Coming up for air...

There is an end in sight. Two final projects for two classes finished and turned in (a paper and a web site I had to create). A set of research I need to complete as part of my assistantship -- hopefully this will be done today! A stack of student finals to grade and then calculate the grades. If all goes well, I will be able to take mother's day off! YAHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

In the meantime, since I can see the end of the tunnel in sight (but to get there I have had NO time for quilting/playing with fabric/the things I really enjoy), I thought I would post another past project. I gave four quilts as gifts last Christmas. One for my mom, one for my cousin, and this one for my aunt (yes, there is one more -- I'm saving it since I don't actually have a picture of it yet, but since it's currently on the floor downstairs where dd dragged it this morning, I can take care of that later). It started on a trip last summer to the west coast. While visiting my friend Bonnie (oh she of the wonderful quilting help), I may have done some fabric shopping. Ok, who am I kidding? I may have done quite a bit of fabric shopping. I picked up some fat quarters that are totally unlike my usual color palette -- but they were only $1.00 each. I couldn't pass them up! I figured they went together, I could make bags or something -- gifts for someone else. When dd and I moved on from Bonnie's place near Portland to my aunt's place near Seattle I showed my aunt the fabrics I had purchased. She LOVED the fat quarters that don't really go with the rest of my collection. They are, however, HER colors. Serendipity, I am a big fan!

The final leg of last summer's adventures was to New Mexico with Mom. She asked me if I could use the fabrics my aunt had loved for a quilt -- um, yeah, had been thinking that one myself. She'd buy any additional fabric/patterns, etc. I just needed to make it. Sounded fair to me. I found this pattern -- the sample on the cover isn't my thing, but the pattern itself is great. It says 5 minutes to shop, 10 minutes to cut. Um, they may be off a little bit. I think it took me 12-15 minutes to cut all of the fabric for the top, binding and part of the back. But then again, I had to iron. I found a wonderful Robert Kaufman oriental print that just seemed to sing with the more muted earth tones I already had, some great batiks, and voila!

I sent this one off at the same time I sent off my mother's -- and again, the longarm quilter who does my quilts did a FANTASTIC job. You really can't see it in this photo, but she did an all over cherry blossom and oriental fans pattern. I finished it for Christmas, and my aunt loved it!

Only a few more days and I can play with fabric again! WOOO HOOOO! Wish me luck at the library!