A milestone in a small world

/ Thursday 20 May 2010 /
And what a milestone, friends: this is my 100th blog post!  I never would have imagined that blogging would be so rewarding and keep me so focused on being productive, and that I would meet so many warm, interesting and funny women from around the world! And twice, I have met readers (or a proxy, in one case) in real life, and that is purely mindboggling!  But it just goes to show that this is a small world we live in, and the internet makes it even smaller.

Now, in commemoration of the century mark, I have two giveaways for your lottery pleasure.  When considering what to offer, I thought about my readers and who they are and what they like.  It seems to me that I have a fairly eclectic bunch of readers - some prefer traditional quilts and others more modern/contemporary styling.  And there are those, like me, who seem to like it all.  So here's what's on offer.

The first is two lengths of Erin McMorris fabric.  Each is about one metre/yard.  The fabric has not been washed.  Our home is nonsmoking, but we do have dogs.  BOTH metres will be given away to one winner.
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The second is two patterns which I bought when dinosaurs roamed the earth.  I don't even know if this company, Pieceable Kingdom, is still around.  The patterns have never been used.  I think both call for a combination of piecing and applique.  One is a beehive theme and the other is houses and uses buttons to make the trees.  BOTH patterns will be given away to one winner.
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Entries will close at 7pm Sunday, May 23, and I will try to get the goods in the post the following week.  I will gladly ship internationally.  Here's how to enter.  Leave a comment below, and in the comment, tell me two things.  FIRST:  Would you rather win the fabric or the patterns?   And SECOND:  Following on the notion of the small world that I mentioned above, please tell me your best "what a small world" story.  There are no extra entries for following or Twittering, etc.  

When I was talking about this in the lab, Lindsay said that I had to tell my own small world story if I was going to ask people to tell theirs.  So here is my small world story for you.

You know that, although I have lived in Canada for more than 25 years, I was raised in east Tennessee.  When I came to Canada for a graduate degree, I met my husband, a Montrealer who had immigrated from the UK at the age of four.  It didn't seem like a small world to me then, but a very big, wide world.  The South seemed very far away, and my new country and countrymen were more different than I had expected.  My in-laws, MIL from Dublin and FIL from England, were charming, and I loved the mid-Atlantic accents that they had.  But little did I know that by marrying, my husband and I were joining our family lines for the second, and possibly the third, time!

Here's now it happened.  Two sisters, Libby and Rachel Jershfelt, were born in Latvia between 1800 and 1809.  For several generations, their families lived in Latvia, but just like at the end of Fiddler on the Roof, there came a time where life in the village was no longer sustainable, probably after 1881, following the assassination of Czar Alexander II.  Over the 200 years from the birth of Rachel and Libby to the present day, knowledge of and connection between their families was completely lost.  One branch of Rachel's descendants got on a boat to Ireland, and her great-great-great-great-great-grandson is my husband.  Meanwhile, a branch of Libby's descendants emigrated to Kentucky before the First War, and Libby's great-great-great-grandson married my great aunt in Tennessee in the 30s.  (There is some evidence that the lines had crossed by marriage previously in Ireland, but that is less clear.)  So when I, as a 22 year old woman, left my home of generations and moved to another country, and married a handsome man who came from across the ocean, I was really marrying a relative!  "BY MARRIAGE!" my husband is hollering from the other room.  Because I'm a hillbilly, he gets uncomfortable when I don't point that out. So that's my story, friends, and I think you'll agree that that's when you say "What a small world!"
Leave your comments for the giveaway!  I can't wait to hear your stories celebrating the small world we live in and our many connections to each other!

28 comments:

{ Chay } on: 20 May 2010 at 09:15 said...

Selfishly, my heart is with the fabric. But my story goes with the bee pattern: I went out to lunch with my former neighbor yesterday, and she was telling me that her son and his girlfriend - soon to be his fiancee I'm sure - just started keeping bees! The live in an urban area (both in grad school) but they built a hive and ordered bees who are already making honey. So I figure if I start on a quilt for them now it will be ready when the wedding date is announced. Thanks for the giveaway! Your blog is great, lots of inspiration.

{ elle } on: 20 May 2010 at 09:38 said...

