From the heart

I am blessed to be a member of a very special second family. Ellen and Sallianne - the ladies who run Art Is You art retreats - and the people who attend and teach at these retreats have become big parts of my life.

Nearly a year ago, just before Christmas, someone broke into Ellen's house. Luckily, nobody was home at the time, but many items were stolen. I was so upset by this news, I decided to do something very special for her. With Sallianne's help, I sent e-mails out to the East Coast attendees asking if anyone would be interested in contributing a block to a group quilt. The response I received was heart-warming.

Once I knew approximately how many players we had, I sent out the specifics (block size and my address) and in no time, blocks started rolling in. There were some artists who wanted to contribute, but they didn't sew. I asked them to email me a jpeg of a piece of their art. I printed these on special ink-jet-ready fabric and included them in the quilt that way.

As I have since told Ellen, I've had some serious depression issues over the last year and a half, especially since April when I moved to NY state. Every now and then, I'd go to my mailbox and find a package containing a quilt block. A gift of love. Several times, there was an extra goodie for me. These things just filled my heart.

On Sunday, October 7, I had the honor and pleasure of presenting the quilt to Ellen. It was during the Breakfast for the Brave at Art Is You. (Every day at Art Is You features a different mode of dress. Friday is pink day, Saturday was tutus and Sunday was PJs day. We wear our jammies all day. Since I was not able to do tutu day, I decided to wear my tiara with my jammies.)

 

 

 

 

 

My thanks to Lynne Suprock for the photos!