A prayer quilt for my friend

One of the other reasons I haven't kept up this blog was the loss of 3 friends starting last April.  A secretary in the counseling/admin office who I worked with for 11 years retired last December and died two days after getting food poisoning at a restaurant that served an Easter buffet. Toni was a lovely caring and compassionate woman who was the heart of our office. A month later, a colleague who I had worked with and knew well enough to have the occasional coffee together and work on special projects together, died in her sleep.  Sharon was in exceptional good health and watched her diet and exercise. Lastly, on July 3rd I lost a best friend of 40 years to cancer.  I started this prayer quilt thinking I had the 6-12 months the doctors had given her.  However, Donna was gone within a month and she only saw the quilt through Facetime.  I will be sending it to her youngest daughter.

It served its purpose in that I prayed for her the whole time I was working on it.

A double 4 patch block

Scriptures in the neutrals and fish and crosses in the quilting because my friend loved Jesus.

I think I have been in mourning and didn't recognize it for what it was. So glad to have the hope of seeing those that have the hope of eternal life again.

A 5 month Sabbatical

I started to work part time without stopping my very full retired life and it finally just got to be too much. So, I finished my duties as programs chair for Friendship Quilters and didn't take on any new ones.  Our wonderful local quilt shop, The Crazy 9 Patch closed a couple of months ago so my tenure as a quilting teacher ended naturally at that venue.  I am teaching my last class which ends in January at Poway Sewing and that will free up a little more time.  I have a break from subbing until January 1 when I will work 2 to 3 days a week until school ends in June.  Because of all the busyness, I stopped blogging for awhile. I didn't have much to show anyway as I hadn't been quilting all that much.

I do want to share "Falling Leaves"  which is Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt from 2 years ago.  Just got it back from the binder's and I love it!

This quilt will grace the guest room bed during the fall.  Since the quilt shop closed a few sit and sews have cropped up and I am happily quilting with the girls again.  Life is good!