Whoa, the fabric is saying, I'm perfect! My daughter brought her hubby home to Canada and he had all kinds of adjustments to make and suffered a breakdown. Not eligible for medical till his papers were confirmed we were in a bind. A local gal worked with him because his stress caused my pregnant daughter stress and she is eligible. I heard lots about this wonderful Debbie. Our small quilt group got lots of new members last year. Names blurred. After a few months we gave another opportunity to say names and I listened intently because one gal's name escaped me. It was Debbie. My jaw dropped and first chance I ran over and hugged her. I said, "I'm the mother in law" and she said, "you've got the cutest grand children!". 8^) Small world, indeed. I wouldn't turn down the patterns either!

{ Kim } on: 20 May 2010 at 09:43 said...

I would have to go with the fabrics. It's beautiful. My story is about my husband. He had a Sunday school teacher when he was little that lived very far away. My husband moved away when he was old enough to leave home and years later he was in church and low and behold he looked behind him and saw his old teacher with a baby in his arms. They had lost touch and didn't realize they were now living in the same place, so I guess this is my small world story.

{ Lee D } on: 20 May 2010 at 09:45 said...

Oh I can't make up my mind, like them both, so if I win, surprise me! Small world story.
My sister and I were traveling in Europe back in 1982, we were loading a public bus in Belgium when the bus driver noticed our Canadian flags on our backpacks. He asked where in Canada we were from....near Toronto we said...where near Toronto he asked?.....about 1.5 hrs north.... he said do you know the town of Stayner? I just about fell off the steps....Stayner is the next town to ours, Collingwood, pop.at the time apprx 6000. apparently his daughter had been there for some exchange! too funny.
I too am a budding genealogist and love to find all the connections and 'new' cousins along the way! I have Beets family that hale from Tennessee way back when.

{ Molly } on: 20 May 2010 at 09:47 said...

I love that you're a hillbilly! I have recently started blogging and I enjoy it too. I feel like I have friends from all over the world! I'm always telling stories about my friend from Scotland or England or Australia etc. My family looks at me in amazement and continually asks, "How do you know this person?" They think I'm nuts sometimes.

I guess my small world experience is just that a few short years ago I had hardly any experience with people outside my little plot of land in my little village. Now I'm involved in a community of people from all over the world. My kids hate it when I'm "amazed by technology" but I guess that's just what I am .... amazed.

BTW .. I'd love the fabric!

{ ktquilts } on: 20 May 2010 at 09:51 said...

FIRST: Uhhh...fabric! But I really like that Bee hive pattern too!

SECOND: I met not one, not two, but three girls at college that I had gone to elementary school with before moving away and losing touch with them in sixth grade!!!

Blessings,

KT

{ Angie } on: 20 May 2010 at 09:56 said...

I like the fabric. My husband is in the military, where it is a very small world indeed. My story crosses military and school, however. Nearly 6 years ago, I walked into the commissary in Fort Wainwright, AK. While in the produce department, I saw a VERY pregnant woman, who looked familiar. I couldn't place her, though. I kept looking at her, and eventually it was obvious that we were staring at each other. I then said, "you look really familiar, but I'm not sure where I've met you." She remembered, and said, "From ASU, I'm Haley." It had been more than 6 year since I'd seen her at a University on the other side of the continent. At the time, she was a single design/photography major. Now she was a nurse, married to an army medic, going to give birth the next day.

{ Suzanna } on: 20 May 2010 at 10:11 said...

Mazel tov on your 100th post!

I don't want to compete for the fabric or the patterns because I'd feel guilty if I won. Besides, my small-world story isn't my own... My husband and I were in Rome visiting our daughter Katie who was in Europe on exchange. While we were stopped at an instant teller (ATM) someone stopped. "Katie?" It was a friend from home/Canada. Katie wasn't the least bit fazed. Through her online connections she knew the woman would be in Rome around the same time as us and didn't think it at all strange to run into a friend in a city of several million strangers.

{ Kris } on: 20 May 2010 at 10:16 said...

First, I love the fabric you chose!
Second, my favorite "small world" story is that although my mother has lived almost all of her life in Minnesota (where I'm from), during the couple of years she lived in Philadelphia, she worked at the hospital where my fiance and his siblings were born. This means she likely interacted with his parents when his older sister was born. What makes this extra special to us is that she passed away over 10 years ago and it's cool to think that at some point in time, our mothers met each other.

{ Deanna } on: 20 May 2010 at 10:32 said...

