Hi everyone! How has your week been? For us, it has gotten quite warm and the cicadas have finally emerged. Many people are very excited about this. Me, not so much. Imagine flies with bodies the size of your thumb. Now imagine stepping out your front door into a pile of them. That's why they only come out every 17 years-- it takes that long to recover from bug-related nightmares.
So, I'm staying inside until they go back underground, which is completely fine with me. I have plenty to keep me amused. I do have a finish to show off today, though, and it has quite the backstory. It almost didn't make it to the finish line! Here she is:
Yahoo! Some of you will recognize this as the Phoenix quilt by Sharon Holland. I pieced it last year when the pattern came out, then, like everything, it sat for a while, waiting to be quilted. In due time, when it had aged properly, I sent the top and backing off to my friend Diane, who worked her magic on it and put it back in a priority mail box and sent it home.
Only it never arrived.
The tracking stopped somewhere in between distribution centers, like it got on a plane and never got off. It stayed stalled for weeks, with no tracking updates.
I was only semi-frantic at first, because our mail has been super s-l-o-w. It improved a little, then slowed down again. I have no idea what is happening, and apparently, neither does anyone else. After 4 weeks, though, I was pretty worried. Diane was worried, too. Anxiety rose. She filed a form to find the box. I filed a form to find the box. They sent me a message that the box was on "extended delivery" (what the he** is that?) and that the issue was "resolved." More anxiety, but still no quilt. Calls to the postmaster and another form. No box. Plenty of anxiety.
Finally, I got in touch with my Congressman's office. The staff was extremely nice and very helpful, and they took all my information and made nice noises. I did not have much hope in spite of the sympathy, which was more than I had gotten from the Post Office. And then-- the box with this quilt suddenly showed up one day, with no warning or tracking movement. Do you think that's a coincidence? Who cares? After almost two months, the quilt was finally home! Tragedy averted. Relief all around.
(I should say right here that I don't blame the people who work the lines and deliver the letters. The Post Office is pretty obviously broken right now, and it's not the fault of the majority of people who work there. They're probably more frustrated than we are. So, if you're a letter carrier or sorter or any other person directly involved with handling the mail, please know that you are appreciated!)
I was so happy to see this quilt! As always, Diane did a great job on the quilting, in a pattern called Popcorn. It's kind of curvy and cloud-like and worked great for the star/ floral shapes in this quilt. I had made the binding, a soft but zippy coral fabric, before I sent it out to be quilted, so as soon as it showed up, I tossed aside the project I was working on, sat right down, and put that binding right on. Even though it's quite warm now, I even hand stitched the binding over a couple of evenings. I guess I really was happy!
With all the drama, this one turned out very nice and I'm really pleased with it. It feels kind of modern, but also traditional, and it used some pretty fabrics. I also love the backing, which is a white with some modern stars. This one turned out to be a good size, too, so I may actually hang it on a wall, probably in the hallway. We'll see. The only thing I'm sure of is how happy I am to see it finally finished!
So that's the story of the almost-lost quilt! Thankfully, it's a story with a happy ending, though I'll never know what happened in the middle there. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend that is relaxing with no lost packages and no cicadas. I'll try to get a picture for those of you who haven't seen one in person (you lucky people!) If one lands on me, though, I'm pretty sure you'll hear the scream from wherever you are!
Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Friday, and Brag About Your Beauties.
21 comments:
I heard cicadas here in the past, and discovered their skeletal remains, but never seen one live that I know of. Not sure I'd enjoy stepping into a bunch of them, much less having one land on me. Eek. So your beautiful quilt had quite the adventure, apparently. I'm so glad it found its way home. It's definitely a keeper, and one that needs space on a wall or something! Love the fabrics and the quilting!
we have cicadas every year here I must admit I barely notice them although they can get kind of loud at times. Glad you quilt finally arrived - the mail is a mess - this past year two times I had a package that took 6 weeks to arrive from my neighboring state of Texas! it was so close and took 6 weeks - both times no explanation of where they heck it spent those six weeks.
I am going to suggest that you follow your quilts through shipping everyday. I found out last year with a Christmas present that it is much easier for the Post Office to find a lost package early than waiting. I got a notification that my daughter's package was shipped to distribution center that did not include her zip code. I gave them 2 days to fix it then put in an inquiry. They found it on the floor in the distribution center it never belonged in. The post office delivered it that day. They are overworked and mistakes happen. I think I protected myself and the post office by highlighting the error and the local guy said that stuff on the floor loses labels, gets pushed out of the way and somtimes ends up "lost".
With so many pieces of mail getting lost and seriously delayed (we have had two go completely AWOL, one that got stuck in the neighboring distribution center for 6 weeks before suddenly appearing on our doorstep, and more than I can count that have been 1-2 weeks longer in transit than "before") we have shifted to online payment of bills/insurances and I tend to ship more using UPS and FedEx Ground because they have better performance with more consistent tracking. I hate that USPS is in such a mess - we need them and their employees on the ground are not to blame (over worked - our mail is consistently delivered between 6:30-7:00 each evening) for the decisions made by those in management. I'm SO glad your quilt found its way to your house - fingers crossed (and voting plans will be influence over) that enough changes are made at the higher levels of USPS that you won't have to be stressed this way again any time soon.
