Embroidery Stash Winner Announced…

Well – here’s the winner of last month’s stash give-away….

The give-away includes several nice threads to play with and Helen Stevens’s book, Embroidered Gardens.

To select a winner, I transfer the names to a spread sheet and mix them up, then use a random number generator to pick a number. The name corresponding to the number is the winner.

And the lucky winner is….. (I’m trying to build suspense, but I know it isn’t working)…

Melissa with the Mr. and Mrs. pillowcases. This is her story, in response to the question posed.

Question: Do you have a needlework project that you pine over, that you don’t have anymore, for whatever reason (you gave it away, it got lost in a move, it got damaged, etc.)? And if so, what was the project and why do you wish you still had it?

Melissa’s Answer: Hmm this one is a difficult question because in some ways every project I give away I wish I could keep. I think it’s because I pour so much of myself into them which makes me want to keep it but at the same time it’s what makes it a gift worth giving. I recently found out that a pillowcase set I gave as a gift isn’t used and loved and that really made me wish I had kept them since I loved the set it was a Mr & Mrs set, but most of the time if someone really really loves the gift then I’m happy they have it.

Congratulations, Melissa! Please contact me with your shipping address and I’ll get that little package off to you as soon as possible!

Now, to play fair, I’ll answer the question, too…

Like Melissa, I find the question difficult. When we pour so much effort into a project and finally see the finished result and like it, well… I find it hard to part with. But gift-giving is gift-giving. And that’s the whole point. What’s the “merit” in giving a gift away that I don’t like?? “Eeew. This turned out yucky. I think I’ll give it to my sister…” We don’t really do it that way, do we? If it turns out yucky, normally we don’t give it away. (I generally hide the things that turn out below expectations!) Still, I do find it hard to part with my needlework, but the payoff is seeing the pleasure it gives others. It would hurt pretty badly if the piece were neglected or disliked (and my heart goes out to those of you who have had that experience!). All that being said, I really hated parting with the Golden Pomegranate I recently finished for a niece’s wedding gift. If I ever find out that she doesn’t really like it, or that she hasn’t bothered to hang it in her new house, I might have to hit her over the head with it – right before I take it back home! Heh heh… kidding, kidding….

(Sort of…)

Do stick around for the next give-away, which will be some time in February. I’ll try to make it worth the wait!