Sasha is back where it all began!!

Oh my GOODNESS I can't believe Sasha the original travelling stash has returned home at last!
I've had such an emotional evening watching the big brother secrets show (I'm a massive bb fan!!) And although I was dying to open the parcel I knew I'd want to share it straight away too, so waited til the end of the show to up end it. I just peeked in the top between ad breaks hehe.

Plus being pregnant has just meant I've been crying intermittently from about 8pm from all the excitement lol.
I'm so absolutely stoked with all the goodies in there. I can't believe there's so much!

There are SO many cool patterns including little chooks, a little gnome, it's awesome.
There are some cool things I've always been interested in but never got around to buying, like quilters fingers grips, various needles, squeakers to put inside softies (got in trouble for squeaking those from my husband because I thought they looked like some kind of tailor's chalk spraying item or something and didn't mean to make "wake the baby" noises lol).

There's even a quilter's calculator in there! Can't wait to read how to use that!!!
There's a gorgeous handmade journal I will not be sharing, it's mine mine mine haha.

There are only two items in there that were in the original package which makes me feel really good. My well intentioned gatherings have made it into new loving homes, bar the free pattern I once got from Logans patchwork, and an iron on patch that seems to have brought home some of her friends. Now that I have a whole set I'm probably more likely to use them on a project lol.


Some items are not that exciting but I'm stoked to get them- bias binding isn't something to write home about normally, but a whole pack of navy blue? I will definitely use that up!
I'll be letting my local friends in on it and see if they'd like to take anything. I probably owe them a few paybacks anyway, I'm always getting given things!

Threads and fabrics and buttons oh my!
Sarah O even dropped in a congratulations present for me! A gorgeous pregnancy photo frame Thanks!

I think my favourite at this stage is the quilter's panel that says things such as "6 projects on the go? Now That's a quilter!" And "ok I won't buy any more fabric ...at least not today". I showed my husband who just looked over it all with a plain expression and, at the end, said "that's really cool .....very true" lol. I think it will be uncuttable until one day I get a sewing room and can decorate it with sewing specific wallhangings. So thank you to whoever put that in there, please follow my blog for the next 19-20 years and I promise to post a picture for you lol (kidding). I've got a great quilter's poem that might take up the centre of those panels.
I'd love to share more but must get to bed.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each person who took part. You all took the time to pick and replace items, sending it on and in some cases hand delivering.
I'll never forget the transformation of an idea that started so small.
I'm so glad I took the time to begin it and hope it's been as exciting for all of you guys as it was for me!
Love, Cass

PS If you're interested in becoming part of a traveling stash in Australia, there are many beginning all the time at the facebook group "Travelling Stashes - Australia". Join up to see what it's all about and decide whether you'd like to take part.

posted from Bloggeroid

Farrah fat quarter traveling stash on the Central Coast

So the traveling stash began a trend amongst my Aussie friends.
After the post by a Quilt club of Australia administrator suggesting that to discuss the traveling stash so much on the Facebook group was off focus, a new group was started. Well I had no idea, but the new stashes were just beginning and it's so exciting! It's brought new people in, and been a great gathering place to discuss the details.
Anyway, Bronwyn from Stop that owl began a stash that was just fat quarters. Brilliant!!
I jumped on board and it came to my door this week!

The image above was the "before" photo.
Below are the fqs that stayed with me:



Here is what I put back:


There are two more fat quarters going back in, and this is because Quilting Mumma, Ally, took a dig into the stash (after I selected mine first, of course). She took hers home and intended to photograph them in the daylight, but her adorable one year old had a turn at Farrah too and the fqs are yet to show up again LOL.
Then I addressed the satchel and passed by Mum's so she could take part too.
She took the fabrics below, including one that I had put in hehe:



And these went back in:


I saw some double ups when I opened Farrah, and whilst I suppose it reduces the variation a little, I think we women might be more likely to take one if the next person isn't going to miss out. So I'm liking a few double ups.

