The world of quilting has lost a master. Mary Shafer of Flushing, MI passed away yesterday at the age of 96. Mary will be entered into the Quilter’s Hall of Fame July 19-22, 2007 for her work promoting the history of quilting. Quilter Gwen Marston of Beaver Island, MI and Joe Cunningham of San Francisco, CA have been instrumental in promoting the fabulous work of this sweet lady.
I was blessed to have lived next door to Mary for 14+ years. She was a great friend, always sharing her knowledge of quilting and gardening with me. She loved to pop by unannounced to see what I was working on, or to bring me cuttings or whole plants from her yard. I remember one rainy September day she came over with this huge Burning Bush. Mary was a small woman, and the plant was nearly as big as she was. She said she’d been looking over my back yard and it was missing something. She finally figured out what it was – the firey red of a Burning Bush. We went out in the mud and planted it together – in the drizzle.
Goodbye, Friend.

***Originally posted on Dec, 23, 2006 on my other blog. Moved here on Nov. 2, 2007.