Karen's autograph quilt

I put the last stitches in the binding of the autograph quilt I've been making for Karen since early summer.  It was sunny this afternoon so we took some pictures before I wrap it up.  We'll give it to her for her birthday which we'll celebrate at a library staff appreciation dinner Friday night.

It started out as a memento of the library's weekly Authors at Aldrich programs during the summer, and I have signatures from almost all of the authors who spoke this summer, including Jeff Danziger (noted editorial cartoonist), Jack DuBrul (coauthor with Clive Cussler), and Chris Tebbets (coauthor with James Patterson).  I don't know if Karen noticed me asking the authors for their autographs.  She was certainly in the room a few times.  Then I got autographs from the staff and trustees while she was on vacation, and I managed to get most of the Friends of the Library, too, during the summer. 

 

The block is called "Ribbon Star" on www.quilterscache.com, and I liked it as a variation of "Friendship Star."  In the borders, I quilted her name, the date, and our town, along with the words Dear Friend, Beloved Librarian.  I used a variety of fabrics, including some Asian prints, Civil War repros, and favorites from past quilts.   Some people signed their names, and others wrote some very touching tributes.  My favorite was from Cary who wrote Thank you, for being YOU.  That's how we feel about this very special person who Mark called Our most important citizen!