After a long, especially cold and lingering winter, spring is finally fully here in midcoast Maine. Those first days of warm sun, cool (not frigid and biting) breeze, and sprouting green are precious days. I didn’t know it my first year here, but I know it now. The blackflies won’t be long.
The past few days have been supurb: sunny, warm-even borderline hot, and too early for blackflies. Needless to say, I have been spending every daylight moment out in the garden, playing in the yard, or admiring the flowers with my kids. I know that once the blackflies arrive, we we hide indoors or only go out with long pants and a full head & arms bug net. The blackflies will subside, but for a good solid month, they are a wicked scourge. Swarming clouds of annoying and biting bitties. When my husband and I decided to move from New Jersey back to his home state of Maine, no one had told me about the blackflies. Some days I joke that if someone had told me about the blackflies, I never would have moved here… but I know I’m joking. I love it here in rural Maine.
Days spent in the garden makes for a tired momma, but I can’t help but sew once the sun sets and the kids are asleep. I’m making slow progress on my Star Crazy quilt, and I like it more and more as blocks get added.
Before beginning this quilt, I was thinking of adding grays into the low volume sides, to have some of the light stars be grey instead of just low volume. I think now I’ve decided to keep grays out of it, and just stick with the black and white stars.
These blocks are a combination of my favorite colors, AND of fabrics from some of my favorite designers and fabric lines. Seeing Botanics next to Wee Wander next to Architextures, framed by Perfectly Perched and Zen Chic makes me tremendously happy!
While my sewing progress has been slowed by this gorgeous weather, I feel like I am spending my days the right way. Family, garden, and those first days of spring are SO refreshing and key to a joyous life.
Here are a few more shots of spring from around my homestead, for those of you who find inspiration as I do, from nature.
Happy spring!
Since it’s Wednesday, I’m linking up to Work in Progress Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.
Night Quilter 
Thanks for the pictures in your garden. I live in Ontario and I’m finally seeing flowers after a long, cold winter. I’ve been to Maine twice and I loved it.
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I agree that keeping the whit stars in the corners is going to look great on the finished top. And congratulations for having such a full and fulfilling spring. 🙂
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Awesome garden photos, spring is almost over here in Texas, we’ll have 90 degree weather in a week or so.
Is your quilt blocks paper pieced? I think they are very cool and would like to add them to my wish list of things to do.
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Hi Shauna! 90 degrees!~ wowza. Here in Maine, we’re in t-shirts as soon as it hits 60!
The quilt block is not paper pieced. It’s a 6.5″x6.5″ block of three strips (each 2.5″x6.5″ before being sewn together), with a 4.5″ square sewn to opposite corners. The pattern is called Star Crazy by Chloe Anderson and Colleen Reale of Toadusew. I found it in an Oct 2011 Simple Quilts & Sewing magazine that a lady at church gave me. She gave me about 100 old quilting magazines, which means I’m attempting to make old patterns “modern”. I haven’t been able to find the pattern online yet, but perhaps once the Toadusew site is back up you will be able to find it. It’s quite a simple pattern, but I think it allows lots of room for color play!
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Your color/fabric combo is looking really good! And those pictures are beautiful. I love macro pics 🙂
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Hi Kitty from Exeter, NH! I LOVE your star crazy quilt; fabric choices are unexpected and wonderful. I am also a big gardener – this is my favorite time of year. Thanks for stopping by my blog, too. Looks like we’re both doing the new bloggers group and the supernova swap. I also have two and four year olds. 🙂
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Hi Kitty from Exeter, NH! I LOVE your star crazy quilt; fabric choices are unexpected and wonderful. I am also a big gardener – this is my favorite time of year. Thanks for stopping by my blog, too. Looks like we’re both doing the new bloggers group and the supernova swap. I also have two and four year olds. 🙂
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That looks like a fun block to play with, and a nice color combo in time for summer. Nice to see some pictures of springtime, too!
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I really like the fabrics and colors of the quilt you working on. Great block and I see you’ve already answered my question of where/what it is. Thanks. Enjoyed your garden too.
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Hello Kitty….. I am so in love with the quilt, and the fiddlehead ferns. I want to come to Maine so badly and see your garden in person. But not during blackfly season. I’ve never heard of that!! They’re a well-kept Maine secret. Here in Texas we have noseeums. They are tiny little gnats that bite. All the time. So annoying. Star Crazy is gorgeous!!
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I’m so envious of your spring – here in Australia we’re in Autumn and while I love the autumnal colours I’m bracing for a long cold winter. I do so adore Spring.
I’ve never seen the crazy star block before and this is just amazing. I love the colour combination and the fabric selection. It’s just wonderful. Wonderful!
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Your blocks are really coming together nicely. Enjoy your gardening!
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Your blocks are great and I really like the color choice, it’s going to be beautiful finished.
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