I'm not a bug person either, Mari, so seeing all those cicadas would feel a little creepy to me, too! So glad your quilt package finally found its way home. It's a beautiful quilt! Congratulations on your finish!
That quilt had great an adventure. I think people assume that postal delivery went back to normal after the Christmas crunch, but clearly that's not true. Of course the person put in charge by the previous administration, with a goal of severely curtailing service levels, is still there. I just read this morning that the cicada invasion may not be as bad as expected as the numbers have been decreasing over the years due to climate and development issues. Enjoy your weekend even if you can't go outdoors for a few days.
Pat
I’m sure glad your quilt made it home! I guess I feel extra thankful that the finished quilt I sent to Covered in Love, in a priority box arrived in 3 days, no problem! Wyoming to Texas! I have a box to ship to my granddaughter in Vermont! Now, I’m reluctant! What to do, what to do!
It’s a beauty and what a relief that it finally showed up. I’m kind of surprised we don’t have more mail lost lately. I did get something earlier this week addressed to someone in a different city 60 miles away. I always wonder how that kind of mistake gets made.
Hi Mari! Ugg, I'm with you on the cicadas. Here in Wisconsin, our version doesn't come out until 2024. No rush, I say. Since I work in Illinois, which is just far enough away to be in a different zone for cicadas, I get to enjoy them there. Yuck. I would love to stay inside and just avoid the whole summer of them. I do have an awful cicada story - I was at the pool in Nashville and one tried to crawl in my ear. OMG! I freaked out, all the people at the pool freaked out (who wouldn't?!!), and that was the last time I visited a southern state during the 17-year cicada outbreak. Ewww. Now to things more fun and quilting related . . . your finish is fab. What a tale it could tell from inside its Priority box if it could speak! That would make for a fun, imaginative assignment - write the tale of the almost-lost quilt. I'm so glad you got it back! Happy endings are worth the wait, in spite of all the anxiety thrown in for free. Happy Friday! ~smile~ Roseanne
The almost lost quilt turned out beautifully, Mari!! No need to share a cicada photo for me. I've seen them in-person, thanks.
I am so happy your beautiful quilt found it’s way to you eventually. I know how hard it is to wait and worry about a “lost” quilt. I mailed one from Kentucky to Atlanta in December. It took almost two months to arrive. So you can imagine there was some anxiety on my part! As with your case, tracking just sort of dropped off after the first two weeks! I had paid (a very nominal amount) for signature confirmation, but I never got that when it finally was delivered. Fortunately, my friend texted my a photo because by then we were both so overjoyed that it still existed! She was buying it from me.
Like you, I support the postal workers. The blame lies with DeJoy!
Hopefully we will work on getting the mail system fixed. It is always a terrifying when things we count on just don't happen like they used to. The quilt turned out beautifully! So glad that no harm was done on the delay.
Glad they found you quilt. Yes, USPS is very broken right now. Sad, especially since I've had so many family members that worked there (and 2 are still working there). No cicada's here (yet).
Months ago I saw a beautiful green cicada here at my yard. Her wings were transparent, so beautiful. Cicadas are harmless to humans and You made me smile. But I understand and respect your fear.
What a quilt history. Glad it arrived, it is a gorgeous quilt.
Hello Mari! I'm new to your blog (following). I'm so glad your beautiful quilt finally made its way home! What a nightmare! A couple of years ago I had a custom order sent to Canada. It proved it was scanned in the UK, from there it 'disappeared' for so to get delivered almost 3 months later! We don't have cicadas here, but I don't think flying cockroaches are much better! Hate them!
Lovely. Congratulations on the finish.
I love Happy Endings - but that was a long time to wait for your quilt!! I like this design - and the colors you used!!! Very nice - Hope the Cicadas go away soon!
When one of my quilts goes to a long armer, I take it in person, and pick it up in person. The only time one of mine goes in the mail is when it is done and being gifted. So glad you got yours back!
"Made nice noises" This is funny except I am sure it was frustrating.
What is really nice is the finished quilt - Bold and Beautiful. It was so much hanging gout with you :-D Food, Friends and Fabric - it cannot get any better, unless you add ice-cream. Oh yes, we totally did.
Cicadas are an annoyance. But nothing I cannot handle. I was once in an arranged marriage living with in-laws :-D
That’s great your quilt has arrived. Divine intervention at its best. Beautiful finish..
So pretty and summery. I’m so glad it found its way back to you. Sometimes I think in this crazy last year+ packages have just decided to go on their own adventure to see the country. Too bad yours didn’t send you postcards or Flat Stanley photos. If you put it on your wall, make sure to share a photo.
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