When Old Friends Come to Town

It's been a year since we last saw each other, but with email we've been in touch constantly.  Nat and Teresa are my best buds from Fort McMurray.  We forged our friendships over fabric, thread and many, many quilts.

Teresa opened her own quilt shop, Bear Paw Quilts and More.  It was an adventure for all of us as we helped her to decorate her shop, learned to cut and fold fat quarters and even taught classes in the back room.

Natalie, who'd never touched a sewing machine before, yearned to learn to make herself a quilt.  Once we got her started there was no turning back.  Soon after Teresa's shop opened Natalie bought herself a long arm quilt machine and went into business taking in quilts and finishing them for customers.

As time went by I retired and moved far away from my friends.  This June while heading back to our cottage the girls drove to Edmonton and we had a fun, special day catching up on news over lunch and visiting our favorite quilt shops in the city.

It's always been a favorite time to share our "sew and tell" projects.  So right in the middle of the dairy section of market where we had lunch we unfolded our quilts and stretched them open for any and all to admire.  There were a few comments and smiles from the other customers and even one excited lady who asked for a repeat showing of one that caught her eye.

Our get together would never be complete without our "Christmas in July" exchange.  Presents and goodies all around, wonderful warm hugs and tons of laughter.  They sure did brighten my day.