A bittersweet quilted eulogy

I’ve been working on a quilt for a few months now that I have been finishing for the family of a good friend that recently passed away, Mary Spencer.  This is Mary with her sons, who are the kindest people in the world:

For several years she and a few other co-workers and I would get together for what we called “craft lunches.” While we did carve out a few minutes to talk about or show each other whatever crafty things we were working on and maybe knit a few stitches, the lunches were really just an excuse to get together, vent about whatever was going on in our lives and support each other.  Of this group of crafters, one of these coworkers moved away several years ago (one of my best friends, Kathryne, that I’ve mentioned on this blog before), then Mary retired, then passed away in March of this year, so the remaining co-worker from the group and I sometimes carry on the tradition.

I had made this quilt for Mary several years ago:

 

Mary was a knitter, quilter and cross-stitcher, and she had brought to these lunches some beautiful Paula Vaughan designs that she had cross-stitched, including the well-known ones featuring quilts.  She also had a Christmas village collection, and she was so excited when she found some spectacular cross stitch patterns with Victorian houses decorated for Christmas. When she passed, she was working on one of the last of these Christmas houses cross-stitch patterns that she’d found. 

The final quilt that she was working on was about 1/3 complete was Blooming Blossoms, a quilt as you go pattern from Prairie Sky Quilting. She had told me that she was using scraps to make the quilt, as well as her favorite color, purple, as the background, and that she started it in either late October or early November of 2017.  A few months before she passed, she asked me if I would be willing to finish it for her for her family. So, when the day came, her sons gave me all the blocks she’d made and her handwritten notes about her plans for the quilt and its layout as well as lots of her scrap fabric.  (Since this is a pattern for purchase, I won't share her piecing diagram here.)
 

The general way the quilt is constructed is the standard quilt-as-you-go method, in which you make strips in certain dimensions, then stitch them through the batting and backing to make each square.  So, you stitch down the each piece in sequence, starting like this:

 And then keep adding strips, then the corner triangles:

Then sew four squares together by stitching just the backing together, then folding the raw edge of the backing fabric under and stitching that on the top, forming a central star:

Mary had drawn out her layout of the quilt and how she had put the block together, since she was doing it slightly different than the pattern instructed, which she had told me a few times.  I didn’t use the instructions for the quilt, I just copied what she had already done, so that what I made would match her dimensions.

Here's the finished quilt (85" x 100"):

The quilt as you go style of quilting was new to me, so that was a challenge.  However, it was much more emotionally challenging to work on this quilt, using the blocks and pieces that she had already made.  Seeing her handwritten notes about the quilt, not to mention some of the instructions and paperwork I have from her at work just brings back a flood of sadness that’s bittersweet.  Sometimes I was sewing through my tears.

Her sons told me that some of the quilt blocks had some fun fabrics in them, like this one, with yellow background and ladybugs, that was from a bandana that was put on one of their dogs at a visit to the groomers (:

Her sons treated her with such devotion and respect    She often told me how much she appreciated their and her daughters-in-law’s care for her.  I wish I would have been able to attend her funeral, but I’m very thankful to have been able to see her a few times in the months and weeks before she passed.

I am not sure who in her family is getting this quilt, but I hope they’ll be wrapped in her warmth and love when they see it and use it.  Sitting down to write this post is difficult, as it’s my final farewell to my friend.  I had so many things I wanted to write while I was finishing her quilt, but now all I can think to say is that I miss her and love her dearly.

What do we leave behind of ourselves more than the things we make and the people we touch?  In completing her quilt, it forces me to say goodbye. 

Your kindness outlasted you, Mary.  I miss you and I will miss you.

First quilts I've had quilted by Joanne Lendaro (and not the last!)

Last week I received two of my quilts back from a fantastic quilter: Joanne Lendaro!  You can find her work on her blog at Splitting Stitches or Splitting Stitches Longarm Quilting or on Facebook.  She asked me to give her a general idea of how I would like the two tops I sent her quilted: did I prefer a modern or more traditional design, and would the quilts be washed frequently, and sent me links to some suggestions she had.

My only other experience with sending quilt tops off to be quilted was using Missouri Star Quilt Company, and though I have had nothing but positive experiences with their service, Joanne was fantastic and I cannot recommend her highly enough.  I'm working on a quilt for my inlaws and I can't wait to finish it so that I can send it off to Joanne!

Here are the two tops she quilted for me, with backing pictures:

First, Park Bench from a kit.  This was one of the first quilt tops I made.  I made a few extra of some of the blocks to use in place of a few block patterns I didn't like so well.  The fabric was from Carolyn Friedlander and the quilt is approximately 64 x 88.  The quilt pattern is Dancing Vines, which was Joanne's suggestion.

The second quilt is my orange version of Wayward Transparency (QAL instructions here) I added a border to make this about 66 x 96 and used a backing that matches a purse and sunglasses that the intended recipient, Kathryne has!  The quilting pattern is Waterworks.

 

As I said, I cannot wait to send more quilt tops to her, and to bind and then send the blinding orange one off to Kathryne!  Thank you so much, again, Joanne!!