Ever since I was a small child I have liked pockets. My grandpa used to keep a poke of sweets in his pockets for special moments. However, it was my grandma’s pocket in her apron that fascinated me more. She put her apron on after breakfast each and every morning to begin her day of chores. She was never without something to do. In order to manage her chores she had a useful pocket on the front of her apron. Inside that pocket were useful things such as embroidery scissors, a wee sewing kit, a pencil, a tiny notebook tied together with a piece of useful wire and, of course, string. Where would we be without string. I watched her navigate many a chore effortless after reaching into her pcoket for ‘just the thing she needed.’
Pockets have remained an important part of my creative world and over the years my pile of pockets is a source of much joy. In recent years I have begun making pockets that are useful for different seasonal finds or bits of paper for sketching.
I made this one after visiting Machrie Moor on the island on the Winter Sostice. Inside the pocket I popped a handmade notebook, a set of affirmation cards & a small dried lavender posy. A useful pocket for night time routines.
These wee winter pockets are filled with a candle, a piece of cinnamon and a smudge stick perfect for a relaxing. All my pockets have a seasonal dimension to them except one.
I made this pocket during the Christmas holdidays of 2020 when the rules changed suddenly and my daughter couldn’t come home for Christmas. I was so upset. In my wee Stitched Stories virtual community some of us made pockets to keep ourselves busy and inside we put pieces of paper where we wrote about the things we wanted to do once the pandemic was over. I find all that difficult to comprehend now. That unseasonal pocket has stayed very close to me since then as a reminder never to take anything for granted.