A quilt for my best friend

Once again, I was offered a deal through a blacksmith friend. John, who helps us out a lot at the Blacksmith shop at the steam engine show, asked me if I’d be interested in some quilting fabric. His sister Bonnie was no longer able to sew due to Parkinson’s disease. 

I first bought 2 or 3 bags. When I got it, I was so pleased, I told him and his wife Linda, I’d buy the rest. The next week we all went to Bonnie’s house. She showed me some of the quilts she had made. As I walked out with 3 more huge bags of fabric, she stopped, picked up 30 absolutely beautiful Dresden blocks and said would you want these too?  I’m pretty sure my mouth dropped open as I was trying to say Yes.

She had sewn them all together, they just needed the center circle.

After I got home, I went through her fabric and matched fabric for the circles. After they were sewn on, I found the white fabric for the background in Bonnie’s fabrics.

I appliquéd them with 2 strands of embroidery thread. 

One was prettier than the last! 

I started with this layout. After I posted it on Facebook, my friend Diane, said how much she loved it. She wanted to know how big it was. After I told her if she liked it, I could make it bigger. I knew she had been looking for a long time for a new quilt on her bed.

After I’d add a row, we try it out on her King size bed. I finally made it 106” by 110”. BIG

My friend Mary, who I hand quilt with at church, said she’d love to machine quilt it for me. The back is as beautiful as the front.

I finished it off with a special quilt label.

Then I played a little sneaky and found out when Diane would be gone. Saturday morning, she was leaving at 7:45 to take care of her grandson. About 8:30, I called her house figuring her husband would answer, but he didn’t. I thought oh he must have gone deer hunting. I went to their house, his truck was in the garage, I figured he left with Diane. I open the door and yell several times for Fred, no answer. I got to the bedroom, and lo and behold, he was sound asleep. Boy, did I do a fast about face and run out of there.

So, I had no choice but wait until later. Unfortunately, I had to leave, and she beat me home that afternoon.

It fits her bed perfectly! Diane loves it.

I got an email today from Bonnie who gave me the fabric. She loves what I made it into and told me recognizing her fabric, made her so happy.