Look what made it's way home!

I can't believe it has made its way home! Anyone that has known me or followed me for a few years might know this story, but the ending only came on Friday.

Way back in 2012, I entered a contest at the American Sewing Expo (there is a post about it here.) Somehow, I won an honorable mention ribbon. I went to the expo on Saturday that year, so I wasn't there to pick up my entry after the close of the show.

Instead of sending my entry back to me, they upgraded my honorable mention to 6th place, and the contest sponsor took it on tour with them to trade shows for a year. I was so excited to have placed, and couldn't wait for the year to be up so I could have the ribbon. I had planned to put the letter, the ribbon, and my project into a shadowbox frame together.

But the following October, when the year tour period was over, I didn't get it back.

I watched the mail the whole month of October. When i didnt get it, I started emailing the expo in November, asking if they had gotten it back, or if they knew when I could expect it back. They poked around, and unfortunately, In December, I was informed that the sponsor couldn't find it. Nobody knew what had happened to it. The expo people apologized to me and gave me some seminar time for the following year, along with the ribbon I had won.

Fast forward two years later to now!

Friday, I was driving home after dropping my son off for a scouting event, and stopped at the mailbox. Nothing but little packages that day. But one was from the American Sewing Expo! I haven't entered a contest there since my entry was lost (an entry fee was added to the contest, and I didn't want to pay it hahaha), so the only thing it could be was the one thing I never expected to see again!

I pulled in and parked right at the end of the driveway, and opened it right there. And sure enough, it was found! No explanation in the letter as to what happened, but it doesn't matter!

I haven't gotten it into a shadowbox frame yet, but I was excited to finally get it back and I wanted to post a "post expo" photo. Here it is!

A little bit about it: This is a clutch purse I made from the Apropos Pack pattern from Studiokat Designs. I quilted the exterior fabric using three threads sent to me for the contest, in a diamond plaid pattern.

The stripe of blue (and the stripe of orange on the inside edge of the flap) were added when I realized the piece had shrunk due to the quilting, and it was too short to put the snap in! Oops!