Gina Brummett.....my dear friend.

This week the tatting community lost one of it's brightest stars.

I lost a friend.

I knew that Gina had lung cancer and was in contact with her during her battle with it. To my shame not nearly often enough.The last thing that I heard was that she was in remission and so I never expected the news that I was to receive on Tuesday.

Not Gina, we couldn't lose her.

She was just too important to us all and had so much more to give.

During my internet/virtual tatting life I have only met 3 tatters who have become real to me.

Gina was the first. The sort of tatters that you can give a real hug to.

In October 2006 we went to Chicago to a gecko meeting. Jane had constantly told me what a lovely person Gina was so I contacted her and told her we were in Chicago.

She wanted to drive up to meet us but couldn't and so we rented a car and drove down to Indiana to West Lafayette.

We were early, so we wandered around the campus of Perdu University where Gina worked.

Wow it was beautiful with autumn leaves in full show.

We asked in the parking garage for Gina and found out the she was known as Regina...quite a surprise.

She arrived and we hugged, she was smaller that I expected but other than that was the Gina I had come to know from the Tatting Goddess Group.

She took us to a Greek Restaurant where we met with her friend Bette another tatter who had come along.

Over dinner we chatted and chatted and chatted. Hubby enjoyed all the chatter too and Gina learned a lot about us!

I had taken along some tatting and some Irish things that I knew she would be interested in.Particularly the Lace Trail booklet.

Gina loved Ireland. She had visited with her sister (I think) and toured around and really wanted to come back. She planned her trip but had to keep postponing it.

Now it's not to be.

After dinner she took me to her favourite bead shop Vons, a treasure chest. It even had a bookshop to keep hubby occupied while we drooled over beads!

The visit was all too short.

But it was the start of a friendship.

There wasn't a week went by without Gina appearing in my Inbox with a 'funny'. We shared a similar sense of humour.

In 2008 I was lucky enough to win one of Gina's monthly giveaways.

You can read all about the many things that she sent me here.

There was so much more than I showed as she said she had sent me more than she should.

The package also include a lovely letter with a recent photo of all her family.

Her gifts are in a box, all together,well mostly, I will have to search for the ones that I have used.

They will be looked at and re read many times as tangible memories of a friend.

She had promised to send me a little plastic Tatting Goddess and I like I do had said 'no hurry'.

Gina thank you for being a part of my life, I will miss you.