The first one is my Neutrals quilt. It's for a lady I always think of in shades of brown. Normally, I don't think of brown as pretty, but somehow she and these fabrics make brown wonderfully warm and inviting. She's kind of an unsung hero, so this quilt seems appropriate. I think it's gorgeous!
The second is called "Outside the Box," and it's a quarter log cabin block. It looks a lot harder than it is. In fact, I was pretty intimidated by the pattern, but it went together surprisingly well. The colors are bold and dramatic, which is appropriate since the recipient and I have frequently bumped heads, but still in the long run I am grateful that she continued to give her best to my daughter even when she and I were at odds.
It's always sort of bittersweet to part with quilts I've made. I tell myself, though, it's better to put them in the hands of people who will use them, love them, and feel good every time they see them rather than letting the quilts take up space in my sewing room. I tell myself that multiple times when necessary!
Oh, and the pillow – no picture of that, I guess. I had actually made that teacher a quilt a few years ago and didn't want to make her another one, so my daughter suggested making her a pillow in the same fabrics. That was a pleasure, because it's my favorite fabric of all time (see it in the bar at the top of the blog) and she's one of my favorite teachers of all time. Win-win!