Today I'll pick the next winner!

Today is the day I'll draw the winning name for the Traveling Stash box that's been sitting on my dining table, ready to be sent out to some lucky winner!  All you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment on my blog. I'll draw the winning name tonight.

Readers, this box( a LARGE USPS box) is absolutely crammed with quilting goodies!  From patterns, to books, to fat quarters, to yardage, there's a bounty of items in here that the winner will be able to choose from and keep. The rules for participating are that 1) You must have an active blog and you must post on your blog when you receive the box and invite your followers to enter the drawing. 2) You must be willing and able to ship the box to the next person within the USA--postage is too prohibitive for international shipping. 3)  You must replace what you keep with comparable amounts and quality of goods. Fabrics must be quilt shop quality and free from pet hairs and smoke and patterns/books must be new or gently used. Those are the simple rules for participating in the Traveling Stash, so leave a comment and you might be the winner tonight!

To refresh your memory, here are the things that are now in the box.

Patterns

Fabric yardage

More yardage and many fat quarters!

I still have to decide on what all I'm going to add to the box to replace the fabrics I chose for myself. I'm not entirely sure yet--it's been super busy at my house this week--but I know I have a jelly roll of bright fabrics that will be sent on this journey along with some yardage and some fat quarters.

So, again, I invite you to leave a comment and get yourself entered in tonight's drawing to win this box of quilting bounty!  Good luck!

More about the TS box(es)

I drew the winner of the TS box yesterday--congratulations to Robin who blogs here http://livinbluequilter.blogspot.com/!  Her box will go in the mail tomorrow morning.

More good news today about the TS boxes.  On Friday morning my post man brought me another TS box, this time from Sharon who blogs here http://vroomansquilts.blogspot.com/  Thank you, Sharon, for picking my name.

This TS is amazing!  It's chock full of the most wonderful fabrics! I know my camera can't do them justice but I'll do my best.The box is crammed with wonderful things, mostly fabrics but lots of patterns as well. There are many, many fat quarters in the box as well as several pieces of yardage.  The next 3 pictures show what will stay in the box and move on to the next winner.  If you want strawberry or apple fabric, they are in there. Need a bright large print for a stack and whack?  It's here.  How about a fabric with teapots on it or a bright pink polka dot?  These things are waiting for you.

 Choosing what to keep for myself wasn't too difficult since I liked so many of the fabrics. I decided to focus on neutrals to replenish my stash a bit and I chose these things to keep. I know, I know, the green and black dotted prints and the red/cream.blue birdhouses aren't neutral but I have projects in my mind where I'll use these.  So you may see these fabrics showing up in future quilts I plan to make.  :-)

 Now I have to decide what I'll choose to put back in the box.  I'm going to take some time doing this and you'll just have to wait a day or two to see what I'm adding from my stash.  :o)

If any one's not familiar with the Traveling Stash, it's a large USPS box that's packed with wonderful quilty items--fabric, patterns, books, notions, orphan blocks, etc--that are of quilt shop quality and are either unused or gently used by the donor. We all have patterns, notions, and fabrics that we bought on impulse a while ago and now know we'll never use them, right?  These are the things that can go into the TS cuz maybe the next winner will just love that bright florescent orange fabric!

I'll be drawing a winner on Friday, March 14 and will send the box on to the winner. All you have to do to participate is to have an active blog where you will post about receiving the TS and again when you pick the winner and send it on it's way; When you win a TS, you can take and keep anything in the box that you like and you have to replace your choices with comparable good quality items.  The TS isn't a "dumping ground" for you to clear out your sewing room!  The "golden rule" applies here--only put things in the box that you would like to receive, okay?

When the winner receives the TS, she/he is to post on their blog and invite comments from people who want to be included in the drawing.  When the winner's name is drawn, you need to post that as well.  Of course, pictures are great to show us what's in the box so we have an idea of what we'll get if we win. There are directions included in the box as well as a paper to sign to keep track of where the box has traveled.

So, if you want a chance to win this beautiful Traveling Stash box, leave a comment on my blog and I'll enter you in the drawing.  Easy peasy, right?

You Might Be a Winner Tomorrow!

It's not too late to sign up for a chance to win the traveling stash which is sitting in my sun porch waiting to be sent on it's way.  Tomorrow is the day I'll draw the lucky winner!  To refresh your memory as to what is in this box, here are some pictures.

These are items which I left in the box--a book of quilt patterns,  a magazine, a variety of fat quarters, some seam binding and probably other things as well.

These are some things I found in my sewing room that I decided to donate--all things that I thought I would use or make up and after a few years of sitting in the drawer or on the shelf, I can hear them whispering to me, "You know you'r never going to use me so why not send me on to someone who will appreciate me?"  So they are included in the box

I also picked out some fabrics that, again, I bought a while ago thinking I would find a use for them, but, no, it probably won't happen, so I'm sending them on to someone who is just waiting for that perfect fabric for their project.

As far as I can tell, everything in the box is of quilt shop quality and the patterns, books, etc are either gently or never used.

