A bazillion things

So, I took so long between posts that I am about to burst with things to write about.  I am amazed at how therapeutic blogging is.  It's been several days since I posted and I am feeling all pent up with things to say!  I also have been really busy working on projects....the first one I want to tell you about is a quilt I just finished for a very dear friend.  She moved away recently and I miss her dearly!  This is the kind of friend who know all your deepest, darkest secrets (and loves you anyway).  So, to tell her how very much I love her...I did the only thing I know how to do - I made her a quilt.  It's not a total surprise, I wanted her to love it so I asked for her input on fabric selection.  I think she has been anxiously waiting for a posting about her quilt, so.....S, this is for you!

This is the front of the quilt and this is the back; I can't decide which is my favorite.  Sometimes I like the back better than the front!

As I was working on this quilt, I had the front of the quilt on the design wall and started to play around with the layout of the backing.  This is what I noticed as I stepped back to see how the layout looked.   I think I have a new quilt design in the making...

Today, I decided to start on another project I have had in my mind for awhile.  I wanted a little more pizzaz in the dining room, so the chair started out like this:

Well, it was actually an intact chair but I forgot to take a picture before I tore it all apart.  And now, it looks like this:

There were over 150 staples in the chair holding the old fabric on and by the time I pulled all of those out and stapled the new fabric back on, my fingers were very sore!  So, I'm thinking about one chair every few days.....we should be done in a month.  Okay, there are only four chairs so maybe in a couple of weeks I'll have the rest done.

I taught a beginning quilt class at Bernina of Dallas on Saturday and I have another class tomorrow night.  I will be teaching School House Tunic from Sew Liberated.  I have made this tunic twice now and I just love it.  It's really easy to make and looks so cute.  The possibilities are just endless for personalization.  It looks great with leggings or over jeans.  But above all, I just really love teaching.  It doesn't matter what I'm teaching, it's the act of sharing knowledge and watching the excitement as the project comes together, that I love.  I'm so happy to have found such a great shop that lets me do something I love so much.  The gals at the Bernina store are so helpful and have a wealth of knowledge between them.  And we all know how much I love my new machine!  I am truly grateful to own such an amazing tool.  I have been thinking lately that she really needs a name.....I'm thinking maybe we need to have a name Michelle's Bernina contest.  With a prize for the winner?  Hmm.....I'll come up with the specifics and post the rules in the next couple of days and we'll see if she can't end up with a name finally.