?  Or will it take me seven hundred and fifteen hours to make one stinking pillow?  Well, I don't have any answers regarding where this project is going to take me, but I do know, it will be a personal adventure for me.  If nothing else, this project will teach me to measure, cut, learn fractions, and follow directions - all the things my teachers had told me could use a little work.    


Stay tuned, my first project will be sewing two Pooh Bear pillows for two very excited little girls.