The Office is shaping up

This is the back wall of my office.

The office is shaping up. It is getting a feel of what I am about. My director told me today that it looked like home. That was a big compliment. I get a lot of work done every day because I love being in my office. He even said I could hang a larger quilt on one of the hall walls. I told him it would be sometime before I would have one that big to hang. I pointed out that there is an old rod that one of the window shade type maps go on, that is without it's map. I guess they don't plan on having it repaired. The rod is still there and I have been eyeing it for a larger quilt. Maybe a memorial quilt for the Hospice patients. Just a thought.

I put the stained glass hearts up and I took a picture. Several visitors have asked me where I got the pattern. The outline of the heart and the breaks in the heart came from a book by Better Homes and Gardens it is called Grandma's Best Full Size Quilt Blocks published in 2002. Page 117. The block was supposed to be a tile block from 1890 -1920 time period of quilting. I felt that I wouldn't be able to get the space between the pieces even so the idea of using black bias as lead and make it stain glass looking came to mind. I used mostly batiks but there are some blenders and funky dyed stuff in there too. I really love it. I don't like the way the binding was after washing. I don't know if it wasn't square or even prior to washing but it is a little wonky. I will one day take the top binding off even it up again and rebind. I did everything the hard way on those blocks. I made the bias. Hand appliqued it in place. The next one I make I am going to use the already made stuff from the fabric store and sew it down on the machine with my double needle. I used a medium loft poly bat that I got from Bonnie that was given to her to use in charity quilts. I quilted on each side of the lead using my zipper foot or foot # 4 on my Bernina. I wanted the hearts to pop. They really do. I have had several co-workers to offer to buy it from me.

The plant in the office was a birthday present from my daughter, Kimberly. The florist didn't put a stick in it to tell me what it is. They just told her to tell me to water it once a week well and it liked indoor or low light well enough. If anyone knows what it is please let me know. The picture was a gift from a grandmother of one of the babies I took care of when I worked in the NICU. It is a print of one of her earlier water colors I think it is dated 76.She signed it Especially for Charlotte, under her signature. Her name is Elizabeth Carter. This print reminds me of my children when they were that age. I used to have it hanging in my den. I had the walls painted and just never got it put back up. So now I am enjoying it once again.

Charlotte