In April 2013 one of my dearest friends, quilter and quilt teacher extraordinaire, Libby Lehman, suffered a brain aneurysm. During recovery from surgery she had a massive stroke and was unconscious for about four months. It was a devastating time for all of us who loved her. The medical bills pilled up and we urged quilters to contribute to a medical fund. Another event that transpired was an invitational auction, to make a quilt and have it auctioned to raise additional funds for her therapy. 

 

This is the quilt I made to help. It uses many of Libby's techniques and designs. It is happy and cheerful and hopefully will make you smile, too. One of my favorite techniques in recent years is sewing on yarns and cording with the Bernina free-motion quilting foot (#43) which is a foot that was conceived by Libby and implemented by the Bernina engineers in Switzerland.

 

Libby no longer quilts nor teaches, but her recovery and fine quality of life is nothing short of a miracle.