(helenethequeen) Helene Diener

Helene Diener, known to us as helenethequeen joined us on July 7th, 2008. She was an avid quilter and was one of our most active members in our Quilting Forum. Helene loved the friendship and closeness of DG and was always ready to share a bit of advice or a scrap of fabric with anyone. She enjoyed the cooking and recipe forum and always had suggestions and tips to share there as well.

Her daughter Heidi wrote a touching note that we want to share with the community:

R.I.P. Helene, you will be dearly missed! Sending lots of thoughts and prayers to the family!

You will indeed be missed!

This group will not be the same with out Helene's loving advice, suggestions and personality. I keep hoping to have the pleasure of meeting her on one of my many trips to visit my mother but alas it was not to be. I have grown as a sewer and quilter just by reading and trying many of her suggestions. May you rest in peace and with the love of your life.

When my Mom passed away 3 years ago I asked Helene if she could finish some of the crochet pieces Mom had been working on. She did & it was impossible to tell where 1 left off & the other picked up.
Helene had so many talents. I also regret I had not made the time to get over to see her.

I'm sure there will be many lovely needlework pieces & quilts graceing her new home.

As our mutual quilter friends know, Helene offered (and I accepted) a digital camera she had spare. She wanted me to have the pleasure of being able to share pictures of my work. I think of her everytime I use the camera she so generously sent me.

Thank you again Helene, you will be remembered for your generous heart and gifted hands! the many beautiful things you shared with us.

Helene will be missed in many ways, but will be remembered with boundless good memories. I feel lucky to have 'known' her and sewn with her. I also really enjoyed when she posted recipes, and looked forward every Christmas to see those big plates of the most amazing cookies and stories to go with each one. RIP Helene

I too looked forward to those Christmas posts, but for me it was to see the new runner and place mats she created for the occasion!!
I told her one time that I thought a runner she had made was gorgeous, well much to my surprise, she sent me the fabrics and the directions to make the design.
she had such an amazing talent. she was always available to offer some guidance.....we joked about my love of "brights", I don't think I will ever sew with those bright colors, without thinking very fondly of the love she gave to all of us.....
she will surely be very much missed.

hugs to all of her family ♥♥♥

Helene was a very talented lady. She would make her way over to the African Violet and Gesneriad forum on occasion. Such a nice lady, she will surely be missed by many.

Connie

RIP Helene ♥

I remember her first posts here on the quilting threads. Like many of us, as new posters, she wasn't sure how far to jump in at first, but she had way more to offer than I imagined. As I followed her postings, sometimes she would run into someone who mistook what she said and it would take a few threads to get it all straightened out. We all know how hard it is to make our postings say and feel as we do, and her way of explaining things didn't always come the way she meant ( and then sometimes they said exactly what she meant!) LOL
We began emailing back and forth and I began to learn so much about her and her life. She reminded me so much of a friend I have in Germany, that our conversations came easily and we had many things in common. She often spoke of her husband and daughters, her old friends, the life growing up and coming to America. She had beautiful gardens in her former homes, shared pictures of her hosta beds and old world recipes that she loved so well.
Do you remember her postings of her holiday tables? She would make gorgeous runners and set the tables for dinner parties like the old days - china and glassware. I would have given anything to just sit and admire the table in person. The more she got into our quilting group, the more she put into her designs. Her dressmaking skills from the early years made its way into her quilting blocks and runners. I had forgotton all about ruching until I saw one of her runners..
When her husband passed, I felt so bad for her. As much as she said he was 'gum on her shoe', she missed him terribly. I could just feel the emotion inbetween her lines, the loss of a loved one and the empty home that they shared. Her wit was something I loved to hear, as I would usually sit here laughing as I read her letters. She looked forward to her daughters' visits, and bragged of her son-in-law and his cooking. I'm so glad she got to spend time with them at their home in NJ.
I will miss her greatly. At first she was just another quilter, but I quickly learned just what kind of a great lady she was. Just wish I could have met her in person... Hugs, my friend..

Helene was a warm and giving person.She will be missed.I still have an Episcia she sent me sometime back.

Lynn

May you rest in peace dear lady. I will miss you so much more than you could ever know. I cherish the patterns you sent to me and all the encouragement you gave as I struggled through several issues with my crochet hook. And, I too, will miss your annual tablerunners and placemats. Your talent will live on as we pass on all your hints to other quilters. God bless you dear heart....

Bless you my dear and all your family. You were an inspiration to many for all that is good in life...

I'm not a sewer/quilter so I only knew Helene recently through shared recipes. She was a good cook, and we'll miss her on the recipes forum.

I met Helene a year ago while readying for our daughter's wedding. I am a regular on the Recipe forum and a caterer a la Martha Stewart. Though I sew and quilt I had posted infrequently there. As wedding planning progressed, I shared the menu evolution for a complex weekend of parties on the Recipes forum. Helene would chime in.

While planning table decor, I decided to make quilt top table toppers that would reflect the history of our family fabrics. The plan was they would later become a wedding quilt that would commemorate the occasion. My mom's fabrics, my first sewing fabrics from teenage years, as well as fabrics used to make layettes, sew clothes and costumes, craft toys or decorate were all included in the project. Helene was kind enough to post a link on the Quilting and Sewing forum for those interested in seeing the progress. I did not know about it for some time.

Though I never met Helene in person I learned fast she was a toughy! My roots are also Austro-German and I grew up in a similar culture with similar food. Our recipes were the same in some ways but different in others; like any cuisine that is rustic and handed down. She was quick to let me know I may not have it right. :) I recall the Big Spaetzle Debate. Where is the U.N. when you need them?

Helene, your bright and sassy attitude will be missed by many in general and me in particular. Your interests were only eclipsed by your talents. You have left a legacy here at DG. Despite health problems this past year you had that spark in old age we all wish for given a chance to live your full life. More like a flame. Maybe even an inferno. It's what made you glow.
Laurel

This message was edited Jun 4, 2013 6:14 PM

Rest In Peace, Helene.
You will certainly be missed by many, and as I have just discovered, not only by the quilting group.

So much I didn't know about Helene. Thank you Kathy Kiz and Laurel for sharing your memories of her with us.

I don't sew or quilt and I'm sorry I never got to see many of her beautiful works. I did miss out on knowing a wonderful lady through these threads.