Lovely Mail Surprises

In my desire to answer the SBQ yesterday, I neglected to post about a wonderful surprise which greeted me from my mailbox Tuesday night.

But first, I have to say that I am very privileged to know such a bunch of incredible, generous, caring people as the stitchers whom I have had the great fortune of meeting through the various groups I’ve joined.

So, Tuesday night, I drag my weary behind home and check the mailbox. Hidden within its murky depths is a small envelope for me. It looks like a card. Hmmm… I wasn’t expecting anything. Then I check the return address. Oh right, Robbin said she was going to send me a little piece of Skirtex after our discussion on the stitchingsmalls forum. I had never heard of Skirtex, so was asking what it was and what role it played in the finishing process. Robbin was the first to respond with an answer and an offer to send me a sample.

Okay, so now I know what it is. I open the envelope to find a lovely card with a Monet painting on the front. The painting depicted was one of Monet’s renditions of the Japanese footbridge that crossed the lily pond in his garden at Giverny. Robbin could not have possibly known that Monet is my favorite impressionist painter and that the Japanese footbridge is one of my favorites amongst his subjects. Then I open the card. And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a square of Skirtex… AND a chunk of black Belfast linen for Strawberries So Faire… AND a lovely piece of deep red silk that I can use to finish the piece! Imagine, if you will, the slow process of my jaw hitting the floor… 😯

Robbin and I had discussed the project when we met at the Sudberry House sale in early August. She intended to stitch the piece in the same colorway I was looking at and had already acquired a large piece of black Belfast that she thought was easily twice the size of what she really needed. At this point, I had recently realized that I did not have a suitable fabric in my stash, so she offered to share. I went home and kept that thought in the back of my head. Funnily enough, I was thinking of starting SSF soon (as a treat for myself) and was probably going to write to Robbin to discuss a trade. Isn’t it crazy how things like that work out?

I wrote to thank her and to see if I could do something to repay her. And, of course, like the other person this month who performed a RAK for me, she won’t accept a thing in return. I am blessed, for certain.

Thank you to all of my friends who support me and share portions of my life, be it at work, as part of my groups or via my blog. *BIG hugs*