So grateful

My sweet little slippers; now waiting for chubby little feet to fill them again

Back when I was pregnant with Eli, I watched a you tube video on quilting and thought,"how hard could that be?" So, I bought fabric, made a quilt top, quilted it by hand, then stopped. The you tube videos for binding the quilt left me feeling very overwhelmed. When visiting with some friends one day, one of the friends, Laura, noticed my heap of quilting materials in a basket in the corner of the room. She asked if she could see what I had done, and I of course whipped it out [hey, even if I had no clue how to move forward I was extremely proud of what I had accomplished ha!] She admired my choice of fabrics and patterns, loved the shiny gold thread which I had used to hand quilt, and asked what color I was going to bind the quilt in. I admitted that I had no clue how to make the binding tape, let along bind the quilt, and so hadn't thought much about what color to bind it in. Laura offered right then and there to come back to my home the next day, help me make the binding tape, and teach me how to bind the quilt. The offer alone had me close to tears I was so grateful! 
Laura spent many hours with me, teaching, guiding, and praising my efforts. She gave me the encouragement and support I needed to be able to complete a second quilt [for Darius] before Eli arrived on the scene. We had known and loved one another before this time we spent together, but those hours really did form a bond and an appreciation for one another that I am forever grateful for.
Last night as I finished up baby girls quilt, I found myself thinking of my dear friend Laura. She passed away just over a year ago, on Valentine's Day. She left behind a legacy at forty five years old that many people will not accomplish with twice the time. Teaching me to finish quilts was just a small example of the service and depths of talents that Laura had and shared. I miss her, and I wish I could be driving over to her place this morning with baby girls quilt in tow. Even though I know I can't show her my latest quilt myself, I know she would be repeating to me what she did with both my boys quilts;" No one can say that buying a quilt for their baby is the same as making one. Sure you save money some times, and save a lot of time when you buy the quilt already made, but wrapping your children in a quilt you made with them in mind is like wrapping them in your loving arms. It's just so much more." 
I am grateful for Laura and the lessons she taught me; and I know shes happy with baby girls quilt - imperfections and all.