I am a realtively new blogger with about 20 posts under my belt and looking forward to 100 eventually. I think that the computer world has become smaller generally. Fabric or patterns? I would probably pick fabric just because it is more my style, but the pattern with the houses/buildings is tempting. Thanks for the chance.

{ Mandy } on: 20 May 2010 at 10:43 said...

About 10 years ago, I was hanging out with my boyfriend and we decided to go over to his co-worker's house to see her new grandbaby. His co-worker's parents happened to be there for the same reason. They struck up a conversation with me to be polite, asking me where I was from. I told them that I grew up in Belarus b/c my parents are missionaries there. They said, "Oh, we know a family in Belarus." I asked who it was b/c I knew most of the American missionaries there and they said, "The Roses." I almost shouted, "That's me! That's us! That's my family!" I could tell they were a little embarrassed b/c obviously they didn't know me... so they clarified, "Well, we actually know about your family through Johnnie..." I almost shouted again, "That's my grandmother!" Turns out, they had been friends with my grandparents for years.

I like the fabric, of course - beautiful!

{ Rene' } on: 20 May 2010 at 10:46 said...

Lesly, congratulations on your 100th post!!! I love your blog. Looking forward to many more 100th post anniversaries. I love the fabric, but would not turn away the pattens ;-) I have so many small world stories, but none as exciting as yours. The first one that comes to mind, is when my husband and I flew to Hawaii on a "business" trip and ran into someone we knew that was in Hawaii on their honeymoon and staying at the same hotel. Thanks for the giveaway chance.

{ Jocelyn } on: 20 May 2010 at 11:13 said...

Wow love reading the stories. My small world story happened several years ago when my hubby and I were attending a conference in TN. We live in Florida and some good friends of ours told us an old neighbor from Wisconsin would also be at that conference in TN. My hubby said it would be impossible to find their friends because there were 16,000 people attending. We took our then 10 month old baby and my hubby and I took turns walking him in his stroller while the other was in the conference. On the last day, my hubby was standing on the balcony when another man also stopped with his baby. They started talking, and low and behold, THIS was the man from Wisconsin. My hubby said he just could not get over the fact that they met up. Love the fabric! Thanks for such a fun giveaway :-)

{ Monica } on: 20 May 2010 at 11:14 said...

Definately the patterns!

I don't really have any small world stories. I live in the same town my entire life, never traveling. And I didn't leave until I was 35. We moved small town in Texas. Almost everyone I know here has landed here from somewhere else, NY, AK, CA, AL,Canada, Australia, England, etc.

What I consider a small world is that out of all the places to live all them chose to come to middle of nowhere Texas. That boggles my mind.

{ felicity } on: 20 May 2010 at 12:14 said...

Congratulations on 100 posts, Lesly!

1. I'm going to say the fabric, please. But like elle, I wouldn't say no to the patterns either.

2. Your small world story is a little hard to top so I won't try. My small world story is that about 10 years ago my BFF from early high school reconnected after a number of years, and we soon discovered that we'd both fallen in love with quilting. Right now I'm probably one of her shop's best customers!

{ Crafty Maine Mom } on: 20 May 2010 at 12:37 said...

Surprise me I love them both.

My small world story is that my husband is one of 5 children and every other summer his parents take all of us (17 people)on a tour. A couple years ago we took the kids out of school early (they missed the last day) and did a tour that included Yellowstone. The kids were complaining a little about not getting to see their friends and then as we are walking in the hallway to our room a friend from home wals around the corner. His parents had pulled him out before my kids but they hadn't told him where they were going. The kids spent the rest of the day smiling and enjoying themselves. It was great.

{ Jennifer } on: 20 May 2010 at 17:47 said...

those fabrics are gorgeous!

my story: back in college, as an undergrad, i was interviewing for a teaching position at a history museum where i live, in richmond, va. of course, this city is states away from where my family is from.

the lady interviewing me by saying, "Hadlock, what an interesting last name. Is your grandfather a doctor, by chance?"

he was. turns out my grandfather was this lady's family physician and pediatrician in houston, PA, where my dad's side of the family is from. small world, right?

{ NiCoLe } on: 20 May 2010 at 19:20 said...

I would choose the fabric for sure!

My small world story: I moved to Kamloops about 2 years ago and got a job at a school. In this school, one lady recognized my last name (its very uncommon and dutch) and she asked me if I knew Nick V** and I said, yes, that's my dad. She apparently grew up in the same small town as he did and admired him from a distance and his super awesome corvette! Now i work with her every day.

