January UFO #5

My January UFO. It's called Connected Friends!
Finished Jan 22, 2012 for Judy's 2012 UFO Challenge

Connected Friends ~ finished quilt

quilt top completed in 2004

Quilted in January 2012 with a star panto

added a sleeve and it will hang in my quilting studio

This quilt is very special to me. It started out with a Celestial Swap hosted by Luna Lisa while we were all on Alex Anderson's message board. We traded squares of celestial theme fabrics. Stars and planets! Some were patriotic, some batiks, some with glitter... all sorts and colors. 20 quilters participated. I still have the list :0) lunalisa, cjs, Kath WI, darlin, Tammie IL, moonbear, Heather in AL, wafermaker, TJ, TJ's daughter, Gayle Ca, Tingirl, ship4me, Daddy Kevin, PmintPattie, Waterlady, sewquilts, cougarvolley, quiltingbee and Meredith CA. Fabrics came from all over the US and Canada. I kept the list along with my original friendship star plan when making the top along with the finished quilt top for years. The swap was in June but I'm not sure if it was 2003 or 04? I didn't write down the year.

I also do not remember the designer of Connected Friends or which book I found it in... Found it! Connected Friends is a quilt designed by Susan Dissmore and is in her Clever Quarters book :0)

I do remember working on this quilt top during the summer while living in the Lake Tahoe area. Marlene Ball, an original member of AAQMB attended a quilt retreat in Tahoe each year. Mar and I spent the day together after the retreat at my home before she headed home the nest day. I worked on this quilt top while she sat in my big comfy overstuffed chair doing some hand quilting while we chatted. I loved spending time with her each year when she came to Tahoe. Mar passed away about 2 years ago.  I miss her...

That message board was pivotal to my quilting back then. I lived in a remote area of the mountains, no neighbors, no quilting friends, no LQS. There is now, Penny opened Quilting Tahoe after I moved away. Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson, her board, it's members and the Internet were my window to the quilting world. The message board was shut down about the same time I left Tahoe, the end of 2005. Still in contact with a few members. Marilyn, whom I also met annually when she vacationed in Tahoe. We stayed in phone contact over the years and she was a big support when my husband passed away in 2006. Sewquilts, who's fabrics are in this quilt top, became friends on the MB and are still in contact. Sally MO, all three of them were a hugh support when my life was falling apart. Plus many more quilters all over the states and Canada. 

Since I started blogging last year I found Vicky and her LA Quilter blog. She and I participated in Civil War fabric and 9 patch swaps. Judy Laquidara of Patchwork Times was a member of AAQMB. Just last week Tingirl, who participated in the Celestial swap commented on my blog when she recognised the fabrics! It's a wonderful quilting world!

So you see why this quilt means allot to me. Fitting that is was #5 and the first UFO to be finished in Judy's challenge. Thank you Judy, this has brought back some wonderful memories. It will hang in my quilting studio and forever remind me of Connected Friends.