Many of you have already heard that one of the icons and founding mothers of our
industry – Libby Lehman – is in the
hospital after having an aneurysm last week. She was feeling ill in Paducah, and
this occurred just after she had returned to Houston. She has had 2 surgeries
and a stroke since then, so we are just asking everyone to take a moment and
send prayers to Libby in the hospital, and also to her husband Lester, and her
family.
I had planned to see Libby at Quilt Canada
in Penticton BC in about 2 weeks, and was really looking forward to seeing
her again. Anyone who knows Libby knows that she is a generous, positive force
full of passion for her work, and she has a deep love for sharing with others. I
came to know her over the years, at Art Quilt Tahoe, and later in
the Bernina Artisans group reunions in Illinois
and Switzerland.
While we send our prayers and wait for the outcome, I am reminded that
this is a good time to hug your kids, kiss your sweetie, tell your friends how
much you love them, practice random acts of kindness, and above all be kind to
yourself. Every day is a gift, especially when we find the kind of joy and
healing that comes with our beloved art and craft.
Sunday/Tomorrow I am giving a
presentation to raise funds for a Victorian estate in Longmont, Colorado –
the
Hover Home which is owned by the Longmont Historical Society. I will be
showing quilts and textiles I've collected around the world, and telling stories
to go with the show-and-tell. Costumed docents will give a tea reception
afterward. I am going to tell some juicy stories about my years of living and
traveling abroad! There are still some tickets available
if you can join us. Every year Mom and Sophie and I go there for their Mothers
Day Tea, and I thought it was about time we helped out with their rather
precarious financial situation.
My 5th grade quilting class is now busy
sewing blocks, and they are supposed to finish their blocks by their last class
next Tuesday. Then Sophie and I will press, square up, and sew together all
those lovely handmade blocks into a quilt which they intend to present to a
veteran.
I gave each of the kids a needle
last week, and told them that even today in some communities, a needle
is so precious that several families will share one needle.
(This was a recent story from one of the Guatemalan villages that Mission of Love is helping.) They are
recreating a Civil War era quilt, and we imagined that needles
were probably scarce in many of those wartime communities. A spool of thread,
a needle,
a sharp pair of scissors
and a few scraps of cloth…that's all a frugal quilter needed back
then.
