I live in earthquake country. Nevada ranks second only to California in
seismic activity within the continental US.
I’ve recognized the wisdom of always having a pair of shoes right by the
bed in case of a major nighttime earthquake.
And I’ve never done it. Why? Because it looks messy and because I’d
probably trip over them in the night.
However, about 33% of earthquakes will happen at night. And if the earthquake or other
window-shattering event is large enough to wake you and suggest the wisdom of
getting outside, it might be big enough to break a window. And you might wish you’d had some shoes by
the bed.
A few months ago, I came across this most genius idea. I wanted to make them right away, but that
would involve getting out Becky’s sewing machine. I finally made it happen today. It’s quick and easy, and won’t take more than
five minutes if your sewing machine is already set up. If you can sew a straight seam. And if you know where the sacrificial pillowcases
are.
What you need: a king
size pillowcase and a threaded sewing machine.
Note that there are no precise measurements for this
project.
About 4-6” from the open end of the pillowcase, mark a line
parallel to the opening. Stitch the
entire width of the pillowcase along this line.
Lay the pillowcase on the table in front of you with the
open end towards you.
Mark the midline of the length of the pillowcase.
Fold the open end of the pillowcase up to the midline and
pin in place.
Stitch the right side very close to the edge. Repeat for the left side.
Now mark about 6” from the stitched edge and sew straight
down to make a pocket. Repeat for the other side.
In the event of a major earthquake or wildfire or chemical
spill, etc., you need shoes right by the bed.
You don’t want to risk getting glass shards in from broken windows into the
feet. You don’t want to waste time
evacuating looking for shoes. And you don’t
want the shoes on the floor because glass shards are more likely to get in
them. What else do you want in these
pockets? Notice that you have six
pockets, three from folding up the edge of the pillowcase, and three smaller
ones right in front of the three deeper ones.
Put the shoes and large hand-crank charger in the deep pockets. Put a headlamp or smaller flashlight, wallet,
charger, car keys, phone, etc., in the smaller pockets. I added a knit beanie for my husband.
Tuck the end opposite the pockets between the mattress and
the bed frame (or food storage buckets, as the case may be).
Please note that I wanted to get a nicely coordinated pillowcase for this project. But I decided it was more important to get the information out. Also, keep in mind that you can’t store a lot of items in here. It will get too heavy and fall out.
