Oh boy, the invasion of the handmade throw pillows. It’s real.
Do you have any idea how many throw pillows you can acquire over the course of your life? So. Many. Bed pillows, couch pillows, kitchen chair pillows, desk chair pillows! The options are endless. Some are handmade, others accumulate from trips to HomeGoods, or travel adventures.
When I got married one compromise I was forced to make was adapting to my husband’s minimal throw pillow aesthetic - at least on the bed. It drove him crazy to have to remove 6 pillows before bed just to put them back on again in the morning.
I confess after having this discussion one too many times, it was easier to come over to his way of thinking. Less cozy perhaps, but less stress. And after all, he had to give up his hideous bachelor sleeper couch and a few other objects I would not allow over the threshold, so fair is fair.
Here’s a challenge: my mom is an accomplished sewist and quilter. And like me, my mom loves a cute, homemade pillow. They are so easy to make and fun to give. My girls were always happy for a new, cozy, flannel pillow when they were younger. I have (at least) one plastic bin full. Because they are personally made with love, you can’t just give these away!
True confession, friends: it took me about two minutes in my basement to dig up this bin of handmade throw pillows.
It should come as no surprise that my mom’s closets are well-stocked with throw pillows not currently being used in the line of duty. They are waiting for the perfect decor opportunity to arrive. Then they will come out of the closet, newly covered and ready for the world. But in the meantime, they wait. YEARS. Lots of years, to serve their purpose.
Prime guest-closet real estate is holding space for throw pillows. We’re not talking an insane amount, but definitely more than is necessary. There is fabric of many patterns and colors waiting for a day at the machine. There are pillow forms in a range of shapes and sizes ready to be dressed up.
Why do we hold onto these? One reason is “hopeful potential.” It makes us feel good to know that we can create and put these materials to use. The potential for a project. The potential for a satisfying beautiful creation. The potential to use up some of one’s fabric “stash” - as sewists lovingly call their plastic storage solutions full of fabric scraps - to its full potential.
Being creative is important at any age. But at some point, too many unused throw pillows start to seem like another clutter-reduction project. (At least to me.) How can we make ourselves feel better about releasing things we are not using into the world? Maybe someone else will find usefulness or joy in our objects waiting to fulfill their potential.
Unless I clean out that closet or those bins, we’ll never know.
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