Another Quilter in Heaven

(tiny pics of a few quilts finished by Bev.. a small fraction of the thousands she completed over the years)

They better watch out in Heaven. Bev B. has arrived, and will be looking for some sturdy sewing machines so she can get busy churning out quilts by the dozen. If there is extra smoke coming from the skies, it's Bev B., quilting at top speed in Heaven.

Bev had heart problems in recent years and after surgery seemed to struggle with medication levels and getting stabilized. We believe she died on July 21 of heart-related issues.

Bev was a pillar of the Sunshine community for years, being our most faithful cheerleader, prolific quilter, and champion of all of us Sunnies whether we were beginners or pros. She worked hard to help us keep going when the Sunshine founder, BillieJean, had to withdraw, and helped us find new donation sources when our work with International Red Cross was no longer possible.

In recent years Bev pretty much exclusively did machine quilting for those of us who love to make tops. She could finish about a million tops per day, post photos, and get them off in the mail in no time at all. She always allowed us to send her our quilt tops, no matter how many she already had waiting in line. She never got overwhelmed with the numbers and managed to catch up while we struggled to make one or two more tops.

I was a new quilter about 11 years ago, and Bev encouraged me and always had such nice comments about my quilt tops, as she did of every single one she worked on. She got such joy out of working with the colors, patterns, and the idea of where the quilts were going. Thousands of children around the world are warmed and cuddled thanks to Bev's speedy work, and hundreds of quilters are still in the business thanks to Bev's encouragement.

Bev adored Alaska and delighted in the change of seasons, the moose who wandered into her yard, and the northern lights, sharing stories of her ice-bound condition or her joy in basking in the sun on her deck.

Part of me is wanting to not believe the news, but I know it has to be true. We could see this coming with her failing health and increased visits to hospital.

This week I received a box of fabrics from Bev. I think she knew she was not long for this world.

RIP, Bev Bennett, quilter extraordinaire.