Wonderful Surprise!

She's been hanging out with the quilters at church for a few years now, but I really only have got to know her in the last year or so. We're amazed and delighted and honored that she wants to spend time with us. Of the two coteries of quilters at the church -- the official Elisabeth Quilting Circle and the Renegades (guess which one I'm part of) -- the youngest member other than this gal is in her fifties. Golly, some of the Elisabeths are 90! She's 24 and an amazing quilter. She has an incredible eye for color, a passion for production, a fabulous sense of design, and a first-year teacher's salary. We call her "Turbo" because of the vast quantity of tops she puts out. Most of us wish we still had an unmarried son we could introduce her to.

Because of the first-year teacher's salary, she makes lots of scrappy quilts. The last Saturday we were all together, she was putting the borders on the one in the picture. I was dazzled by it, and when she offered to trade me her left-over blocks for the opportunity to raid my bin of batik scraps, of course I accepted.

One night this week the phone rang. It was Turbo and she wanted to come over. When she did, she brought the bright scrappy quilt and gave it to me! I was incredulous! You know, when Sam was a muffin in the oven, Sherron gave me a grandmother's quilt and my dear Fat Quarters friends also made me a baby quilt. Sam has enjoyed using both of them when he has been here, and certainly Caroline will, too. The last time someone made me a quilt was when Bonnie pieced a Christmas rail fence tablecloth, and the last time someone made me a quilt to actually sleep under, was my mother-in-law back in 1965 before we were even married.

Turbo's quilt has a place of honor on the back of my recliner in the morning room. Yesterday after I got home, I was feeling a bit poorly, and settled in under it for a bit of a nap.

I had the most wonderful dreams.

Thank you, little friend.