A GIFT...for ME!!!

Quote for the Day:

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” 

~Mary Anne Radmacher

Last week I received an email from another quilt blogger, Karen Griska of "Selvage Blog",  to let me know that I had won the give-away she had hosted on her website!  How exciting is that???

I've been following her blog for a few years now and LOVE that she posts pictures of quilts and other items made from selvages!  For those of you who don't know what a "selvage" is, it's the tightly-woven edge of fabric where the fabric is attached to the weaving machine.  

As a quilter, you cut those off because the weave is different and shrinks at a different rate than the rest of the quilt, and also because it usually has writing on it.  This is where the manufacturer's info, designer's info, and color dots are located.  Color dots indicate what dye lots were used in making that fabric.  

For the very frugalest of us quilters, we tend to shudder at the thought of throwing away ANY of our precious fabric, so many of us "keep" those edges with "plans" of putting them to good use one day.  Thanks to Karen, who has posted many links and pictures to fun and cute ways to use the selvages, people like myself have now started putting them to good use!

For example...a couple of years ago, I covered my ratty-looking sewing chair with selvages...

 from this...

to this...

But I digress....

Today when I arrived home from work, there was a little box sitting on the front porch addressed to little, ol' MOI!!!  

What could it be???  

OH....there it is!!!!!!!!!!!

An ADORABLE little hand-made pincushion made from a little ceramic baby shoe and TWO custom hatpins!!!

The shoe/pincushion is about 2.5-3" long and stands about 1.5-2" tall (not including the hatpins!)

Also included in the box was Karen's postcard...

...with a hand-written not on the back...

I've seen her post pictures of the pincushions that she makes and sells in her Etsy shop, but if this little one is any indication, they are even more beautiful in person!  :)  Be sure to go visit her shop and check out her items for sale!   https://www.etsy.com/shop/karengriskaquilts

Thanks so much, Karen!  I love the pincushion!  :)

Loretta

A Package In the Mail...For ME....

Quote for the Day:

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them,

 is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”

~W.T. Purkiser

A little over a week ago, Angie over at Sew Scrappy Quilts held a giveaway and I won!  I was so excited because I've never won any of the giveaways that I've entered on quilting sites before.  So imagine my surprise when Angie contacted me and notified me that her dogs, Mr. Cooper and Miss Piper, had chosen MY name from the plastic grocery bag that all the names were put into!  

Okay...I'm really liking Miss Angie already!  First, she is unpretentious and resourceful by using a plastic grocery bag to hold the names of the entrants instead of some fancy-schmancy, high-faluton thing-a-ma-jig!  AND...her dogs are intelligently trained to select a name from the bag!  Okay!  What's not to love about this scenario???  :)

Anyway...today the package arrives in the mail!  I don't know about you, but packages in the mail rank right up there with Christmas in my book!  :)

Inside was this nice, neat pile...

OHHHH...be still my heart...

TWO half-yard panels and EIGHT coordinating fat-quarters!!!  It really IS Christmas!  :)  Or maybe this is a belated birthday present (April 21)!    :O

Panel 1...

Panel 2...

This will make a wonderful, fun baby quilt!  :)  Thank you, Angie for hosting this giveaway!  

BTW, you can reach Angie at www.schenleyparkdesigns.com!

I was going to show a close-up of the FQ's, but Picassa is telling me that I've reached my limit of "free" photo storage so I'm not sure what I'm going to do to be able to keep uploading pictures to my blog for free.  If anybody out in blogland has any suggestions, please let me know!  :)

Loretta