Lucky Sometimes

I 'm not so lucky to be one of those who gets breast cancer and I wasn't lucky that my treatments didn't get started as soon as they could have because my cancer wasn't diagnosed as early as it should have been. Nope. Not lucky in that regard. But, aside from feeling luck to be alive, it turns out that I have been very lucky lately at ...

... WINNING fabric giveaways!! I almost feel embarrassed! And for that reason I have committed to a "giveaway win policy" for myself.

1. If I win a sponsored giveaway, I commit to purchasing something from that vendor. Maybe not right away but when I do plan to buy some fabric or other quilting supplies, I'll put that vendor at the top of my checklist and eventually I'll have "paid back".
2. If I win a giveaway from an individual ... a generous quilter who is sharing the love ... I commit to sending something back in return OR paying the love forward in a charitable way.

So here is one of the THRILLING giveaways I won recently (read about it here). It was in the mailbox waiting for me when we got home from Halifax and even though I was thoroughly wasted from a full day of sitting in airplanes and have flights cancelled and then diverted and stopping at 5 airports instead of the scheduled 3 ... I tore into that package immediately!! I knew I'd won fabric but I wasn't expecting the quilty greeting cards, the two patterns, the perle cotton thread and the package of embroidery needles (for hand quilting with perle cotton thread). What a happy surprise and I know these fabrics will be put to good use in a quilt. And I really like the "Littles" pattern included in the package. It looks easy enough for me and is "charm square friendly" according to the pattern. I just happen to have a bright charm square that I bought in Paducah (Kentucky - a quilter's mecca) a couple of years ago. The pattern of the mini bags (the right size for cell phones and iPods) look to be a bit of a stretch for me. Maybe when I read the pattern I'll feel more confident.

I must thank Madame Samm for this wonderful giveaway (scroll down to read a bit about her). She is the brains, the brawn, and the heart and soul of a 3 month event going on right now to help "Wantobe Quilters" get started while also rewarding "Quilt Bloggers" who are generous with their knowledge, skills, tutorials, tips, etc. It's genius and Madame Samm has, with her talents, got all kinds of sponsors on board. They have donated HOARDS of quilting items for the giveaways! Everything from needles, threads, fabric, rulers, and cutting mats to irons and even sewing machines!! I'm pretty thrilled with this package of goodies. The fabric is from Ty Pennington's fabric line and was donated by Free Spirit Fabrics. The thread is Presencia Finca #8, and the Pebble needles are from Colonial Needle!

The sweetpeas in the above photo are mine. They are there for Madame Samm's benefit. She photographs most of her giveaways with her favourite flowers - gerbera daisies. Sweetpeas are my favourite and with all this amazingly nice weather, I was able to get one last small cutting.