{ NiCoLe } on: 20 May 2010 at 19:20 said...

ps. congrats on 100 posts!!

{ Barb } on: 20 May 2010 at 21:48 said...

Congrats on 100 posts! I'd choose the fabric please.

I had a small world story this weekend. At church, in our new town I ran into my Grade 6 French Immersion Teaching Assistant. My new town is about 10 hrs north of my hometown! It was great to see a familiar face.

{ melissa l. } on: 20 May 2010 at 22:44 said...

Oh how I love that fabric, and its SO generous of you to share all of this with us!

As far as my small world story - when I was in kindergarten, my parents and I took a road trip from Florida to the Georgia mountains. We had already been in Ga when we ran into my school's head master on a remote road. Neither of us knew the other was going to the same little town during the same week. Small world, indeed :)

Thanks, Lesly! So wonderful to have you in our Bee! Hugs!!

{ Sarah Craig } on: 20 May 2010 at 22:50 said...

First, I'd have to go for the fabric - I've got lots of patterns in mind already and just need fabric to make them come alive! I have two small world stories - first one - my husband and I bought some land at Center Hill Lake in TN (we live near Nashville, but grew up in Miami, FL) Turns out the lady who bought the property next to ours lives in Georgia, but went to the same high school we went to in Miami!! Second story - not quite as good - we were in Dublin, Ireland, walking outside a cathedral discussing whether we wanted to pay to go inside another church. Suddenly these two ladies came up to us and said, "Y'all are from TN, aren't ya! We're from KY - and we recognized that accent!" Small world!!

{ My Life In Stitch } on: 21 May 2010 at 04:56 said...

Congrats on your 100th blog and thanks for sharing your thoughts and day to day living with us. I'm glad you are in my bee! First I would love the fabric to build up my small stash. Secondly whilst on holiday in Tenerife some 10 years or so ago we took the children to a waterpark and my son bumped into a friend from school and spent the day on the water rides with him. Small world - well Europe at any rate.

Keep on blogging. x x :)

{ Petit Design Co. } on: 21 May 2010 at 08:33 said...

lol I think it's funny your husband get's all worked up and has to set the record straight!

I would like the fabric if I am chosen. I have a lot of small world stories. mostly related to being involved in our church (Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints)

I went to BYU (Brigham Young University) On one of our dates my husband and I (then dating) went to see a school performance where we saw a young girl and young man. Fast forward 5-6 years and we end up living in the same town and they are now married, and we are married. It just so happens that we walked through the house they ended up buying. We all became really good friends and then one day we realized that our paths had crossed at that performance!

{ Michelle } on: 21 May 2010 at 18:10 said...

Oh, I'm dying to make that bee quilt! (Why do I always fall in love with the ones that are out of print?)

My small world story -- there was a craft blog I'd been reading and enjoying for a while, then the store fronts in one of her posts looked familiar, then she posted about a homeschooling field trip she'd taken with her kids and it turned out my and mine had been on the same trip. I'd met her several times!

{ Michelle } on: 21 May 2010 at 18:11 said...

Oh, I'm dying to make that bee quilt! (Why do I always fall in love with the ones that are out of print?)

My small world story -- there was a craft blog I'd been reading and enjoying for a while, then the store fronts in one of her posts looked familiar, then she posted about a homeschooling field trip she'd taken with her kids and it turned out my and mine had been on the same trip. I'd met her several times!

{ Kristen } on: 22 May 2010 at 01:24 said...

You know one of mine, but here is another. ;)

When I worked at the kitchen at my college in New York, I realized my supervisor was long distance dating my cousin from Long Island.

Now...don't tell me you are related to any O'Keegans OK!

{ szkornelia } on: 22 May 2010 at 17:01 said...

I love the fabric, but I also like the patterns. Especially the one with the houses.

When I was in highschool I went to a special school, and I lived in a dorm, away from my family. I met a girl there and she had the same first name that I have. At that time it was not a very common name, I knew maybe one more person apart from us. We finished high school, and even though we stayed for a while in the same city, we went to different universities, so haven't even met for a long time. One summer wherever I went, there she was. We met like 3 times in a month, every time in a different city. It was completely ridiculous, we both were on a summer holiday, and neither of the cities were where my or her family lived, nor the city where we went to school. I haven't met her since. Not once....

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