For A Dear Friend

A dear friend of mine will be moving away later this month, so of course I had to make something for her to remember me by.

My friend and I are members of a small art quilting group that has gotten together every few months over the last several years. When the group learned (more than a year ago) of the upcoming move, we decided to create something that wouldn't be just a plain old quilt. Sure, we could make a nice quilt, but what would she do with it? One of our members had the idea of having each one of us make a small quilted piece (5 x 7 inches) that could have holes punched into the left side so they would all be put together into a memory book of sorts. The rest of us loved the idea and got to work.

What you see in the photo is my contribution. And there's a story behind it --

First, it's a block from the Jane Stickle 1863 quilt (commonly known as Dear Jane). Most of my readers know that I have made my own version of this quilt, so I thought it would be appropriate to make a block from it because it's definitely a reminder of me.

Second, the name of the block is "Eye of the Cyclone", which fits perfectly because I suspect that that is an accurate description of what my friend's life has been like while she's been preparing for her move (and, frankly, it describes my life recently as I help my parents prepare for a move). The block is far from perfect, but that's what happens when life is hectic.

And third, the block is made with red and white fabrics because it is only thanks to my dear friend that I was fortunate to see the famous red and white quilt exhibit ("Infinite Variety" ) in New York City a few years ago. (If you have not seen photos from that exhibit, click here for a sample.) That day was probably one of the top ten days of my life, so I will be eternally grateful to my friend for inviting me to join her that day.

Our quilt group gave the finished book to our friend last week, and I think we all agreed that it was a wonderful creation. Each page was unique and represented each quilter perfectly. Although we are sad to see our friend go, we really enjoyed taking part in making something special for her as she starts the next stage of her life.