I was frightened it might be over 3kgs, but it's only just over 2.5 at this stage.

Thank you to Bron for organising, and to Sue for sending me the first travelling stash parcel I've ever received.
I hope it was ok to gather local friends to take part, I'm a fan of the more the merrier, and thought it would be fine.
Love
Cass

posted from Bloggeroid

TRAVELLING STASH - Travelling WA, who is next?!

The stash has now passed three people and should be in the hands of #4 Tina today or very soon!

The photos haven't been going on flickr because basically all the members are on the facebook group Quilt Club Australia and you can get much more discussion in on facebook than you can on flickr. I'm thinking of shutting down the flickr group (What do you think? Let me know in comments).
I feel like it's either that, or for me to update it by loading the pics from relevant blogs. But it hardly seems worth it, we're getting more out of sharing on facebook, aren't we?

Anyway, so an update is that Janine got it first, and shared the details using facebook. Then it was off to Tracey of The Peony Teacup who blogged about it here




Tracey took some of the orange fabric out and used it for the !!

Now I'm ten million times excited that not only is some of the fabric (previously unused, here in my NSW spare room) going into making a bag by McKenna, but now it's multiplied by over 50+ spread out recipients! I could not have dreamed that (even though it's kind of in a secret way that they'll never know the true meaning) something could have travelled so far and wide! And here's what's more... that fabric was given to me!

Well Tracey drove over to give it to the next recipient McKenna who blogged about it here

One of the pics from the contribution into Sasha stash

And yes, the stash is growing! I kind of knew that with a bunch of women (who are stereotypically caring and giving beings), that it would get bigger and bigger. I hope postman pat is kind (and looks the other way) if it exceeds 3kg! I couldn't really help it though, it was already on 3kg when it left because (being one of those stereotypical caring/giving beings) I kept adding to it thinking "that doesn't look like enough" til it was just about to burst LOL.

McKenna said it well when she spoke about her Grandmother saying "quilting life went far beyond the confines of her sewing space" and it truly is AMAZING to me too.

I have spent so much time at the computer recently, gravitating to my new likeminded friends, believing that maybe I can build on what I have, believing more in myself, and forging relationships that I enjoy so much, since finding facebook group Quilt Club Australia and am grateful to you all from the bottom of my heart! I dream of one day meeting as many of you as I can in person, but will already know so much from meeting you each night online. BIG HUGS!

List of bloggers who are a part of the Travelling Stash!

Finally I've composed the list of Travelling stash members!!
You may want to bookmark this page so you can come back and check out everyone's page as you get the time (I've coded them to open in a new window to try and save you getting lost).
Consider hitting "Follow" as you reach each blog.

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Also, we have a button now! I only ask you to share it if you want to, because entry is closed anyway.
If you want to display it, put this HTML code into the field on your blog/page:

<a href="http://cassthecoolest.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/travelling-stash-leaves-tomorrow-entry.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/coolcass/Blog%20images/Travellingstashbutton-1.png"></a>
And that will give you the image below, which is a link back here :-)

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Now grab a cuppa and get acquainted with your fellow stashers!
In alphabetical order

Ally N	quiltingmumma.blogspot.com.au
Anorina M	www.sameliasmum.com
Beverley P	​missybeethatsme.blogspot.co​m.au
Bronwyn B	stopthatowl.blogspot.com.au
Carol L	thepatchcraft.blogspot.com.au
Danielle R	threads-n-mess.blogspot.com.au
Ellie-Mae M	BeAmbolong.blogspot.com
Fiona M	findingfifth.blogspot.com.au
Jane D	quiltjane.blogspot.com.au
Janine	thisquiltylife.blogspot.com.au
Jessica R	scrappy-n-happy.blogspot.com.au
Joelle J	Facebook page for KNJ-Handmade-From-The-Heart
Julie Gorse	julessewing.blogspot.com.au
Kaitlyn B	​kjbdesigns.blogspot.com.au
Kate W	www.kwiltsbykate.com
Kelly G	kelskaszazzkaleidoscope.blogspot.com.au
Kristy R	quietplay.blogspot.com.au
Marieka A	coffsfreshquilters.blogspot.com.au
McKenna P	Textilediva.blogspot.com.au
Sarah O	sarahssewingjourney.blo​gspot.com.au
Tracey R	thepeonyteacup.blogspot.com.au
And the members for whom I don't have a blog address for are Carolynne V, Fiona B, Jane K, Kylie B, Lara M, Lisa H, Maribel F, and Tina F

