Aviatrix Medallion

Sigh...............................

I am very frustrated. My newly upgraded internet connection is CRAP. I'm so frustrated with the whole thing. I'll be in the middle of a presentation, and then I'm not. It takes about 3 minutes to get it back up, and then I have to reconnect things. It's not pretty at my house when that connection drops. I think the internet dropped about 5 times yesterday that I was aware of, and two of those times, I was on Zoom. 

Let's just say that I'm calling my provider yet again. I wonder what excuse I'll get this time. If it doesn't get fixed in two days, I'm switching providers. I can't deal with this, and I'll just pray that the other provider isn't going to have issues either. 

I did cheat a wee bit yesterday, and while I got homework assignments done and made some samples, I also sat in the backyard and read a bit and chatted on the phone. I needed a mental break. I'm not even listening to audiobooks at the moment. I've let THREE books expire and didn't even renew them yet. There are just times when you need to take things slow and let stuff go. That has been the last couple of days. Am I worried? Nope - life goes on. We are talking quilting here, not open-heart surgery!

We went out for dinner, and then I walked back in time for my Zoom call. I LOVE it - no rushing to drive anywhere, no driving home in the dark. I swear that when things return to "normal," whatever that is, that I'm not going to want to go back to the old ways. This is so much more convenient by a mile. For those people that are refusing to embrace this new class/retreat format, you are MISSING a lot and will continue to miss a lot as not only me, but other teachers decide that this method of teaching is way better than in person. Yes - I get it that not everyone is comfortable, but what if this is the new normal?? All I need is a stable internet connection. Are you listening, Bell????? 

What I can't understand is why it was working very well before we upgraded, and now it drops 4 or 5 or possibly more times in ONE day? What did they do, or what didn't they do???

I'm going to share with you the pictures from our Aviatrix Medallion class last night. We're getting to the end of the quilt. As a matter of fact, a couple of people are done, but we still have a couple of classes and will be chatting about quilting and finishing the quilt up. A luxury we never had before. 

This is the cover of the pattern in case you don't remember what the quilt looks like. 

The pattern for Aviatrix Medallion

This is Deb's quilt. Deb is new, and she hasn't made a lot of progress in the last couple of months. I'm going to suggest that she stop right here and finish it up. It's better to have a small project finished than a large one not finished. It's OK to deviate from the pattern. As a matter of fact, if there is one thing I want to emphasize to all the students and to everyone. It's OK to deviate from the pattern. Why are we compelled to copy exactly what the designer did? 

Deb's quilt

This is Dana's quilt. I LOVE those colors! It's looking great, and she is planning on finished the last two sets of borders. She has some time set aside to keep working on it. It's a challenge when one is working or has small children. 

Dana's quilt

Corrie is working on the log cabin blocks for her next row. I love the JEWEL tones in this quilt. I believe that she is going to add the log cabin row and call it done. The quilt will still be about 70" square at that point, which is a great lap sized quilt. 

Corrie's quilt

Cathy stopped at the log cabin border and added a final border of solid fabric. And it looks fantastic. I love how the blue log cabin blocks in that outer border keep your eyes dancing around the quilt. It's awesome!!!

Cathy's quilt

The next one belongs to Rita. Now that's a totally different take on the original quilt, and it looks awesome! Rita is also going to add the final border, but she hasn't had a chance to get to it yet. I can't wait to see what she does with the coloring. 

Rita's quilt

Maria also got her quilt top done, except for the last border. Hey  - that picture came to me about 30 minutes before the start of the class!! Maria kept true to the colors and layout of the pattern. It looks great! 

Maria's quilt

Gisele's quilt top is DONE! And it looks amazing. This is an excellent example of using yellow in a quilt, but not dominating the quilt. It's not a color combination that I would ever have come up, but I like it, and I'll keep this in mind when picking a new color scheme. 

Gisele's quilt

 

And here's my finished quilt top minus the last border of cream. That will come one day soon and making the binding and the backing as well. I had to laugh as someone commented that they didn't think that I could make the Aviatrix Medallion in two colors. Why not? I just used a lot of different fabrics with different values. I love the end results. 

My version of Aviatrix Medallion

So did we learn stuff in the class? You bet!!! Just because the pattern designer chose one way to do something, there are so many different and sometimes way easier ways to cut and sew a pattern. Take, for instance, that butterfly block in the outer border. Many did NOT want to do it, and neither did I. But I found a quick and easy way to cut that block. That made putting that row together very easy compared to the pattern. 

That's the beauty of my classes and other teachers as well. I'm taking over twenty years of experience and passing it along to the students in hopes that they will look for easier ways to do things, to think outside the pattern, and change it up if something doesn't work. 

I know - I go on and on about Zoom, but here's the thing. I have much better attendance with the Zoom class than in real life. Why? Last night, we had someone traveling up north while they Zoomed (they were the passenger); single parents can put their kids to bed and still participate, others can finish the quilt at the last minute and get the picture to me for show and tell. They would NOT have been able to attend if we were meeting in person!!!

On that happy note, there are FIVE projects that I'll be teaching in this same manner - a one hour lecture each month for a year. It sure breaks down the huge task of some intricate quilts. I'll post all five of them tomorrow as I've decided which ones made the list. I've done this format of class for close to 20 years. I should count up the projects one day, but I bet we're over 50 different quilts now. 

I thought I'd share my Route 66 map (OK - so I'm obsessed - I can't help it). Look, I have so much company on my journey. There are tons of people doing this virtual walking and if for no other reason than it gets us out of the house and moving. Each one of those blue dots represents a certain number of people indicated on the dot. What's nice about these walks - they are NOT a race. You do your own pace so if you want to take two years, you take two years. You want to cram it into 6 months, then that's your choice. The idea is that EACH day you do something. 

A bit of company on Route 66

I'm excited as I near the finish line! I'm estimating about 50 days to get there! 

On that note, that's it for today. I've got the homework done for the two classes this morning - let's pray that the internet doesn't go down. At least the call remains open even if I (the host) drop. Otherwise, it would be a total nightmare. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!