I have a since kindergarten friend who says that her favorite season is ‘anticipation of spring’. She loves the possibilities that lie curled up in mud and the cold, just waiting for the right moment to arrived. What a lovely idea, right? Well, I think her favorite time of year ended last night.

I know that the calendar declared spring two months ago, but seriously, the sun just never got the message here in the northeast. Forecasts that called for sunshine devolved into cool and drizzly days. Hard frosts stalked the crab apple blossoms and the neglected Mother’s Day hanging baskets. My son played a soccer game in a blinding snow storm last weekend.

In answer to your question: yes, I did tell him to wear a hat.

But today, ah today, spring was really here. The sun was warm, the sky was blue, the wind brushed away the rain clouds that tried to congregate. And the wild violets, ancient anticipators of spring, curled up in the heat to sleep the year away.

A wild violet before it goes back to sleep.

I love Lori Holt and her Bee in My Bonnet blog! Her designs and fabrics are fresh and fun. About 2+ years ago I became obsessed with her barn quilt blocks (why do you suppose that happened???). She hosted a sew along that lasted many weeks. The tutorials taught me quilting terminology, demonstrated many basic blocks, and helped me increase my sewing skills through practice.

Barn quilt. Blocks designed by Lori Holt from Bee in My Bonnet.

Finally it was off to Ms. G for quilting. Afterwards I eagerly added the binding and started the process of ‘bonding with my quilt’ (aka finishing the hand binding). I got to the last 10 inches and quit. For.a.year. I moved this quilt from place to place, taking note of my failure each time.

This week I could stand it no longer. I did it. I finally finished my barn quilt. I’ve decorated a guest room in farm girl chic and this quilt and a red chalk-painted dresser are the stars of the show. Whew!

For the last week or so I’ve been thinking a lot about the people who had great influence on me when I was growing up. The farm is in a small community in far western New York. I graduated from high school with 23 other students — many of whom also graduated from kindergarten with me. Turns out you know almost everyone in a town this small and if you don’t know them, they know you.

There were people who stand out in my memory– school teachers, the older women who taught Sunday school and vacation Bible school at the Methodist church, school bus drivers who knew every detail of our lives, and the neighbors who would stop in for visit and a cold drink at the end of a hot summer day to talk about the weather or politics or the state of the Vietnam War.

I remember running through the back yard in the pitch black, on bare feet in soft grass, hunting for lightning bugs while the adults talked and laughed around the kitchen table. I wasn’t afraid because those adults formed the bedrock on which my life was built. They were my support network before I knew what one was or that I needed one.

One of my influencers was my Girl Scout troop leader. Her daughter was one of my best friends. In the early ’70s we began our sewing badges. My mother worked in the barn and the house, so she had little time for hand work, so I knew little about embroidery or sewing. Mrs. A the troop leader was an excellent teacher and I made it through and received my badge (I wonder where that sash is???). After I started quilting, I realized that I had learned the quilter’s knot many years ago from Mrs. A. Somehow that bit of information stuck and I was able to recall it decades later. Now that is someone who had an impact on my life.

Sewing sampler circa 1970.

French knots

Satin stitching?

I’ve got to get this framed. Although it’s not perfect, it is a solid symbol of my roots and my journey.  I hope my quilts last as long as this sampler.

Who do you think about as a positive influence from when you grew up?