Renewing my faith in humankind

Remember that I mentioned, a couple weeks ago, that I'd received some Anna Maria Horner fabric in the mail? Well. It was an experience coupled with an ordeal capped off by a whole lotta elation. Now that it's all played out, let me tell you the story.

The short version is: beautiful fabric went on sale, I ordered some, my order got mildly screwed up, I emailed customer service. I almost didn't email-- I knew my email wouldn't be read by some faceless employee in a huge fabric warehouse; I knew the email would be going straight to Anna herself, to her lovely attic studio abode, and that it would probably hit home a lot, and that it might even hurt. But, I emailed. I was kind, and also honest. 

Within ten minutes I was refunded for the missing fabric. Almost as briskly, a heartfelt email detailing the ins and outs of why and how my order got screwed up appeared in my inbox, from Anna Maria herself. I was mollified, and grateful, and impressed. But, somehow... somehow... and I'm sure you understand, a missing half-yard of fabric was worth way more than the $6 I'd paid for it. The $6 which had been refunded. It had intrinsic value far beyond its monetary worth. I wanted to hold it. I wanted to pet it. I wanted it live.

Silly me, though. The email wasn't over. "Please just let us know a few of your favorite fabrics," she wrote, "and we will send you a textile apology in the mail."

Textile apology. The sweetest possible words. I got all hot and bothered and spinny-eyed. I went and ogled my very favorite fabrics in the whole entire world, again, for the privilege of receiving a surprise. I LOVE surprises, but I'm also very good at ruining them. (Ask Patrick sometime about the day he proposed.) This one, I knew, I couldn't ruin.

I wondered at what would arrive, and when, and how much. Then I got a package.

And like, woah. I sat on my porch and I petted my fabric and I got all teary. It was like one of those dreams in high school when you're suddenly making out with your big crush while the whole school looks on jealously... what? You didn't have dreams like that? Oh well, never mind.

The piece on the right there-- Baby Bouquet Sweet-- was the cause of the screw-up. They'd sold out, completely, before shipping out my order, hence the missing half-yard. But then-- happy day!-- Anna Maria and her able assistant discovered a Baby Bouquet Sweet deposit (I imagine somewhere in the colorful jumble of the attic studio) and sent it on its way. Along with-- oh yeah, that's right-- about a yard and a half additional fabric, for free, because this isn't some faceless fabric warehouse, this is Anna Maria's studio, where one stinkin' half yard of fabric and one stinkin' screwed up order is enough to warrant a whole avalanche of kindness and beauty. 

That's the story. If you want me, I'll just be sitting on my porch with my mouth hanging open, petting my fabric. 

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