Last fall I created one of my all-time favorite quilts, and then in January I put out a little teaser about the project with great intentions of writing this blog post the very next day…
Well, it’s several weeks later, but I am just as excited today as I was then to show you Quilt #53!
My son is a senior in college, on the verge of walking the stage with his first degree, and then headed straight into graduate school to get a master’s while finishing up his football eligibility.
Of course, to me he is still this adorable, little boy headed into his first day of 2nd grade:
At that time, I was worried that he was “getting lost in the cracks” of the classroom.
He was not a behavioral problem, and he did not have academic challenges. I noticed that since his teachers didn’t have to reprimand him nor supervise his work, he was just sinking back in the activity of a lively class.
The summer between 1st and 2nd grades, I took this concern to a teacher I knew through my PTA work on their elementary school campus. She had taught some of our other coaches’ kids in previous years, and I knew her reputation as an incredible educator, a kind and supportive leader, and a very hard worker.
When I told her my concerns, she said that although Cannon was not identified as Gifted & Talented, his file did note that he was a high achiever and would be eligible for her “talent pool” class.
*Look below for a special Cannon anecdote that perfectly describes my SonShine.
Mrs. Pool set my worries to ease when she told me these words which I vividly recall all these years later:
Ashli, I promise his enjoyment of learning will blossom in this room.
She was right – it was a fantastic year, and certainly one of his favorite years of school, ever.
The only downfall about that is that 2nd grade was quite early in his academic career!
But it’s been a great ride. And as graduation looms near, I still see Mrs. Pool’s influence and the positive impact of his year in her classroom.
Best of all…
Through social media, Mrs. Pool and I have stayed in touch.
She’s watched and supported Cannon as he’s grown up, found success, and become a wonderful young adult.
Likewise, I love seeing her own sweet son grow up and head off to school, himself. Not surprising to anyone, she is a loving, encouraging, awesome mom!
When Lisa reached out last fall asking about a quilt for her mom’s Christmas present, I was elated to have an opportunity to give back a fraction of what she did for Cannon and our family.
After sharing some ideas, we decided on a large sofa snuggler for the size and my go-to log cabin pattern for the design. She said that her mom’s favorite colors are red, blue, and neutrals so I immediately envisioned vintage, Americana prints.
Using my own fabric stash, I created scrappy log cabin blocks that have a traditional red center, signifying the heart of the home. The light logs are creams, tans, and golds. The darks are blues ranging from sky to navy.
I added two borders, one in solid white and the second in a geometric print that has navy, red, and white on a light blue background.
The backing fabric is a deep, russet red background with ivory text on it.
The quilting motif is a traditional meander.
And for the final step, the binding has navy stars on a light background.
Of special note: several of the scrappy log fabrics are left over from Cannon’s nursery when he was a baby which was also done in these vintage Americana colors.
The final result is gorgeous, and although it was MIA in shipping for a few weeks and missed Christmas delivery, it [very thankfully] arrived just in time for June’s birthday on December 30th.
After gifting it to her mom, Lisa shared this very sweet report with me:
Hi Ashli! I just wanted to quickly tell you that my mom absolutely loved the quilt. She LOVED the colors and fabric choices!!! As she was crying happy tears, she kept saying, “I know how much time, effort, and love Ashli put into this quilt.” And she said that I couldn’t have given her a better gift.
That makes my heart very happy!
So, that is the story of Quilt #53: A Quilt for Mrs. Pool…below is a gallery of all 25 of the scrappy log cabin blocks and another photo of front, back, and binding all together.
And as promised, a little side note on Cannon’s GT journey.
Always give grace – with love and hugs,
Ashli
*Fall 2004 ~ Carleston Elementary School, Pearland, Texas
A few weeks into Kindergarten, Cannon’s teacher called to say that the school wanted to test Cannon to move him into the Gifted & Talented program.
Coach and I agreed that was fine, explained to Cannon that they would pull him out of class to do a special assessment, and told him not to worry, just answer the questions the best he could.
On the way home from school the afternoon of the test, I asked how his day was.
“Great,” he replied.
“How was the GT thing?” I asked, not wanting to make it seem too big of a deal.
“What GT thing?” he asked.
“Didn’t someone come get you out of class to answer some special questions today?”
“Oh, yeah. Did you know they were going to do that during recess?”
I could see where this was headed…
“No,” I commented, “they didn’t say.”
“Well, we were sitting in the cafeteria taking the test, and I saw my class go out to recess, so I told them it was time for me to go outside to play football and asked if I could leave.”
And that was the beginning -and the quick end – of elementary school GT.
Ah, the priorities of a 6 year old.
Of course, 16 years later, I feel certain he would do it the same all over again!
That’s why we love them exactly as God makes them ❤️
December 2006: Mrs. Pool’s 2nd Grade Star of the Week
Cannon still loves dogs, he’s still good at baseball and football, and he’s still nice.
Without a doubt he is still a very good friend ❤️❤️❤️
Leave a Reply