Of Coincidences and Kindness

I might have mentioned once or twice that I have a little shop on etsy? I love to make little things, especially girly little aprons, and see where they end up. This past week I decided to put a request up on Freecycle for fabric and see what came up. I specifically wanted little fleece scraps that nobody had any other use for, to use as stuffing in my jingle-y blocks. I was so surprised when no fewer than three people wrote back to me! One woman had an almost-finished fleece tie-down blanket that she was never going to finish. (I don't think I can bear to cut that up - fleece blankets are too perfect for floor play time!) Another woman offered up a large piece of red felt - perfect for my new little feltboard dolls! Finally, I got one last e-mail. She asked what I was looking for, and what I would use it for. I described my products and needs - cottons, fleece, flannel, felt...just about anything! I included a link to my shop so she could see what I was talking about.

I received a quick response from her, including a link to her shop - Morgan's Beds! She makes "creature beds" and pet bandannas. Every cent earned on her site goes to pay the medical bills of her very sick kitty who was born with bilateral cataracts and diabetes. (If you need a pet bed, I highly recommend Morgan's Beds! The beds are adorable and look oh-so-cozy!)

She told me she had plenty of the little fleece scraps I was looking for, plus some other cuts of fabric that she couldn't use for her beds, and would I be interested in those? Of course! The more the merrier! She told me there would be at least a box and a half-bag full waiting for me by her garage the next day.

The next day was Valentine's Day - and it was a busy one for us. Lo Gung and I decided to divide and conquer. We drove separate cars to the ward Primary Party in the morning. Once there, he trailed BBJ around and helped her complete all her arts and crafts. I stuck by the cupcake station and policed the little kids. (I'm pretty sure I caught all the knife-lickers before they stuck their knives back into the bowls of frosting...) Afterwards, Lo Gung and BBJ took off for their day together - full of Tinkerbell and video games, I've been told - and Siu Jeun and I took off for our day. We had a baby shower to attend, a return to make at Target, and then we planned on dropping by Ms. Morgan's Beds to pick up our fabric.

All went according to plan, and I found the house without a hitch. However, when I pulled up I was shocked to find this:

This is about 5x the amount of fabric I was expecting! I was floored by her generosity. (If it's not obvious from the picture, I'm sure it's at least 30 pounds of fabric! Each bag was about as heavy as Siu Jeun in his carseat!)

As it turns out, about half of the fabric in the bags was donated to Ms. Morgan's Beds by another local woman who had more fabric than she knew what to do with. I've been instructed to use what I like - and experiment to my heart's content! - and to continue to pass on whatever I can't use. Oh, and there will be another bag ready for me in a few days. ?!

What are the chances that another Etsy crafter would live so close? The fleece scraps you see on the lower right in the picture are all from her pet beds. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that between the two of us we are getting every bit of use possible out of her fleece! Waste not, want not! This is what cottage industries - like the wonderful businesses on Etsy - are all about: women working together, cooperating, to support and beautify their homes and lives as best they know how!

Oh, and if anyone has any ideas on how to use stretch terry, or stretch velour, let me know!!! I've got some to play with and all I can think of are stretch pants for BBJ. I also need to know how to sew it - without a serger, it could be a tricky proposition!