Thanks for stopping by.
~Cass

How to start your very own travelling stash

(If some of this sounds familiar, much of it is from the original Travelling stash post)

So, a "Travelling stash" is a bunch of things (say 10+) such as fabric/notions/mags, other exciting goodies that is posted to you. When you receive it, you take out items you like and replace each item you took with something new. Then post it to the next person.

The traditional rules say you must have a blog to enter. You would hear about this on someone's blog, comment to be in the winning, and if you win you blog about it on your blog. Repeat repeat repeat, but nobody is "overseeing" it or organising its return. The rules of a traditional travelling stash are 1. You must be an ACTIVE BLOGGER 2. You must be local to the country in which it's held 4. When you receive it, write a blog post on its contents, what you removed, and what you put in. 3. Replace per diem - if you took 4 yards of fabric, replace it with 4 yards. of quilt quality fabric 5. Leave a comment on the blog (of who currently has it) for the chance to become the next recipient.

Another way you can do it, what I did I put all the items in the stash at the start, at my expense. I'm monitoring it in the hopes that everyone is attentive enough to pass it on, and my local friends and I are last on the list. At the end I get to keep the remaining stash* So these are my rules: 1. You sign up before the end date, and one day soon you will receive the travelling stash. 2. You take out any things you like (might be every thing in the stash, could just be a few items). 3. You replace them with equal value stash items. (If you took 4 fat quarters of quilt quality fabric, replace it with 4 fq of quilt quality fabric, if you took a notion/magazine/pattern, replace it with a similar value notion etc.) 4. You must be committed to share photos of how you got/left the stash and be willing to pay the postage (including tracking of some sort) to the next recipient (I give you their address, by email). Also, consider starting a Flickr group for this method.

I encourage you to begin one - especially a group of ladies might be able to all contribute a little in order to get a big start?

Either way you go about it, each participant needs to be willing to pay postage of the parcel to the next recipient.

* Further to my comment "I get to keep the remaining stash" I think there will be items in the final parcel that aren't my style, and depending on how my sewing group attacks it, if there is any left I am thinking of doing a give away, or maybe turning the unwanted items into a traditional travelling stash. But this wont be for a few months, and it will all depend on how it pans out.

I shall call her Sasha, and she shall be mine, and she shall be my Sasha stash

The travelling stash has brought so many goals up for me. One of my aims in the process is to better connect with you like minded people. So I hope to follow all the blogs of the TS (travelling stash) members. Sounds easy, right? Well yes, but I get distracted by the pretty colours and interesting stories. I haven't made it far, but one of the distracting blogs made me laugh out loud (really) was Bronwyn's Stop that owl blog!
She cracks me up with relatable well written things like "Not opposed to avoiding housework in favour of creating something." and check out the panic associated with having to abandon the sewing room here & you will be laughing I bet!



Anyway, she is really excited about the stash and just posted about it generally (I guess it's like when you go to a concert and the next day you're wondering where the artist is now, are they having breakfast or are they still asleep.... or maybe not LOL) and she said "'the stash' seems a bit impersonal for my liking, so from hereon in, I will refer to her as Sasha Stash" Haha! So from now on, please feel free to refer to Ms Stash by her first name, Sasha.

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Other goals I'm getting to one day soon are:

• To share all my blogging secrets, how I do my photos, html code, and all that jazz
  
• To post on how you can easily start your own travelling stash & why
  
• To have a guest post by the frequently published quilt designer Allison Nicoll (Exciting!)
  
