Remembering Sarah

 

My Magpie quilting friends and I are mourning Sarah Curry, who passed away Thursday evening after suffering a stroke earlier in the week.

We all met on the Rec.Crafts.Textiles.Quilting newsgroup where Sarah was the Queen of Off-Topic. Many of us contributed blocks for a comfort quilt for Sarah in 1997 and from that the Magpies spun off to talk on- or off-topic as we pleased.

Photo: Sarah and her hug quilt.

Sarah was a life-long resident of New Mexico. After graduating from Hobbs High School in 1960she went to the New Mexico State University where she majored in English. She was a member of Chi Omega and other campus organizations. She was the Lambda Chi Alpha Crescent Girl in 1963. She married one of the Lambda Chis and they had twin sons. After her divorce she and the twins moved to Albuquerque where she went to law school at UNM. She returned to Las Cruces where she began her law career.

She was a great cook. She played pool. She liked cats and the New York Yankees. She decorated and redecorated her early 20th-century bungalow because "it's just paint." She was smart, feisty, and opinionated. And kind and generous. And did I say opinionated?

Over the years she amassed a huge stash and made dozens of quilts. She joined the RCTQ in the early 90s and immediately endeared herself to all of us. She had her 'druthers and she told us -- NO BROWN! (She explained there was enough brown in the arid New Mexico landscape). She did not make Wuh... meaning that she made bed-sized quilts and not wall hangings. However, she did make "pillacases." Her favorite block was Variable Star and her favorite technique was adding a "Sarah-strip" (=a skinny contrasting middle border).

Sarah coordinated the first PieFest in Las Cruces/Ruidoso in 1999.

She came to the PieLatch in Vancouver in 2004.

She coordinated PieFiesta Dos in 2008.

Sarah's health declined in recent years. We showered her with birthday cards (and fat quarters...but not brown!) for her 80th birthday in June.

We were privileged to know her, to love her and to be loved by her.

P.S.  Sarah made TDB -- the dam' banner -- for the RCTQ meet up at the Dallas quilt show (1997?). The Magpies are its custodian.