I have no idea what I was thinking when I left off blogging last year. It was a blur. I have continued to take photos and sew, although greatly interrupted. I finally got a quilt off the longarm and bound yesterday. I have been pulling out unfinished projects and digging in. I have kept up reading all my blog friends with little energy to respond.
A short version is: I laid out the guild quilt show in late September by photographing all the quilts, printing them out and making a map of the show. All quilts were separately bagged, tagged, and put in organized piles. The last week of September I went for 4 days to the ADK, Old Forge for wonderful fall times. Upon coming back, I got Covid the first couple days of October and missed setting up and attending the quilt show. Thank God the whole show was laid out and marked so others could put it up.
Then, my dear friend, who had been diagnosed with ALS a couple of months previously, came and picked out a comfort quilt (Blue Bargello) and rapidly deteriorated. I came up with the idea of working on quilts for her grandkids with her when I visited bringing boxes of precut squares and strips, maybe one a month. That had to be accelerated because of her rapid decline so others stepped in to help her lay them out. I was piecing non stop and freaked out over the quilting. My friends, Kris and Kathy of Chasen Dreams, agreed to help when I asked and quilt them (angels for sure). They were fast and refused payment. While they were quilting, I made the bindings and kept piecing. I was able to get all 7 done and washed. I took them to her and she whispered what she wanted to have on each label (I had sewn blank labels on). We wrote it and bagged each quilt in a large ziploc. They were given out at Christmas to her grandchildren. She died 5 days later.
At the memorial luncheon, many photo boards were on display and they included the quilts on a table for people to see. She might have not been physically able, but she chose every piece and indicated where it would go for all 7 quilts. I taped all the pieces with frog tape and sewed like a maniac.
13 comments:
I think you are an angel too. So kind of you to do this for a friend.
That is so special that she was able to design all of the quilts. I'm glad you reached out to others to help though; it was an ambitious project for sure. I hope you are getting some well deserved rest now and peaceful therapy sewing. We want your heart to keep beating normally.
What a special thing to do for your friend, and for her grandkids. They will remember those quilts.
Linda you are a treasure. You kindly took on a herculean task to help your friend, I'm so pleased that you had two other quilters who stepped up to help where needed. Lots of rest and relaxation needed now for you to recover your energy, hoping you will soon feel able to pick up needle, thread and fabric once again very soon.
Ditto what everyone else said!! You are a very special person - and a very good friend - ;))
wow, what a blessing for her and the grands, and what a beautiful expression of love and support from you and your community.
Linda, you are an amazing person with a heart of gold. Your friend was so blessed to have you in her life. You did a wonderful thing for her and her grandchildren. This is something they will treasure. I am glad you had help and were able to get them all finished in time. Now, it is time for you to rest, relax, and get your energy back. Big hug!
I agree that it was an ambitious project. I am glad you had other angels to help you.
I am sure that the grandchildren will cherish those quilts (even more as the mature into adults.)
Thank you for being the face of goodness and kindness.
What an accomplishment that brings short term comfort, but certainly long term astonishment.
Such a touching story. Your kindness and willingness changes many lives.
I love the photo of the grands with their quilts. What you organized and pulled off was one of the very best parting gifts anyone could give to a friend . . . I hope that somehow you document the story for each of the grands so that they know how much their grandmother loved them.
That is such a special gift! Now you need a bit of a rest to take care of yourself.
What a sweet gift you gave your friend, and her love lives on in the quilts to her grandkids. Love the way you all stepped up ;-)
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