Thursday, April 15, 2010

for liz


This is not a typical post for me.
This is a sad post in honor of my friend Liz.

My friend Liz died on Saturday. She should be celebrating her birthday today. Sadly, her cancer was cruel and unrelenting, so this birthday wasn't meant to be. Liz would tell you she did a lot of things she wanted to do in the past couple of years. She mostly caught up and shared laughs with family and friends, and she travelled. Liz fell in love with Africa. She gave me this amazing story quilt from one of her trips. She knew I would cherish it and that I would appreciate the great effort and handwork of the woman in rural Zimbabwe who made it. Liz wanted women to succeed, no matter the vocation or location.

The applique and embroidery are incredibly detailed.
Carefully placed stitches turn utility cotton into
the drawn, haggard face of an old woman.

Lovers...

...hands intertwined.

The sweet story is handwritten by the artist on a small piece of paper,
folded and tucked in a pouch in the lower right corner of the quilt.
Liz stories wouldn't fit on a tiny piece of paper.
The sweet and funny stories of her kindness need to be told again and again,
never to be forgotten.


For Liz.


11 comments:

  1. This is such a sweet post. You are great at cherishing friends while they are here.
    Bless Liz.

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  2. i'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. it sounds like she lived a full life, although she is gone too soon. the quilt is beautiful and i've never seen anything like it. quilts are just the most special things because of the handwork and care that goes into making them. the mere use of one makes us feel warm.

    the video really touched my heart strings. the song is wonderful, but i couldn't figure out the name of the band. i'd love to know.

    enjoy your weekend.

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  3. the quilt is incredible and I would love to know what the enclosed story says. The way the women pinched up the old ladies faces is so effective. Is that Liz who the camera zooms in on in the video watching the band? So sorry and so sad.

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  4. Oh and interesting that the faces are white and a Zimbabwe woman made it. Again I am so curious about that story.

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  5. such a sweet post. thank you for this.

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  6. Thank to everyone for your kind responses.

    The band is the Dreadful Yawns. Fay, that isn't Liz on the video. I just love this son. It has a sweet but kind of sad melody and I love the violin and the lyrics were perfect....

    ...all your life
    ...all you've seen
    ...all your plans
    ...all your dreams
    have been recorded

    xoxo,shari

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  7. Cindy, I think we love the same music.

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  8. Shari, I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like Liz was a very special person and friend - and what an amazing keepsake she left you. You're in my thoughts.

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  9. The quilt is beautiful, and it sounds like your late friend had a beautiful spirit to match! I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm glad you have the memory of her to cherish.

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  10. I'm sad and sorry that you lost your friend, Shari. The quilt is very unique and beautiful, and I can tell from your post that the world lost a great character when Liz moved on.

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  11. I am belatedly sorry for the loss of your friend. This was a tough one for me. I have frequented this post and cried w/o commenting. She seemes so special. I love the quilt and the story that it tells about Liz. She was also blessed to have you as a friend. Love, Laura

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