Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Harriet - A Tribute

Last week one of our own passed away.

I was trying to find the best way to honor her, and Jeff ( from QOV) encouraged me to tell you about her!

Harriet was amazing -

Thirteen years ago I got involved in Quilts of Valor.  I had attended our local Quilt guild maybe once or twice, and I had even made one Quilt ( however, looking back on the way I finished it, I'm not sure it still qualifies as a quilt) - So that totally made me a quilter right?

I did have a long -arm machine - so that doubly qualified me as a true quilter right?

But I digress....

Our fifth grade , my son was a 5th grader, decided to get involved with me in Quilts of Valor - and we had a blast. We pieced 10 quilts, we quilted them, and then we learned that we were supposed to bind them properly.

So! I took them to the Quilt Guild, proudly showed them at Show and Tell, and then sheepishly asked if anyone could teach me to bind.  Harriet didn't even hesitate - she said bring them to me and I will teach you.... and so she did!

She might have also bound a few as she was teaching me, cuz I might have been slow.... and resistant to learning how to bind... and that began our relationship.

She encouraged me to start a stitching group just for QOV"s and she never failed to show.


She came to every award ceremony, she traveled with me when she could to Various Military Posts.

She was a military wife, and she knew what had to be done.



She has pieced and bound more Quilts of Valor than I can remember. And she was always there with a smile and hug.  She was called an Angel by some of our Vietnam Veterans, as her hugs were truly healing.



Her granddaughter ended up being in my class the next year when we made Quilts of Valor, and she jumped right it.  It has been so fun to watch Harriet, her daughter and granddaughter come to QOV and work together on these quilts.


Outside of quilting we were friends as well. She was at just about every track meet, to watch her grand-kids - which made her watch my kids as well. That was always a fun way to see her. I will tell you - she is a little competitive ;-)

She and her husband were a part of a  Military Camping group, and she invited me to come talk to them about our QOV work. This group just loved her and her husband so much. It was encouraging to see that people from all walks of life, yet served in the military, could become as close as family. And because I was Harriet's friend I was welcomed right in.  They will miss them too.



This is still my favorite part of Harriets Spirit though - see that smile. She LOVED hugging our Veterans, and LOVED making the Quilts for them.  She just always had a smile for everyone!

You will be missed my dear.....

17 comments:

Terry said...

Sounds like a wonderful woman, so sorry you lost your friend.

Judy V from Thornton CO said...

Thank you for sharing your heartwarming story about Harriet!

Mary in Peoria Handmade said...

I'm so sorry for your loss. This lovely woman was a big part of your life!This was a nice sharing today. mary in Az

Quiltdivajulie said...

What a lovely tribute - and what a wonderful legacy of caring and sharing Harriet has demonstrated for others to carry on. Hugs to all who are missing her presence.

The Joyful Quilter said...

What a wonderful tribute to your friend! Peace to all her family and friends who will miss her dearly.

swooze said...

Hugs Alycia. My condolences to her family.

Sue said...

What a lovely tribute. I only met Harriet a few times and each time she mentioned you and your family as being special to her.

Unknown said...

Alycia, what a nice tribute to Harriett, she will definitely be missed in our guild and with QOV. See you next week. Sharon

Sue in Scottsdale, AZ said...

I'm so sorry to hear of Harriet's passing. She sounds like a wonderful person and someone who will truly be missed. Her is a huge hug (( )). Now go make a quilt in her memory!

Terri said...

What a lovely woman. Thanks so much for sharing her with us.
Hugs

Janice Holton said...

What a WONDERFUL tribute! That last picture tells such a great story. From the smile on Harriet's face to the expressions on everybody else's face, to the girl reaching to shake a veteran's hand. Just beautiful.

Carlie Nichols said...

I am so sorry for the loss of our sister. My thoughts and prayers for you all.

Carlie

Farm Quilter said...

Wonderful tribute of a woman who obviously loved and was loved. Her smile truly lights up the room! What a difference she made in so many lives. Thank you for sharing her story with us. I am so very sorry for your loss - I know she will be missed by many.

diana569 said...

So sorry to hear that you lost such a special friend,she will live on forever in the your memories. She surely will be missed by all of the people she touched with her smile and warm hugs. So happy that you shared your friendship with us.

Tami C said...

Lovely tribute to a great friend. I'm sure she will be missed by many people who loved her.

Kate said...

What a fun and talented lady.

Patti said...

She does sound like a wonderful woman. I'm sorry for your loss.