An Autumn Surprise

I love autumn! Plain and simple...

I adore the cooler temperatures and the vibrant colors of frost kissed foliage. Every fall vacation I had taken for many years would see me collecting a new bundle of fat quarters in those colors.



The dear ladies in my quilt guild must have started to see a pattern, so it was no surprise that when they secretly plotted a surprise wedding quilt, those were the colors chosen. Wonderful ones I must say, but I get ahead of myself.



These ladies were quite clever. They would include updates and notes on this group quilt in the monthly newsletter, then rip off that page before mailing the letter to me... I was at the time living out of state. Guild members were asked to contribute a block with a wedding theme in the specified autumn colors. They stitched/sewed/plotted in secret and finally brought all the blocks together in one grand top.



Four ladies had always wanted to explore quilting on a long arm machine, so they signed up for classes. Upon graduation, they rented a machine for the day, and diligently quilted and chatted until the top was finished.



The thread used was a dazzling variegated thread that reflected all the colors in the quilt. When I came home for the wedding and was able to attend a guild meeting, they casually asked me to come up to the front to help hold up a quilt. Without a hint of suspicion, I stepped forward and was presented with the stunning wedding quilt! I hope I thanked each quilter profusely, but I suspect I was speechless (something that doesn't happen often to me!) along with being teary eyed and overcome with emotion!



I admit to being guilty of "saving" this quilt for special... since it is... so very special... and sometimes you just have to have one like that to bring out on days to make you smile!



I'd still like to hug each lady for their wonderful surprise, and I try to do just that when I get back to my hometown to visit them again. Other times, they just hold a warm spot in my heart... forever... for the wonderful quilting adventures we'd shared... and happy memories we'd collected together! Well, that is the story of my wedding quilt... and the wonderful ladies who made it.

Aren't quilters just the best?!!!

Until next time,
Happy Stitching!
The Chartreuse Moose is on the loose!