The teacher quilts are totally complete and tonight they were given to their new owners. I'm proud to finally be able to share the finished quilts with you.
The name for this one came to me very easily. The green fabrics and the basics of what teaching means immediately led me to call this quilt Growing Young Minds. I think it really fits. Getting good outside pictures was a challenge, between struggling against the wind and rushing before the rain came yesterday to still more wind today but plenty of sunshine.
This wasn't the layout I drafted for this quilt. When I laid it out that way, it didn't look or feel right. With the help of a graphic designer, soon to be a quilter friend, we readjusted and came up with this layout. Much better. Each pieced block represents one student in the class and the scrappy border worked well.
I pieced the back with leftover scraps and I really like the result. I think pieced backs are going to be more of my norm than not from here on out.
The white is actually a very pale pink that kept the greens looking softer and I chose to use the same for the border.
The quilting is a swirly design in green thread that really worked well to blend all the elements into one cohesive piece.
I am proud of how this quilt turned out and it was a major learning experience for me. Finished size is 46" x 62".
Because of the time constraints for getting this quilt done, I sewed both sides of the binding on by machine. While the binding is certainly secure, it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Until and if I ever learn to do that much better, I'm definitely going to prefer hand sewing the binding the more traditional way.
The young teacher that received this gift tonight was speechless. She is more of a quiet type of person and she is new into her teaching career and I'm sure she never expected such a meaningful gift. She was definitely moved and grateful. I hope it helps her to see just how special teachers become to their students and their families.
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4 Comments:
Wow!! I love that quilt so much! Just amazing!
this is my favorite xx
What a fabulous way to show your appreciation. I work in the School of Education at a university. I see the new grads head off full of butterflies for those first year teaching jobs and no doubt that young lady will NEVER forget this gift even if it does wear out one day.
It looks amazing!
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