Only an Easter Tie

I love to make stuff...can't you tell! I admit that I get a bit attached to the stuff I make (a good example would be my children - I made them and I am very attached!) and that can create a bit of a problem when I am asked to design something for someone else. I don't care how simple the project, when it's finished, I feel that I am personally invested and can only hope it is loved by its new owners as much as it was loved by me. And, since I tend to make things that are useful as opposed to simply decorative, I like to imagine that I am also investing in the future of the newly married couple in need of dishtowels; the little girl sleeping on my handmade pillowcases; the young wife learning to cook; or, in this case, the 5-year old boy proudly wearing his new Easter Tie.

I had never made a boy's tie before. Although the process seemed simple enough, I quickly became overwhelmed by its dimension. Little boys' necks are far smaller than I realized and to create a tie that was designed in proportion to a 5-year old torso was far more complicated than I originally thought. As many of you know, I don't work with pre-written patterns (I've always had a problem following directions and coloring inside the lines), so I had to re-work this tie at least 3 times.

To make matters worse, the child's grandmother picked out the fabric - a cotton blend - that didn't really hold up to my...well, manipulations. She had used this fabric to create other items for her grandaughters, so I had a limited amount of usuable yardage. Once, when I thought that I had a permanent rip in a seam, I felt a very real sense of hysteria. And if you didn't know, hysteria isn't useful when you are trying to thread a needle! Such a simple thing, this tie, but I believe I put more thought and effort into about 4 inches of its length than my daughter's complete Halloween costume. Several hours and doses of Motrin later, a tie was born and I, quite predictably, was attached - so to speak.

I sent it to the grandmother with tales of its creation and she promises to send pictures of her grandson proudly wearing his tie on Easter Sunday. In my mind, I like to picture this little boy as very impressed with himself. I like to think that friends and family smile and compliment him on his grand appearance. I like to think that this special tie will, somehow, create Easter memories for this little boy that he will share with his own children many years from now.

This little boy may never hear how his tie came to be, but I can only hope he appreciates its humble beginnings and my investment in his future. If not, I will have to be satisfied to simply know that his mom managed to tie it around his little neck, that he wore it with only minor complaint, and that it didn't unravel or split open. After all, it's only a tie...