Out with the old

There is a new way of co-habitating with your space and your stuff, and I am not certain of the phrase or name for this concept, but the idea is that you don't bring in anything new without getting rid of something old (to make room for the new item, ya dig?).

Makes sense, doesn't it?

I believe most women apply this "rule" to their clothes closet, but in my domicile I will be putting it to work on my quilting stash.

I've been sorting through the material I already have to find colors that will work for my project (for an upcoming quilt contest), but that will also fit the perimeters of the contest. While working on this task I realized I have a lot more fabric than I (most likely) will ever use.

[Gasp and egads!]

How is this possible?

Some of it (OK, a healthy portion of it) I purchased just as quilting was becoming more accepted as a way of creating fun and useful end products, and not thought of as just a hobby for Grandma or that lady from church.

Manufacturers began creating a much wider palette of colors and patterns - and there were a growing number of designers and manufacturing mills joining the fray! It was an exciting time. But, because these fabrics were still only available in limited quantities and at limited local sources, quilters still had a long way to go before we actually had a tremendous selection at our fingertips to pick and choose and buy from.

This was a mere twenty-something years (or so) ago! That's right...just a stone's throw back to the eighties!

Fast forward those twenty or more years to:

- everyone having an Internet connection,

- area quilting shops springing up across nearly every state....

- and a pretty good supply at your nearest JAF or SoFro (now defunct) and Hancock Fabrics (on the decline in neighborhoods)

It's been a fun ride! Sorry to say, I did tend to buy more of some materials to build up a stash, but never quilted enough to keep up with the influx. Now, I am looking at a wall of beauties that I most likely will never fully use.

Which brings me to the reason for this post. [drum roll]

I would like to encourage those of you who look in to take a moment and say "hello," and to help you build up your own stashes.

I am proposing a giveaway. That's right...I want to give away several fat quarter packs. These are all 100% cotton materials that you will not find anywhere, but I'd wager you would love to add them to your quilts. They are a vintage-y look at where we've been...just since 1982 - the colors, the patterns. It's a chance to add a little 'old-fashioned' variety to your newfangled works of art & love.

If you're game, let me know. My goal is to (hopefully) 'meet' those of you who look in from time to time, and find out a little about you and what you like, what sorts of quilting activities you're up to, that sort of thing. I know that I have readers that trip in here from all around the globe - whether by accident - or because they saw (or read) something they liked - and then return periodically.

I would like to open this giveaway up to everyone, but because I am currently unemployed, posting a parcel to a foreign country will be cost-prohibitive. So, unless you can cover the postage for shipping to areas outside the US, I am unfortunately going to have to limit the giveaway to the contiguous 48.

If you are interested in receiving one of three fat fat-quarters, each pack comprised of no less than seven (7) random pieces of these (20) different materials [see above], please leave a comment on this entry and let me know who you are and where you are, what you do. Tell me why you think you would be the best recipient for one of these little gifts. Don't leave any personal information in your comment just yet (no last name or address, no phone or email, etc), and I will make my selection as to which three persons will 'win' a fat fat-quarters packs by the end of September.

At that time, I will notify the 'winners' via a blog entry (here, at True North Quilter) and give you an email to send your contact info to. From there, I can mail out the packs.

Let me hear from you...I know you're out there! :)