Sheila's Wool Applique

I posted a penny rug that Sheila sent me for Christmas in an earlier blog. This pillow was in the wonderful package she sent me for my birthday last week.

Pictures don't do justice to the pillow. First off, it's two-sided. Sheila's hand stitches are absolutely perfect. If I didn't know better, I'd think she had done them on a machine. I am getting ready to start working on my wool bed rug project, so I really picked her brain about this. Absolutely beautiful! I really couldn't pick the side I like best!

She always send me something from Michigan, and this year was a little log cabin tin with the most wonderful maple syrup made locally to her. I've got a date with some French toast! Also, a great little kit for making a travel case for your applique supplies, a yard of preprinted quilty labels, and a wonderful little wooden plaque that says "Blessed is the heart of a friend." I am indeed blessed to have Sheila as a friend.

The quick story of how we "met." Sheila was a new quilter who found Alex Anderson's old message board, and although I had only been quilting about a year myself, we struck up a friendship. She asked me tons of quilt-related questions which I tried to answer for her. After 9/11 and the rag quilt project of over 600 quilts that Alex's message board did, I found a huge box of flannel scraps leftover from those quilts. No piece was more than about 2" wide and 6" long, but I had already learned not to throw any scrap away! :)

But they were taking up room, so I posted on Alex's message board asking if anyone would like them. Sheila responded that she would, and I taped the box shut and sent it off to her. She took the scraps to her local quilt shop, and the ladies there showed her how to piece them together to get blocks big enough to make a rag quilt out of. This was her very first quilt!

She's a really special lady, and one whom I am very proud to call my friend! I just hope one day soon that we'll be able to meet up for some 3D hugs!