Gifts of Friendship

Constant use has not worn ragged the fabric of their friendship.

Dorothy Parker, American poet and author (1893-1967)

I have a wise friend who has been looking out for me for almost 30 years. (For all those readers who are now doing the math in their heads: we met as babes in the nursery.) It's a bit shocking to get together and find that her daughters are now experiencing the same joys and challenges that she and I shared not so many years ago. Today's visit to the dorm room felt as if I had entered a time machine: the setting was so familiar and I didn't feel the least bit out of place, even though I'm three decades older than the other residents. How I envy them (barring dud boyfriends and grueling exams)!

Thoughts of the joys of learning led me to create quilted notebook covers as Christmas gifts for these young scholars. One is studying something called biomedical science, which is unfathomable to my arts-oriented mind but I know she likes creepy-crawlies and confounding critters so I thought she'd like this "Rain Forest Buzz" fabric.

The other is studying psychology but shares a love of myths and literature with her 'auntie' so "Library Books" by Timeless Treasures seemed the perfect choice for her cover. I'm hoping that the covers will bring smiles as numerous spiral-bound notebooks are filled over the years of studies.

For my friend, their mom, I made a scarf from a swath of Robert Kaufman's "La Scala" fabric to wrap her in colourful elegance. May its seams hold as fast as our friendship.