Everyone worries a little–or a lot– when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. Often, flowers are sent to express love and concern, but I don’t do that. Instead of sending a floral arrangement, I sew.
Embroidering a personalized, pima cotton pillowcase does a lot for the patient and offers me a modicum of peace of mind.
What can it do for the patient aside from the cool comfort of that silky fabric against the face? It draws attention.
When my mother checked into the hospital for hip replacement surgery on Valentine’s Day, I immediately slipped this pima cotton valentine onto her pillow. The nurses all noticed it, remembered her name, and chatted with her about it. Busy as these angels of mercy are, they don’t always have time to get to know their patients beyond their medical needs. But the pillowcase was unique enough to pique their interest.
My mother’s nurses learned that this patient  had a daughter who sewed and made the pillowcase, a son she adored, and that Dollie herself sewed and did machine embroidery. Conversations had a starting point, to my mother’s advantage.
The  pillowcase is made of English pima cotton broadcloth from Spechler-Vogel and trimmed with tatted beading and edging. The machine embroidered hearts are from the Adorations 2, Hearts Desire collection, Zundt Designs www.zundtdesign.com The text was done with PE-Design.
A second, white pima pillowcase, Blue Ribbon Patient, was made for the second day. One was laundered daily, so Mom had a fresh one each morning.
The ribbons and floral spray are in the Heirloom Daisies 2 collection from Hatched in Africa www.hatchedinafrica.com
My mother’s  caregivers also brought into her room nurses who were assigned to other patients, just to show them the pillowcases. To my layman, patient-advocate way of thinking, the more times a nurse lays eyes on the patient, the better off that patient will be. My mother had significantly more visits than did others with plain, standard hospital- issue pillow covers.
What did making the pillowcase do for me? Knowing her name was boldly embroidered beside her resting head assured me that she would more likely get the correct medication and treatment. Even at night, the nurse could see her name in large, bold letters. I thought it would reduce the remote, but possible, scenario whereby the surgeon might replace patient Dottie’s good hip instead of Dollie’s bad one and replace Dollie’s good knee instead of Dottie’s bad one. Stranger things have happened.
My very competent Aunt Rheeta liked this idea and made this pillowcase for Beth, a dear friend and ailing member of her church. More nursing staff visits ensued and the Beth felt both the silky pima cotton fabric and the love that was stitched into it.
Have you made something special for a patient or ailing loved one? Please tell me about it.
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