Spring Broken

The best flowers are at the Keukenhof in Amsterdam. A bit out of my reach, mostly.

Tulips in Amsterdam, 2019

Keukenhof Gardens

The Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania are huge and absolutely beautiful, but still a few hours from me.

Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania

Water Lilies

The Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC are more accessible and I don't mind the long train ride although I will avoid the nightmarish parking in downtown DC. 

From 2008. My first time :-) 

So beautiful

Due to their popularity and the huge crowds (then), everyone was photobombing someone else's picture. The best pictures were taken skywards.

My favorite picture, 2008

The buds are pink but the blooms are almost white, with the faintest hint of blush.

Boating in the Tidal basin, 2018

The trouble with cherry blossoms is that they are so short-lived. One week at best and then all the petals compete to become a carpet.

With Kim, in the train to see the blossoms, 2018

Felt like winter, 2018

So I made careful plans. Checked and re-checked the "Bloom Watch" calendar for the peak bloom dates. Coordinated with friends to meet and walk and take it all in on that one fateful Saturday in April. I was looking forward to the picturesque walks around the Tidal Basin.

But then $#{% happened. The National Park Service, in accordance with CDC guidelines, implemented temporary site closures in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. I pouted and I sulked.

My hopes were dashed. My plans destroyed and my Spring Broken.

Scraps

In frustration I turned to fabric. Thinking of pink buds and white blooms, I started cutting and sewing.

Cutting and Re-cutting

Design Wall

Whatever?

Hmm...

Paul: Is this going somewhere or are you just destroying fabric?

Me: Leave me alone. 

Paul: Just checking if you are ok.

Me: Not yet.

Getting somewhere?

Maybe

Likely

After loads of cutting and sewing and arranging and reversing, something is bound to emerge? Right?

At least, my poutiness had subsided. 

Oh yes

AND, we are there!!!

Paul: Not bad.

Me: Um Hmmm.

Paul: Feel better?

Me: Yes.

I had a finished flimsy and I liked it.  It was my destroyed plans for the Cherry Blossoms that prompted the making of this quilt. I have therefore named it Spring Broken.

Not bad, indeed

This is working :-)

Red and Pink? Why not?

OK, we are there. It worked. The pouting was productive. 

I felt like I had captured the blooms (in a deconstructed way) and I wanted to add the effect of water with quilting. I turned to Rebecca. She said YES :-)

I got the quilted sandwich back, added the pink striped binding and forbade Rebecca to share the pictures of the finished quilt (the front at least). The wait is now over.

Meet Spring Broken.

Paul, the model

On the banks of Potomac

Pieced Backing

Breezy Day, Muddy Banks

Brightness = Happiness

Striped Pink Binding

Here are some close-ups to show off Rebecca's quilting.

 

Raindrops on Water

Tidal Basin, captured

Blooms and Blossoms

Eye candy :-)

Quilting Detail

I highly recommend Rebecca for your quilting needs. She knows what she is doing :-)

Pretty in Pink :-)

Peach and Copper

Spring Broken finished at 46" by 48" and I am very happy with her :-)

Spring Broken - 46" by 48"

Spring and Tidal Pool themes continue on the backing.

Backing

Labelled

There are quilters (fiber artists to be precise) who will appliqué and embroider and embellish to create a piece of art that will rival the natural beauty of the cherry blossoms. But deconstructed Spring looks a whole lot different. That is my story and I am sticking to it :-D

And just a couple more...

Hullo My Lovely

You make me Happy :-)

I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. 

Are you having a good spring? Did you enjoy the Spring Break? Or was it Spring Broken? I'd love to hear your thoughts - pouty or not.  

___________________________________________________________

The leftovers from the red Sister's Choice Blocks were repurposed into these little blocks.  Will be sharing with Angela's Linky Party on Saturday.

The Red Leftovers

These leftovers are growing. I hope I can get a baby quilt out of them :-)

Bonus Quilt

I wonder what color is June. Will it be orange or purple? May be it is time for teal. What do you think?

This is (mostly) a rant!!!

Warning - this is a rant. Proceed at your own risk.

I had neither the time nor the desire to write this post. But I had to because I was so seething with anger and disgust. And if not here then where else?

Let's call her Auntie Marilyn. I am so tempted to use her full name, but I am not going to. Because I am better than that.

Let's start at the very beginning. The year was 2015 when Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company shared this tutorial on youtube.  You can buy the pattern Double Square Star on Missouri Star Quilt Company's online store.

When I saw the tutorial, I thought - I don't care for all that snowballing so I came up with another method to make the same pattern and shared it here, acknowledging Jenny.

A few years passed.  In December 2019, over the Christmas break, I started contemplating the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks for 2020.  

I considered my take on the Double Square Star tutorial. In the post "Best of 2019" dated January 1, 2020, I shared my audition block for RSC 2020.  It was a variation of the Double Square Star - as I wrote it.

