Friday, March 20, 2020

Spring in spite of it all

Hello from a socially safe distance, everyone! It has been a weird and stressful week here, but in spite of that, I've been outside walking (alone, I swear) and it turns out that spring is making a valiant effort to break through. This makes me super-happy. There are some things the virus can't change, after all.  No daffodils on my property yet, but there is a lot of periwinkle and some smaller bulbs.

I know this isn't a quilty picture to start with, but I think we all need something pretty:


Pink magnolias from my neighbor's tree! I miss our property in Delaware, and everything that we had done outside. I know we'll get there with this property, but I am so ready for flowers! I think I will plant myself a nice magnolia tree when it's finally time. All of our remodeling and landscaping has been postponed for now. Darn those communicable diseases, you know?

This week I forced myself to sew every day for stress relief, and I finally got the binding put on a finished quilt. Yay me! Want to see the quilt? Here she is:


Yahoo! This is a ribbon star quilt that I put together from blocks that I swapped with friends in a quilt group that I used to belong to.  I didn't make any of the blocks, but they are lovely together, aren't they? It's nice to think that the blocks I made are in other people's quilts, too.


I quilted this myself with a walking foot. I just quilted straight lines along the ribbons in the piecing, all across the quilt. This was not very creative and was a little boring to do, but it made a nice cross-hatch design on the quilt. It also kept things nice and cozy. This quilt is about 62 by 70 and is at the upper limit of the size I can actually handle myself. Someday I will get myself a longarm, but today is not that day.


Hand stitching this binding to the back of the quilt kept me sane this week, that's for sure. The binding is a pale blue batik from the basket o' bindings that I make from the backing trimmings of a quilted quilt. It was just about a foot short, but I stripped in another piece that matched it so nicely that I couldn't get a picture.


This quilt is a donation, bound for Bernie's Mercyful quilts project. I have another one for her, too, but it's not bound yet. I should have gotten to these long ago, but I think we all know that the actual quilting part is not my favorite part of making a quilt. Still, I'm embarrassed that it's taken so long.

My favorite block

I hope you all are hanging in there with our current crisis and are staying healthy. It's a challenging time, that's for sure. I hope everyone has something fun to do this weekend, too. Go outside! It's nice there. I'll be working some more, then going for a walk around the neighborhood and video chatting with the grandkids. I miss being with humans, but I have the hubster, and thankfully I like him and we get along. I'm keeping good thoughts for everyone!


Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Brag about your Beauties, and Finished or not Friday.

24 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

very pretty!

Kat Scribner said...

Your ribbon star quilt is beautiful. The colors are so well balanced. Just a few H.S.T. in there. LOL

Julierose said...

Love your finish on Ribbon Star--great colors...nice work hugs, Julierose

Preeti said...

Perfect picture showing spring in all her beauty and color. Picture Perfect quilt not just for all the piecing and color but also because it is a testament to your journey in spite of all odds and challenges. That it is westbound to Bernie makes it extra special. It is both Mercyful and Joyful!!!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Nicely done, Mari!! It's going to a great cause, too.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Nice quilt. Yes, the bird block is great.

grammajudyb said...

I’ve been wanting to make a ribbon star quilt for awhile. Yours is gorgeous!
Thanks for the springtime photo. It’s not quite spring here yet! We had snow again yesterday and lots of cold wind today! But it’s coming, the calendar says so!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Beautiful magnolia blossoms and a pretty, colorful quilt - that's a great combination, Mari! Your quilt will give some one lots of comfort!

Nancy said...

Your beautiful photo of the gorgeous magnolia blossoms brought me here. I love that photo! And then I see your stunning quilt. I love how you used the white in this quilt. It creates balance and rhythm without interfering with the stars. And looking closely, I see that the whole quilt is made of half square triangles. Wow!

karenbbsnow said...

So bright and cheerful, thanks for sharing.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

So lovely and colorful! you got to quilt your spring in to existence! ha ha! Glad you are getting to walk and have some good times!

Louise said...

Beautiful finish, Mari! One good thing about having lots of quilts in the pipeline is that eventually they all get finished and flow out to do their good work in the world. This one will be greatly appreciated by a grieving family, I'm sure.

I had a good laugh at your line about liking your hubster! I even read it out loud to my own :)

TheItinerantChemist said...

Beautiful quilt, I'm sure the recipient will love it!

Ruth L. said...

I was so sure that tree wasn't a magnolia that I went ahead and researched it on Mr. Google. I'd always known it as a tulip tree or a tulip poplar. I had no idea that it was actually a variety of magnolia. Thanks for helping educate me.

Bernie Kringel said...

I forget how much I like batiks until I see them again! Does that make sense? This is just lovely and I am so excited you are donating it to Mercyful Quilts. Thanks a bunch Mari.
I did get out for a walk yesterday and it is gorgeous out. Today promises more of the same. Hang in there and let's hope all of this calms down sooner rather than later.

QuiltGranma said...

Beautiful quilt finish, and I too love that blue bird block. There is a lucky recipient that WILL be very happy with this!

MissPat said...

I should be using my time finishing up UFOs and not pinning more quilts to put in the pipeline. Snowing here in western NY, although the crocus are in bloom, so I think spring will make it someday soon.
Pat

Melanie said...

Great quilt! Enjoy your finish :) I love that it is very colorful while being balanced... I only manage that when I do rainbow order. And don't worry about the "simple" quilting. It is often the best ;) Stay well xo Melanie

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty said...

Lovely! I've never participated in a block swap, but I love the idea. All those colors couldn't have come from one person. Combining forces (and stashes!), you get a whole rainbow of batik blocks! P.S. Where did you live in DE?

Sara said...

Ribbon Star is beautiful. Simple quilting is sometimes the best choice.

It's kind of early to think spring here in SD, but our snow is gone for now. And the birds are coming back. Stay safe! And thank you for sharing that gorgeous picture of spring blooms!

Cathy said...

Oh Mari, what a beautiful finish! I absolutely love it, and I know Bernie and the eventual recipient will too. I’m hopelessly behind on blog reading , so sorry this is late. This quarantine thing has left me rudderless and struggling to focus. And I’m probably spending too much time reading the news, then playing games and reading fiction to escape it. Spring is trying to spring here, but it’s still cold and rainy. But tomorrow is April first (after the 124 days, give or take, of March). Can real spring be far behind? xo

Quilter Kathy said...

A fabulous finish! Love this quilt!

Sarah Craig said...

Such a lovely quilt, Mari! Thanks for being part of Hands2Help 2020!

Danice G said...

A beautiful quilt Mari. I love the walking foot quilting. Cheerful quilt.