Teachers are Sunshine, Part 2

When you have special teachers, they get more and more special, the more children that have them!  That's how this teacher was.  It was our second time having her as a teacher and she was even more incredible than the first.  

I knew when I saw Debbie's giant Swoon quilt that I would have to make one for this teacher.  Debbie and I talked about measurements, but I needed to make mine larger, so I just had to multiply more.  I wound up multiplying by 3 so the final product is a bit over 80x80.  I dubbed it the "Ginormous Swoon" :)!!

The teachers favorite color is yellow, so I thought this pattern would make a happy, beautiful sunshine!  I used the more "solid" looking yellows as the wider blocks that make the compass points and the more "print" looking fabrics for the points in-between the N,NE, S, SE, E, NW, SW and W.  

I LOVED how Debbie quilted hers also, so I spent an insane amount of time quilting this huge beast the same way.  It was harder to see in large scale so I had to pin off the lines for parts to make sure I was free motioning in the right spots :).  It was so worth it though, and it is exactly how I dreamed it would be.

I backed it with a vintage sheet I got for this one and also a strip that my kiddo wrote a note for the teacher on.  It makes it personalized to see the note, in the child's own handwriting, to me.  And it makes me smile, so that is worth it!  Aqua Sharpie, here we come!  I was sad it washed out some so we had to go over it to darken it a touch- the red didn't fade at all on the other teacher quilt.  That's ok, it all worked out lovely~  Here it is.  

It made her cry, so I think we succeeded in letting her know how much it meant to have her as a teacher this year :)!!

Teachers are Sunshine, Part 1

I have been busy crazy getting two quilts done for teachers around here.  This is the first one I got finished!  The sweet Amanda of Quilted Fish designs the perfect cheerful fabric!  The colors fit the teacher to a tee-  we gave it to her this morning and she went crazy!  

It was her first year teaching so I wanted it to be a good memory for her.  Little did I know that her grandma is teaching her to quilt and blankets are her favorite thing in the world!  I was soooooo thrilled!  

I cut the fat quarters into thin and fat strips and went crazy sewing them into a fun pattern.  I wanted it all mixed up and colorful and was very happy with how it turned out.  

I added a wide piece of ric rac, because I love ric rac :).  The bad had a few pieced pieces and then we wrote a note on one section of solid yellow.  

The rest of the back was finished off with a perfectly matching vintage sheet I found!  It turned out well and I quilted it with loops! My favorite, of course :) 

Teachers Give Us Wings Quilt

I don't think I ever posted this finished quilt. The summer got wild and it slipped my mind, so I wanted to make sure I got it on the record :).

This quilt was made for a special teacher. She loves aqua and red with some black and white thrown in. I was thrilled that there were so many wonderful fabric options to use. I went with a simple block layout to highlight the bird. There area also a few pieced blocks added in for personality! I "enlarged" a bird on the black and white print for the focal point of the quilt. The bird is 18" square to give you an idea of size. The quilt itself is 72" square. The binding is Kona turqouise. I quilted it with a turquoise thread in a loopy pattern, at a 45 degree angle across the quilt, to match the "flight" of the birdie :). It made me smile.

The simplicity of the quilt really makes the bird pop- which is what I was hoping for! Teachers are incredible people and have a special place in my heart. This teacher made all the difference in the life of a precious little boy I know, and she needed an appropriate thank you. When I was having the fabric cut, the LQS said they wished they were his teacher- hehe! This was the least I could do! And a quilt is like a big hug, so everytime she wraps up in it, she will know she's loved! What better gift!

Without further ado... Teachers Give Us Wings...

Teachers give you wings :)

I can vividly remember my favorite teachers growing up- Mrs.Gaddy and Mr.Williams. They still hold a special place in my heart, and I would love to give them both big hugs again for all they instilled in me and my classmates! Neither are teaching any more. They had a gift to teach more than just what the words said- pushing us to learn and grow and become better people. Encouring us to try new things and live life to its fullest, making sure we knew we were important and brilliant! Teachers make such a lasting impression on our children, I love finding ways to thank them back!

I am working on this quilt for a very special teacher I know. It's a surprise- and if she's reading this, don't peak!! Some teachers have a magical way of making regular education something that illuminates the "lightbulbs" in our minds- this one does for sure! So I had to make something for her to have to hold to remember that- a quilt it is... She loves turquoise, and red, black, and white. Perfect! Since she gives children wings to learn, the birdie became a nice symbol.

I wanted a very simple design- 9" blocks with it being 8 blocks square- that I could add something to, to make it magical! The moment I saw the little birdie fabric, I knew I had my "magical"! Isn't this just the cutest??!! So an applique birdie was just the thing to give it wings :)

The bird is 18" across to give you an idea of perspective- I love him!! I also pieced a square for each row to give it a little more zing- two of the rows have a heavily pieced square and the other 6 rows just have a two pieced square :). It gives is some fun variety, I think...

I have the top done, so now to make my sandwich and figure out how in the world I want to quilt it. I want to do a fancier something- any ideas?? Hoping to have it sprayed and pinned by tonight :)