Sunshine in the rain

 Hi everyone! I don't know about you, but we have started to get out and about some more, but not quite normal yet, and this week we traveled to our nephew's high school graduation. They held it in person! In a cicada-free area of the country, too. It was a bit like a family reunion, and most of us spent some time sobbing over lost time. It was so great to see my sister and niece and nephew, and my parents were there, and some siblings, too. And J. got safely graduated and is off to college soon, which was our whole reason for getting together. A great time was had by all. And did I mention the absence of big ugly bugs?

On the home front, I have been making really good progress on the quilt tops that are hanging in the closet, and today there is another one finished. Hurray! I have four others in various stages, but here is today's:

 

 

I've tried taking pictures during what they call "the golden hour," but it is so, so not working for me. Too many weird shadows. Plus we have had rain, so it's quite damp and I have to run between the raindrops to get decent photos. Can you see those threatening clouds at the top of the picture? Here is the quilt with fewer shadows:

 

That's a bit better. If you look closely, you can see some of the different blues in the setting triangles. This quilt was made in 2018 and 2019 and is from the Community Sampler offered by Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell. The flimsy was done in February of 2019, so I think it has aged properly. I just checked and the patterns are all still available, and there are a few other free quilt alongs still listed, too, so you could make this quilt yourself.

 

 

The centerpiece of this quilt for me is the yellow fabric with roses, which is in several of the blocks. This might be my favorite fabric ever, and I only had a fat quarter of it, which was all used up in this quilt. There might be one tiny square left, but the rest of it was used up, which makes this a special quilt for me. I named it Hope for Spring, and I think the name still fits, even if it is summertime now.

 

As much as I love the front of the quilt, I also love the back! The backing is a bird print in a perfect blue color, which Diane the quilter was kind enough to run vertically. I know that sometimes this doesn't work, and I would have been okay if the birds had gone sideways, but this time it worked out. I auditioned several different colors for the binding, but went with this bright (but not too bright) green. I think it worked out, too.

 

The shadows make the quilting really apparent, but just for the record, this was quilted up in a pattern called loose leaf. I love this pattern because it's curvy and loose, which makes the quilt extra cuddly. This is important, because I am keeping this quilt for me. Yep, it's mine! I have plenty of other quilts, but this one is sure to become a favorite once the gray and cold makes its inevitable return.

 

So there is another bright and happy quilt, all done and out of the closet. Hurray! Speaking of getting quilts out of the closet. . .did you know that our friend Preeti has launched an Etsy shop with some real beauties for sale? You can find it HERE. Even if you aren't buying anything, it will certainly bring a smile to your face!

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. After the excitement of the last week, I think we're going to hang out here and do housekeeping-type things. That bathroom floor isn't going to scrub itself, after all. I went back and read my post about the flimsy, too, which mentions brownies, so I think I also feel inspired to make a pan of those. Maybe lemon ones! Perfect for a rainy weekend. Hope you enjoy your weekend, too!

 

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