All you have to do to win this box of goodies is leave a comment on my blog. You have to agree with the rules which are:

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving the stash and about the giveaway on your blog in a "timely" manner.(This means ASAP since the next person is eager to get her hands on this treasure trove!)

2.  There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.

3.  There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.

4.  You may take anything you like from the box.  Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken. There are guidelines about this which I will post to the person who gets the box from me.

5.  Ship the box to the next person in a "reasonable" amount of time. (This also means ASAP! See #1 above)

6.  Due to the amount of postage, shipping is only within the USA.

Tomorrow I'll draw the name of the lucky winner and will email her/him.  The box will be posted on Monday.  Good luck!

More good stuff in the Traveling Stash

I went through the cabinets and cupboards of my sewing room and found more things to pack into the stash box.  

I found  a couple of quilt patterns that I know I'll never make up, some zippers and buttons, an extra tape measure (I didn't realize I had a half dozen tape measures! And maybe more hiding around the house!), a book of patterns for quilt labels, a book of designs using charm squares, a magazine, and a bag pattern.  These patterns are ones I bought several years ago on impulse and have never gotten around to making up, so they're like new in the packages.

I got a large postal box and have repacked everything and still have more space in there. I'll have to take another look around to see what I can add to fill it up.

Please leave a comment so I can include you in the drawing on Saturday.  Whoever gets this box, I think will be pleased with what's in there. : -)

What's going on with Blogspot?

I follow a quilter known as Old Batt and for the past few weeks, her posts have been in a language other than English which I know is her native language. I tried to get Blogspot to take me off as a follower of hers since there are many posts every day, but they still keep coming. Today, I got a post about penis enlargement.  I don't know about you but I'm not interested in genitalia enlargement--I'm doing just fine with what I and the husband have been given naturally, thank you.  How do I get out of getting Old Batt posts which I know are not from her.  Please help me, someone.  I don't open any of them but they do tend to fill up the space and are a bit irritating to me.

Traveling Stash box arrived!

I've won a "traveling stash" box!  I was so excited about this since the TS that I got several years ago had been crammed full of delicious quilting yummies.  This is what I found in the TS when I opened it today:

There was a new magazine and a Debbie Mum book in there along with many, many fat quarters.  There were a couple of packages of seam binding and appliques.  However, one of the packages of binding was a little on the elderly side.  Can you read the date on the package?  It says 1969!  Folks, that's nearly 45 years old, for crying out loud!  I don't care if it IS made of rayon, it went into the trash!

I also threw this mess in the trash as well.  Scraps, bits and pieces, even a piece so stretchy it could have been used as elastic!  (There was a piece of flannel in there about 10" square that I considered keeping as a dusting rag. Except I hate dusting!)  Obviously these were NOT "quilt-shop-quality" fabrics! I found a piece of upholstery fabric in there as well!  Come on, quilters!  There is a list of the rules included in the box and they clearly state the fabric should be new and quilt shop quality, and nothing less than  a fat quarter unless it's been cut to be part of a collection ( postage stamp squares, charm squares , etc).  The rules also state "This is NOT a dumping place for all your outdated unwanted items."  

This is what I plan on adding to the box despite the fact that I'm not taking anything out of it for myself.  The pieces I left in are nice but not my color or design choices. The piece in the back--blue and gold cats--is 3 yards, and the under-the-sea piece is a yard as is the piece with the buildings on it. The rest are fat quarters, all purchased in my favorite quilt shops.  I may find a pattern or two and maybe some notions or other trinkets, but I promise that everything I put in the box will be of great quality!  I also will go to the PO tomorrow and get a LARGE box to fill up instead of the medium one that I got.

In case you're not familiar with the traveling stash, it's (supposed to be) a box crammed full of quilting goodies.  If you're chosen to get one of these boxes ( I think there are four or more boxes traveling around the US at this time), you get to take anything you want from the box and you have to replenish with things of equal value.  

Now for the rules--because we have to make sure everyone plays nice and that the box gets passed around as much as possible.

RULES:

1.  Be an active blogger. Post about receiving the stash and about the giveaway on your blog in a "timely" manner.(This means "ASAP since the next person is eager to get her hands on this treasure trove!)
2.  There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
3.  There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.
4.  You may take anything you like from the box.  Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken. There are guidelines about this which I will post to the person who gets the box from me.
5.  Ship the box to the next person in a "reasonable" amount of time. (This also means ASAP! See #1 above)
6.  Due to the amount of postage, shipping is only within the USA.

Okay. That's the low down on the traveling stash. Sorry if I sound like a witch about this but to be honest, I'm quite disappointed, both that there was such crappy stuff in there as well as disappointed in my fellow quilters for putting that stuff in   I thought we were better than that.  I'll do my best to make sure you're not disappointed if you win this box sent from me and I hope the next person to get the box does the same.  

If you want to be the next one to get a box of quilting goodies, leave a comment on my blog. I'll be drawing the winner at noon on Saturday, March 9, 2013.  If you want to share this opportunity to those who follow your blog, please do so. The more the merrier, right!