The Quilt that Deana Made

I have a friend from the midwest who is a quilting artist.  She generally does avante garde art quilts.    You can find out more about her talent, designs, and where she has been published here:  http://www.chameleonquilts.com/index.htm

Deana and I lived near each other years ago when our husbands were on nuclear submarines in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  We've kept in touch over the years.  After we had not been in physical contact for quite a while, about 15 years ago, Deana decided to make me a quilt.  She asked me some basics about style and colors and shipped it to my office at the Red Cross in San Diego.

I really cried when I opened it up.  This is not Deana's usual style of quilt, it was a labor of love for me.  I am all Irish.  She has embroidered prayers in Gaelic around the sides of the quillt and included embroidered shamrocks in the white, non-patterened areas. 

One thing I recall her saying is this:  "Don't you dare fold it up and not use it.  It was meant to be used."  She went on to tell me how to wash it.  There it is out on the line yesterday.  I keep it on my couch in the living room.  It compliments all my colors.  It is one of the five material possessions I'd grab on the way out if my house was on fire.  The dogs would go out with me first, but they are people, not material possessions.

Everytime I see it, I am reminded of Deana's unique world view and her incredible talents in a number of areas.

I don't know exactly what I did to deserve such an amazing present, but I wanted to share it with all of you.