This quilt is for a new baby who is due to arrive in two weeks! I finished it just in time. I have been calling it "Summer Baby." It has been a delight to sew. The fabrics are bright and happy and the design has allowed for all 20 star blocks to be assembled at a pleasant pace. The finished size is 60x74, comfy. There are some fantastic fabrics to mention here: (from Moda) Marmalade, Farmyard, and Maison De Garance, Mama Said Sew...also Michael Miller's Les Amis, and on the back is Riley Blake's Seaside Beach Chair...mix in some Kona Natural and soft sage, add a pinch of scrappy binding with tan stripes and brown - well, it's a recipe for a dream.
The unique thing I experienced while working on this quilt, over June and July, was discovering a tiny finch nest in the hanging basket on our front porch, literally 3 feet form our front door.
While watering the basket at two different times, a finch darted out of the basket, startling and confusing us. We peeked inside and found a delicately crafted nest, and more extraordinary, 3 speckled light blue eggs! We realized the finch, who was upset at our watering efforts, was sitting on those eggs. Shortly after our discovery, the eggs hatched.
We watched the Mama (and Papa) land on the edge of the basket with beaks full of flies, wings sicking out of their beaks in all directions. The baby birds would extend their necks and feast with frenzy. Just yesterday we noticed the babies were gone - ...and then out of the trees and bushes we spotted the Mama (or Papa) and the babies, all of them, practicing their flying, wobbly and brave, on a wing and a prayer, going from branch to branch (or branch to ground to branch), and we marveled at this new family and their lives.
It is fitting that this quilt, also for a new baby, has overlapped such a marvelous natural experience. Life wants to happen. Grass pushes up between the stones in our walkway. What is most amazing about life is that, despite the delicateness and unpredictability, it succeeds.
