My best birthday ever (or almost)

What an odd selection of fabrics for a quilt wouldn't you say?  I would.  Do I love them each for very special reasons?  I do.  Did they all go in the same quilt?  They did (except the bundle of homespuns).  So, a reasonable question for any quilter with any taste at all might ask -- what gives?

I turned 60 last year and didn't want a big "to-do" -- didn't want a surprise party -- didn't want more stuff.  So I asked my family (which is very small) for one fat quarter that reminded them of me in some way and a handwritten note that explains their fabric choice.  It was marvelous.  People put a lot of time into selection  -- some went in with a plan of what they wanted to represent and others wandered until they saw the perfect piece (their words -- not mine) that triggered something special.  They have all gone into one quilt top that I need to quilt.  I adore it because every block tells a story about how I have had some influence on people I love. 

I highly recommend this if you're a fabric lover, have too much stuff as it is, and want something that you can pull out and reflect on when you need a pick me up.  I snipped a piece from each fabric, stapled it to the notes, and have put them away.  I'll post a picture of the finished quilt whenever it gets finished (my goal is by my 61st birthday in April -- a year is long enough, don't you think?).

Keep piecing, Jan