ModSew:: Teacher Quilts

 I knew all school year that I wanted to make all four of my girl’s teachers quilts BUT then I waited until the last minute to make them. I have come to realize I like the pressure I think. I work well under pressure. So I used Jeni from In Color Order’s Giant Start tutorial for all of the quilts. I knew it would make a big quilt and I think the star makes a big impact. I used a mix of printed fat quarters and also white fabric to make them.

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Not the best picture in the world but this is what a parent sent me when I asked if she had a picture. She said this is the back of my camera but I will email them to you but it was at this moment I saw the mistake! I am so over it now but I had handled that quilt so much and even photographed it (see below) and hadn’t noticed at all that star point. I called the teacher, who happens to sew as well, to let her know how sorry I was about the mistake and she said Stephanie I love it even more now. I have to say my heart smiled. Sometimes my friends life isn’t perfect but making the most of it is what it is all about.

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For the first three quilts I used one line of fabric but split up the color ways. I sent one teacher a text asking her to pick between pink, yellow, and blue but NOT telling her why. The teachers had NO IDEA they were getting quilts. She picked yellow so she got this one which I was able to back with one fabric. I pieced that backing and you can see it in this picture but not when you are up close. It was so pretty and she LOVED it so much. She was such an amazing teacher to both of my girls and I am so happy she will now have this to remember the girls by.

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The other teacher who had both of my girls got second color choice and she picked blue. This teacher also sews and the WHOLE time I thought okay I want hers to be perfect. Yes funny how that played out. I didn’t even notice the mistake when I was taking this picture. To my defense I was rushing around getting everything in order for the end of the year program and had a dad hold these for me to get some quick pictures. I had JUST finished binding all of them that morning!!!

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The third quilt was actually the first one I quilted on my friends long arm that I have at my house for a little while. I cried a lot of tears getting the hang of it and had to take out a lot of stitching but in the end it all worked out. This teacher loved that she ended up getting pink and she was the one that went home washed and snuggled hers that night. I love that. She didn’t have my oldest daughter but she was an amazing teacher to my youngest this year. I am so happy I got to give her a quilt as well.

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This was for my oldest daughter’s kindergarten teacher. She was such an amazing teacher for my oldest to have for her first year of BIG school. She was such a kind and caring teacher and she really let the kids be kids which I thought was such a magical thing. She is moving after the school year is over back to Pennsylvania to be closer to her mother, which I totally understand, and she needed a reminder of Florida. I used this super bright citrus themed fabric. I loved this quilt so much. It was super bright and happy! And my daughter kept telling me how much her teacher loved yellow so it worked out perfect. Her teacher LOVED it and the label made her cry. It had lots of info but also a quote about it takes a big heart to shape little minds. It was so perfect for her. She was amazing.

GIVEAWAY:: 25 Prizes to celebrate Modern Sewciety’s 25th episode

Let’s CELEBRATE 25 episodes with 25 prizes!!!!!

 

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WOW I can’t believe this week is the 25th episode of the Modern Sewciety podcast. This space on the web and my space in the podcasting world is my heart, soul, and passion. I put everything I have into making it become the one and only place to meet today’s modern creative bloggers. I am so thankful for all of your support so I thought a celebration was in order! A BIG CELEBRATION!

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Featured Blogger:: Jeni from In Color Order

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Meet Jeni Baker from In Color Order. I recently chatted with Jeni on episode 020 on the Modern Sewciety Podcast. She was such a sweetheart. I love when you can chat with someone and it feel like you have been friends forever. She loves this industry and it so shows. She has a fabulous website with a fantastic blog, tutorials, pattern shop, and her four fabric collections with Art Gallery Fabrics.

So let’s dive in and get to know her a little more.

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Jeni’s first collection was Color Me Retro which is inspired by her love for vintage pyrex and kitchen wears.

If you have looked at Jeni’s blog you know she has a great collection of Pyrex and such. Her second collection was Nordika and is inspired by the Scandinavian countryside with florals and geometrics.

Her latest and most recent collection is Dreamin’ Vintage which is inspired by her love for vintage sheets. Jeni has a huge collection of vintage sheets and this is actually how I came to know Jeni way back when. I love vintage sheets so much and she always had the most swoon worthy on her blog. I am excited about this new collection which would will look great in quilts, home decor, clothing, and so much more.

She just released what her collection for Fall will be and it is amazing, Geometric Bliss. This collection is full of color and bold but also soft florals. This collection will also have some prints in knits and voile. How exciting is that?!?!?!

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Jeni has some great patterns in her shop. These are two of my favorites! The lined draw string bag with all of the different size options. These make great gifts and also great bags to organize your stuff! The Color Hex is another favorite of mine. I love everything about this quilt… the colors on the one pictured on the pattern are simply perfect.

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Jeni has a great series on her blog called her Favorites. I love to see the collages from all of the things she has loved throughout the week on her feeds. I think it is great inspiration. So many wonderful quilts and projects to get my sewing mojo flowing!

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Jeni is fabulous at tutorials. They are all so well organized on her website. She has a bunch of them and they are organized by the type of project and she has some recipes as well.

The Modern Plus Pillow is something I have been wanted to tackle. I need to make some new shams and this may be the tutorial I needed to get my going. I mean aren’t those fabulous?!?!?!

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I have made a Giant Star Quilt using this tutorial several times and let me tell you this is an easy quilt with a HUGE impact. I love this quilt and it uses fat quarters. So if you want a large quilt with a great design that is easy…. here is your answer. The Giant Star Quilt is amazing.

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Jeni also has a tutorial for the lined draw string bag… this isn’t the same as the pattern. The pattern has options for sizes and such. But if you want to make one to try it out then this tutorial is awesome. I am thinking about making some more for my girls to have for their stuff they take to church, the car, the everywhere.

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So head on over to Jeni’s blog, In Color Order and I promise you will find something to make and some fabric to love!!!!

If you haven’t listened to my chat on the Modern Sewciety Podcast, episode 020 with Jeni please go check it out because she was such a sweetheart.