• Share with you my sewing space/s and storage methods
  
• Use adjectives other than Awesome a little more often.
  
• Probably more, I'll remember them as I'm supposed to be going to sleep and I'm really calculating whether I could turn that whole quilt on point or maybe make the edges octagonal instead, or maybe use that ruler I forgot I had from the last craft fair .......the list goes on LOL.
  

But for now I must get back to quilting in my pyjamas!

TRAVELLING STASH - Leaves tomorrow! Entry almost closed

Ok Ladies, the first name has been drawn! Janine was the first person from WA to email her postal address to me, and I'd expressed that WA was the first place I wanted to send it so that's where it will be going tomorrow!!

If I keep it within the same state generally, it will come around faster. Less time with Postman Pat and the quicker it gets to the rest of us. But don't lose faith too quickly, I'll be shaking it up too.

The rules of a normal travelling stash are: 1. You must be an ACTIVE BLOGGER 2. You must be a US RESIDENT 4. When you receive it, write a blog post on its contents, what you removed, and what you put in. 3. Replace per diem 5. Leave a comment on the blog (of who currently has it) for the chance to become the next recipient. BUT WE ARE MIXING IT UP! I don’t want you to miss out if you don’t have a blog, and why do the Yanks get to have all the fun?! So these are my rules: 1. You sign up before midnight Monday 26 March 2012, and one day soon you will receive the travelling stash. Australians only, due to cost of postage. 2. You take out any things you like (might be every thing in the stash, could just be a few items). 3. You replace them with equal value stash items. (If you took 4 fat quarters of quilt quality fabric, replace it with 4 fq of quilt quality fabric, if you took a notion/magazine/pattern, replace it with a similar value notion etc.) 4. You must be committed to share photos of how you got/left the stash and be willing to pay the postage (including tracking of some sort) to the next recipient (I will give you their address, by email). It’s a bit more work for me to keep track of it all the time, but I hate never winning anything so I’m doing this for everyone who never wins anything and I’m sure it will be worth it.

Considerations: • You must be willing to pay the postage to forward on the stash WITH TRACKING. The 3kg traceable satchel costs $11.40. If you can get a cheaper rate with www.clickandsend.com.au then go for it! • How are you going to share your photo? I will ask you this by email before I send the stash your way. Please join our Flickr group! http://www.flickr.com/groups/1979138@N22 ~If you have a blog, that’s probably easiest for you to blog about it (and I will send everyone there to have a sneaky peek! ‘Hello traffic’) ~If you don’t have a blog, you can simply add the photos to our flickr group http://www.flickr.com/groups/1979138@N22 • If possible, uncommon fabrics would be ideal for sharing (although not all of us have a spotlight nearby). • Have fun with it!!

What do YOU think?


Original post at http://cassthecoolest.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/travelling-stash-australians-all-let-us.html

TRAVELLING STASH (Australians all let us rejoice) March 2012

Updated. See the latest post here.
I have decided to organise a travelling stash!!!!!
So, a travelling stash (as I understand it) is a bunch of things (say 10+) such as fabric/notions/mags, other exciting goodies that is posted to you. When you receive it, you take out items you like and replace each item you took with something new. Then post it to the next person.

You're meant to blog about it on your blog so we all get to follow it, but I will be managing it as well.

I have a list already so we can get started, but I need some more takers [Entry closed Monday 26/3/12]so I can really get the ball rolling!? Who's interested? Please include your state (NSW).

I will get the first bunch of items ready and post up a picture before the end of the week (24/3/12) but you can sign up anytime [Entry closed Monday 26/3/12 See my latest post linked above on how to start your own]

You need to be willing to pay postage of the parcel to the next recipient. At this stage it will be in a trackable $7.20 satchel and may turn into a box costing around $10 to post. I think you'll find it's worth it to take part!