April Showers Brings May Flowers

As the saying goes, April brought us several welcomed showers, hillsides of poppies and other wildflowers, and two gorgeous floral quilts. My latest, favorite weekend quilt is called On the Edge. Sally found the pattern in a magazine and made the quilt for her grandson’s graduation from high school (see the March update, called Three Months Down). I love the simplicity of the pattern, which is comprised of 6-1/2” blocks (perfect for showcasing large prints) and is bordered by 9-patch blocks of the same size. All are set on point. I hadn’t pieced a quilt top in months and after quilting Sally’s project decided to make my own from my collection of Kaffe Fassett  fabrics. This one was going to be for Me! However, before it was finished I’d decided to give it to my niece in Missouri, who has spent the last year battling breast cancer and the aftermath of chemotherapy, which ravaged her body. I’m hoping this colorful, happy quilt will improve her spirits each day as she continues to heal.

Maria surprised us with an unplanned visit the last few days of April. She saw the quilt and loved it…a perfect project for a three-day visit and the perfect present for her friend’s 50^th birthday in the fall. Here we are, each with our fabulous, floral gift quilts! I hope the giftees love them as much as we do!

After Sally’s On the Edge quilt, word spread of this fun pattern and Lauren suggested it to her friend Katie, who she’s teaching to quilt. A picture of the quilt will be included in a separate blog post Lauren will be writing about Katie’s first-quilt experience. The girls did a great job choosing fabric, the piecing was beautifully done, and my quilting was passable. Aw shucks! It actually was pretty good. The finished product was an outstanding first quilt and I’m sure will be treasured for years to come.

I’m feeling inspired and anxious to spend a good part of May in the studio working my way through the backlog, as well as piecing a “commissioned” wall hanging… more on that in June’s update. Keep Creating!