Prayer Shawls and Pillow Cases

Do you remember the prayer shawl I started a while back?  This is what it looked like when I told you about it on June 24th:

At the time, it was just a random prayer shawl, a beginning to the prayer shawl ministry that the church was getting ready to start.  Very shortly after this picture was taken, I found out that a friend of mine had been diagnosed with cancer.  All of a sudden, this wasn't a random prayer shawl any more...now it was for April.  I finished it a week later, all 72 inches of it done, fringer attached, ready to head out the door.

But it hasn't left yet.  I couldn't decide on presentation.  I didn't want to wrap it...how do you choose wrapping paper for something like this?  It just felt wrong.  I definitely didn't want to put it in a grocery bag.  What to do?  Hold that thought.

I was looking in a quilting catalog, just browsing through it on the way to the recycling bin.  I rarely, if ever, order anything from them.  I'm not much of a sewer.  I want to be.  I try to be.  I delude myself into thinking I can be, or even am.  But, my sewing results speak for themselves, and I don't venture into that realm very often, so that catalog usually lands right in the trash.  This time was different.  I found a couple of kits that caught my eye. (More on them another time.)  I went online to order them, and was a few dollars short of the total needed for free shipping.  In their clearance section was a kit for "Magic Tube Pillow Cases".  It was cheap, so I bought it.  The day it arrived, I made the two cases.

Here they are.  They are made using a collection of fabric called "Cheep Talk" available from Connecting Threads, and feature birds.  They don't really match anyone's room, but will work in our room.  And the pattern was super easy.  I called my mom to tell her about it, thinking I'd stumbled on something revolutionary, but, it turns out that she already has several patterns for this.  Sigh.

Anyway, I really liked them, and sat thinking about them for a while, and then I Got An Idea!  The next day, I headed for the fabric store.  I found fabric in the perfect colors, then found the perfect ribbon.  Things were really coming together.  The following day, after washing, drying, and ironing my new purchase, the results were two pillow cases to match the prayer shawl:

I personally prefer using my own pillow when I am in the hospital, and that is just when I'm having babies.  April is having surgery next month, and I thought these pillow cases would be a nice touch.  And here's the bonus:

I wrapped one pillow case and the shawl inside the other pillow case.  Presentation issue solved!  Since these items are prayer items, and were prayed over as they were created, I couldn't have found a more perfect ribbon.  Now everything is ready to go.  I'll be calling April next week for a good time to drop by.