Merry Christmas, Laura!

Laura is one of my oldest and most favourite of internet friends. We met back in the golden age of mommyblogs, and she impressed me right away with her generosity and kindness. Despite many, many significant heartbreaks in her life, she has remained open and loving. I can’t tell you how much I admire her for this.

Back when Frances’s father and I were separating, Laura made Frances a quilt. It was pink, as that was Frances’s favourite colour at the time, and lovely and just her size. The generosity and thoughtfulness of this gift blew me away then, as it blows me away now. We still use this quilt on days when Frances is in need of extra comfort, even though it is now too small.

And then when I got a new job and moved to Dundas–she made us a picnic quilt! Bright colours of blue and green, because she knows I love them, with star patches on them because they were windmill-shaped and I was starting to work in the wind energy industry, and one of the stars made of a newsprint patterned fabric because I was doing some freelance journalism. We have brought this quilt with us on picnics (and camping trips and outdoor concerts) many, many times in the years since. Again, her generosity and thoughtfulness blew us away.

I’ve given her gifts too over the years, but none as personal, meaningful or full of effort as these. Laura’s quilts are the kinds of gifts you make plans to take with you if the house is ever on fire. Books and gift certificates for fabric stores are not. But when I saw this project in a magazine, I knew it was meant for Laura: a sewing roll with gorgeous brightly coloured flowers, and a spot to put her initials:

Six little pockets for sewing tools, that folds up and ties with the bias-binding straps.

I put some of my stash fabrics in the box for good measure, but that’s more of a favour she’s doing me rather than a gift I’m giving to her. I’m sure they’ll be made into something beautiful. All of her quilts are gorgeous. A few little sewing goodies were tucked into the pockets, too.

Of course this is not the same as two full quilts (!!), but I hope she loves and gets years of use out of this little gift. And I hope she takes this post, too, as part of it. Laura is a person who makes the world better by existing in it.