The Generosity of Strangers....

The internet is an amazing thing.....

Through this wonder of modern life I've made connections with women I may never have been privileged to meet through my everyday existence.  This realisation hit home to me today when I received a package in the mail.

Recently I participated in an on-line handmade swap.  This is the first time I've ever done something like this - creating and swapping items with women I had never met in person.  My only contact with them is through Facebook and blogs relating to quilting so in actuality, they're strangers.  The swap is simple.  You are assigned a partner to create a handmade item for.  You know who you are making your swap gift for but you don't know who you are assigned to.  This is a mystery until your gift is received in the mail.  The way you discover your swap partners likes and dislikes is through a posted documents that lists members preferences for colors, choice of gifts -bags, mug rugs, etc.... and most importantly, their blog address.  As you can imagine, you can learn a lot about a person from reading their blog.

Well the gift parcel I received today completely blew me away.  As you can see from the photos below, not only is the tote bag remarkably beautiful, it was also packaged with thought and care.   And as a sweetener (literally) my Australian swap partner Kristy gave a special gift of American candy to me, her American swap partner.  What can I say - I'm speechless.....







My antique Little Oxford Dictionary, circa 1949, defines a stranger as:

'....a person unknown, alien or unfamiliar to someone or something'

I wonder how this definition changes now in the year 2012 with the event of the Internet?  When it's not alien or unfamiliar any longer to develop and nurture friendships through electronic means exclusively.  I've never met Kristy in person yet I know her through the colourful quilts she makes, the fabric she likes, the fantastic tutorials she posts....is she still a stranger?  I think not.

I feel privileged to be a member of the on-line quilting community.  Through my Internet connections I've 'meet' so many wonderful, talented and caring women.  I so wish my grandmother were still alive today so we could compare notes on our individual experiences with our quilt groups.  I think she would be amazed at the community of world wide quilters now.  I just know she would have been the kind of woman who would have jumped in both feet first into the pool of Internet quilting.

So thank you Kristy for the wonderful swap gift.  I plan to drag this tote bag to every quilt and book club meeting I have and tell everyone about you and my experiences with my on-line group of quilters.
 
But I have to tell you, the candy isn't going to make it past the weekend!










Comments

  1. Wow, it's striking! Absolutely beautiful :) What a fun swap!

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  2. Oh I'm so glad you like it McKenna! I have to admit, it took me awhile to decide on something 'just right' for you but had a lot of fun once I settled on this one!

    It has been wonderful getting to know people through QCA and I have enjoyed reading your blog in stealth mode over the past few months ;)

    Enjoy the candy!! :)

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  3. what an awesome swap, story and candy.
    You are so right when you say that the internet no longer makes people strangers. It is amazing what a group of like minded people can come up with from around the world.
    Thank you for sharing your story. :)

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  4. lovely post. i too am amazed at the kinds of 'friendships' i've made throught blogging and such. It's great to connect with like minded people. especially since none of my closest friends are into sewing and quilting. Other quilty bloggers 'get' why i love what i do. Nice to meet you, all the way from Canada! I'll be following you.

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