Friday, September 3, 2021

A quilt to end the summer

 Hi everyone! Well, we made it through the first week of school and here we are, suddenly a few days into September. 2021 is now in its last quarter. Yikes! And right on schedule, we had a huge storm and the temperatures and humidity dropped lower than they have been in ages. It feels great out there today. Plus, I'm happy to report really good compliance on mask-wearing and distancing from my students so far. Hurray!

I have a finished quilt to show today, and it's a quilt from earlier this summer. I saved it just for the end of summer, because I knew this would be a very hectic week, and because this particular quilt makes a great wrap-up to the season. Here she is:
 
 
Earlier this summer, my sweet niece Annie got married! I can hardly believe it, as I still think of her as about five years old. They had postponed the wedding twice because of Covid, and they were finally able to pull it off. Thank goodness they did, because they managed to squeeze it in before the Delta variant surged, though nobody knew that then, so a lot of us were able to go and dance at their wedding, including my parents.
 

 So, since my niece was getting married in a vineyard (in an area along Lake Erie which is full of vineyards and mostly grows Concord grapes), I decided not to take any pictures here at home, but wait and take pictures of the quilt in the vineyard. Those would be great pictures, right? Very pastoral and beautiful. 
 
 
Uh, no. You guys, grape vines are waaay taller than they look from the road. And they're attached to weird wire fences that did not look like anything that I wanted to put a wedding quilt on, plus it turned out to be quite windy. Plus, they have actual grapes growing on them, which can get crushed and get all over the quilt. So we have some odd pictures, but they still work, right? Here's the best one with the grapevines:
 
 
Yep, I had someone hold it, and it still blew all around. Ah, well. It was an idea, but not a great idea. At least you can see that they had a beautiful, though breezy, day! The rest of the pictures are also from various spots around the vineyard property, which was quite lovely.
 

I made this quilt as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge over at soscrappy. I made the blocks in 2018 and finished the top in 2019. All of the fabrics except the backing and sashing are scraps. I had promised it to a friend, but a while ago she graciously relinquished her claim, since she has plenty of quilts. When I got the news about Annie's (original) wedding date, I knew it would be perfect for her, and I sent it off to my friend Diane to be longarmed. As a bonus, the quilting panto is actually called meandering stars!


Needless to say, Annie and her new hubby were thrilled with their gift and started using it immediately, which is what we all want for gifted quilts, right? I don't know him very well, but the bright colors and happy layout certainly fit my niece. And we all know that's who has to be pleased, right? 
 

With a happy quilt for a happy bride and groom, that wraps up the summer! I can hardly believe we're at the end. Overall, it was a good time for me and let me reset my overworked brain. I still got a lot done, and I'm happy with how we're heading into fall. And I'm almost looking forward to some much cooler temperatures, though we all know what that leads to, right? (Hint: it starts with "s" and makes a very slippery mess!)


Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I plan to relax and maybe hang some new curtains, and the hubs and I may go for a small picnic. I might even sneak in a few stitches here and there. I didn't post any wedding pictures here, mainly because they're full of people I don't know who might not like their pictures posted, but I do want to end with a picture of the bride's beautiful flowers, which were made by my cousin and were definitely not scraps. Enjoy the weekend!
 
 
Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, soscrappy for the RSC, and Oh, Scrap!

23 comments:

ButterZ said...

They are beautiful flowers

The Joyful Quilter said...

Fun quilt and fabulous silk bouquet!! I still have mine from 30+ years ago and it looks almost as good as the day my aunt made it.

Ramona said...

Your quilt is so fun and cheery! What a great wedding quilt. Your niece's flowers are gorgeous!

Marie said...

Your gift is a beautiful end to summer - no wonder they love it!

MissPat said...

What a happy quilt. I love that you chose to make the stars in colors instead of all white. And the dancing blocks make this so cheery. Good to hear the first week of school went well with good behavior on everyone's part. Unusual to see clematis in a bridal bouquet.
Pat

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Oh, that is a happy quilt, Mari! I love all the color, and the background fabric is so perfect for a rainbow quilt. I'm glad your school year is getting off to a good start. Have a great long weekend!

piecefulwendy said...

The quilt is a perfect wedding gift, with its bright, celebratory colors and design! Love seeing those photos that didn't quite go as planned; we all have them! The flowers are just gorgeous, too. Yippee for the good first week - I hope your year continues to go well. Enjoy those cooler temps!

Sara said...

That is one of the most gorgeous bouquets of flowers I've ever seen! Wow!

Your quilt is so bright and pretty. Hopefully your school year will go smoothly - and allow you lots of time to sew as well.

Carol Andrews said...

What a perfect quilt to wish a new couple a bright happy future. The bouquet is beautiful as well.

Kat Scribner said...

A beautiful quilt, Mari.

Ivani said...

So happy and bright quilt, who won't love it??

Marly said...

A beautiful scrappy quilt, Mari. The more the merrier regarding fabrics and so bright and cheerful. And then the beautiful colour coordinated bouquet. They couldn't be more different! Yet, that's life!

Deb A said...

What a perfect quilt for the newly married couple. Just love her bouquet. Glad the students are respecting the guidelines and I hope you have a great school year.

grammajudyb said...

I love,love,love that quilt! Perfect for a happy occasion! Well done! Your niece’s bridal bouquet is stunning!

Jenny said...

I love that block with the star, and your quilt is so lovely and happy, just right for a happy young bride! There are such gorgeous hues in the bouquet, just like beautiful juicy grapes I think, the wedding was in a vineyard, after all!

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Mari! It's a wrap and a fabulous way to end the summer with a beautiful quilt. The newlyweds will be happy to be covered with your good wishes and blessings. The flowers are gorgeous!! Your cousin is as talented with flowers as you are with fabric. {{Hugs}} Enjoy the long weekend. ~smile~ Roseanne

Sylvia@Treadlestitches said...

What a lovely happy quilt, made for such a happy occasion!

QuiltGranma said...

Beautiful quilt and beautiful bouquet! At our last house there was a vineyard just up the hill, that deer liked to hide in during the day, and come raid our garden in the evening hours.

Chantal said...

Love your quilt. Love how the blocks are tilted. They look like they are dancing. Great job! Congrats. ;^)

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Lovely quilt Mari. Thanks for sharing with oh Scrap!

Quiltdivajulie said...

What a perfectly wonderful quilt finish … I love it. And that bouquet is glorious.

Bonnie said...

What a wonderful quilt. I love how bright and just plain "happy" it looks. Yep, vines don't really make a great backdrop but the other photos do it justice. I am all for the change in weather but we may be having the temps edge back up to the 90s here. BUMMER! Hopefully you being a bit farther north helps keep the temps more comfortable.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

What a gorgeous quilt and so happy you all got to get together for that special event - memories to be cherished.
I had to laugh and the vineyard shots - I used to help farmers pick the grapes when I was a kid - and all I thought of was the dirt and the stickiness haha! My mom used to just spray us with a hose before we were allowed in the house to take a shower ;-)