Mission accomplished!

The back story: In the Fall of 2011, a few months after Jammer started school, I was thinking about how very grateful I was for the teacher he had. Barely into the school year I already knew that she was beyond terrific and that he would really excel under her guidance. At that time I was working on my Christmas list, wondering what to get the teachers as gifts and also started wondering what sort of gift would be appropriate for the end of the school year gift. I figured that a they received a lot of gift cards to restaurants and Starbucks and I didn't want to do that. I wanted to give them something that was much more long lasting, a gift that would continue to remind them of my child and their year together and that would truly demonstrate my deepest appreciation for all that she does. It was then that the Teacher Quilt Project was born.

I can say without hesitation that the memories of gifting the quilts last year will stay with me forever. The look on his head teacher's face when she saw what I made is etched in my mind and it is what kept me going through the hours of making this year's quilts. All 3 teachers from last year have mentioned to me many times over just how much they love their quilts. That was definitely Mission Accomplished...they continue to remember that school year and the kids they taught which was the whole point in the 1st place.

 This year's 4 teacher quilts have been gifted and I can say that they are a complete and huge success just as they were last year. Each one of them was totally surprised and ecstatic with their quilt. Here are a few pictures from the "giving". Unfortunately we were inside and the lighting isn't the greatest but at least we were able to capture the moment.

These are Sunshine's teachers receiving their quilts. We gathered all the parents and kids from the class and everyone celebrated the wonderful teachers together.

Sunshine's head teacher. She was totally blown away with the quilt and absolutely loves it.

Sunshine's assistant teacher. She was shocked that anyone would give her such a great gift.

This was the giving of the quilts to Jammer's teachers.

The room was chaotic, with all the kids waiting for the graduation ceremony to start, but we were still able to snap a few photos.

This is Jammer's head teacher. She was beyond thrilled. Unbeknown to me before, it matches the colors in her bedroom.

Jammer's assistant teacher. I think she is a happy with her quilt.

Making these quilts is a lot of work and I'm not sure yet if I will do it again next year. Both kids are changing schools so they certainly won't be expected but if I don't make quilts I'll definitely make their teachers something extra special.

This project is such a work of love for me and I truly enjoyed the process. Using patterns and fabrics of my choosing was much easier than last year's plan and they all turned out great.

Teachers are so important! They hold such young lives in their hands and the lessons they teach our children go beyond the basics of Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. They teach lessons for life and for that they should be celebrated. I know that these quilts do just that.

I'd say that is definitely Mission Accomplished!