Reversed Colors and Background

The block looked heavy and dense like a fruitcake. The block was then refined with snowballed corners :-D  Guess, I had evolved over the years. Moreover I had received the diagonal seam tape (as a Christmas present from Mari), which made the snowballing less painful. I shared it in this post dated January 12, 2020.

From January through October in 2020 I made these blocks in colors of the rainbow as suggested by Angela. 

Based on readers' request for a pattern/tutorial for the block, I shared rough instructions here and then the full blown tutorial here. 

When I completed the quilts Serenity and Courage and shared on one of the FB quilting groups, I received so much love and comments. And then Auntie Marilyn appeared.  A little knowledge and absolute power - what could go wrong?

Auntie Marilyn accused me of "taking credit for someone else's work", reprimanded me for using the Trellis pattern designed by Cluck Cluck Sew all because my post said "I designed and pieced this quilt".

I tried to explain to her that our patterns only "looked" similar. Specifically I pointed out

1. Trellis uses jelly roll strips. Picket Star does not. In fact, Picket Star carefully chooses two fabrics that are different in value by a few shades. The construction processes of the two patterns is completely different.

2. In Trellis, the Picket Star is created as a secondary pattern. In Leela, Serenity and Courage, the Picket Star is the focus pattern and it creates a totally different secondary pattern - a fat starry shape (quilted beautifully by Rebecca), see below.

Image from Rebecca Grace Quilting, used with permission

3. The secondary blocks created in Trellis have a solid center. Picket Star has a light and airy center. 

Auntie Marilyn was so understanding. NOT.  

If she could see the differences, or if she could read/understand my explanations, I would not be writing this rant now. Would I ?

She responded "a log cabin is a log cabin even if you change the setting. I will not argue this point". 

This was too stupid to dignify with a response.

Somebody please tell Auntie Marilyn - There is a wide variation in log cabins and their design possibilities are endless. See the two log cabin quilts below. 

Sonika (Log Cabin Baby Quilt) 2019

Sun City (Log Cabin Challenge Quilt), 2016

Speaking of variations, take a look at this Modern Flower Quilt pattern from Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts. Do you see the similarity with the Picket Star Block? It even has the same secondary block shape. It is similar but not same. Therefore I am not attacking her or insinuating that she stole my pattern (or Jenny's pattern or Trellis pattern) and then sold it!!!

Not only Auntie Marilyn wrongfully accused me of something I did not do, she grew all preachy on the entire group posting "I will not tolerate..." 

Auntie Marilyn deleted all the comments/conversations where I tried to point out the differences in the two patterns and then Auntie Marilyn deleted me. I don't know if the original posts showing Serenity and Courage were deleted too, because I am no longer part of the group. 

Most importantly, I must ask - what credit did I take?  What profit did I make?

Even if the pattern was same (which it is not), all I had done was share my finished quilt pictures. There were no links to my blog.  No mention of the free tutorial on my blog. I was not self-promoting. I was not trying to sell anything. 

So, Auntie Marilyn, Shame on you. You are a bully and you are ignorant and you disgust me.  You can take your FB group and put it where...

Paul: Babe?
Me: Yeah?
Paul: How was your day?
Me: Awful. Some bleeping know-it-all rained all over my parade.
Paul: I am so sorry.
Me: In fact it has been so awful that it can only get better.
Paul: That is my girl!!! Would some dinner cheer you up?
Me: Not any dinner. I want smoked salmon.
Paul: So you want to go to Sweetwater?
Me: Yes.

Paul: You know I am getting a Drunken Ribeye.
Me (eyes rolling): Yes. 
Paul (naughtily): I love when you say YES to me.

Me (smiling): I always say YES to you.

Paul: When can we leave?
Me: Give me 10 minutes to wrap this up.

Trust Paul to rescue me - Every. Single. Time.

In spite of the negative reasons that prompted this blogpost, I have to end it on a positive and uplifting one...even if I must borrow the goodness from elsewhere.  

1. Read Rebecca's post about quilting Courage. What she wrote felt like the first raindrops on parched earth, especially today. Do read my comment too. I hold nothing back.

2. Read Tanuja's poem - Have you ever hugged a tree?

3. Read this very touching story (you may need a tissue) from Bernie about the impact of Mercyful Quilts.

In the end, I am glad that the Rebeccas, Tanujas and Bernies (Cathy, Maya, Sylvia, Mell, Mari and Emily too) in my life way outnumber the bleeping know-it-alls.

Work in Progress

Island Batik March Project in progress

I won't be sharing this post with any linky parties. But you are welcome to do so.

And now I have a quilt to finish and a real blogpost to write. If this blog has ever brightened your day or made you smile, please send me a hug.  I will return it with interest :-)