Gifts from Germany

Although my birthday is not until June, my friend in Germany has sent early birthday gifts already! While I am delighted with the contents, I was also dismayed to see that the package had been tampered with. She did not seal the package. It was easily opened. I suppose that Customs, either here or abroad, was responsible for tearing the foil off of a chocolate bunny that was hollow and breaking it into little pieces which were then stuffed back into the package.

Plush pig sent by Tamara Shpolyanska in Germany

The good news is that the stuffed pig, that was either sent un-stuffed or had the stuffing removed by Customs, did not get stained by melted chocolate. The package was not crushed and there is no accounting for the devastation wrought to the chocolate (Lindt) bunny other than human interference. In fact, there was a second chocolate bunny in the package that was unharmed except for a little foil being ripped off.

The pig is stuffed via the nose opening so I was able to add polyester stuffing and then sew on the circular yo-yo type closure with silk thread. Luckily, I had thread that matched the silk she had used.

I was going to call the pig "Petunia" but in the meantime I learned that her name is "Lila the Pig." That works for me. Of course, there were other goodies in the package not the least of which was a personal note card that contained a photo of the latest quilt made by my friend who is an extraordinary quilter and a master craftsman in quilting, certified by I.Q.A.

It is very special to receive a gift from a pen pal overseas. We have been writing to each other and exchanging small textile gifts since the 1990s. Tamara is a very special friend. She teaches quilting to a group of eager quilters in Chemnitz, Germany and her work is often featured in exhibits of art quilts. I am very lucky that she is my friend!

Happy Quilting!

Patricia Cummings