It was harder than I thought to tell my boss this morning that I would not be back next year. I actually cried for about 15 minutes afterwards. I will definitely be leaving a piece of my heart behind in that little school library. I accomplished my mission of leaving the library in much better condition than I found it. Time for someone else to come in and put their own spin on it.

Time to bring home only those things I’ll truly use and give away/leave the rest. I have a couple of brand new teachers who will thrilled to have some of my stuff to outfit their classrooms next year. Win-win for both of us!

on the list of people officially leaving my school at the end of May. On Monday, we had one final check-in with our financial planner before I drafted my official resignation letter. I am still waiting to get in to see the big boss, whom I have to officially notify. I did tell two trusted coworkers, who were happy for me and completely agreed it was the right to do, but were a bit dismayed to learn that I am actually leaving. Next year is shaping up to be more of the same. I made the right call. It’s simply not worth the stress.

Let’s start packing!.

I have my favorite go-to patterns for baby quilts. Sometimes I like to mix things up and use a new-to-me pattern to keep things interesting. It’s time to start my quarterly donation quilt for a children’s charity, and I want a fresh pattern to use this time. As with the previous charity quilt, all materials must come from my stash. This time I added the additional challenge of using a “free/no cost to me” pattern, as well.

I searched online, visited the public library and went through my own pattern and book stash.

Here’s a sampling of some resources I found online:

Fat Quarter Shop

FavQuilts

American Patchwork & Quilting

Other sources for free patterns:
Your public library, local quilt shop, local quilt guild or fellow quilters in your area.

Shop your own pattern & book stash:
I love my 3 yard quilt books from Fabric Cafe. Occasionally, I choose a different pattern just to see what it will look like in my chosen colorway. I often flip through my Lori Holt books for inspiration. I have even used blocks pulled from a magazine or book and set into a quilt setting found in one of Lori Holt’s books.

If you find a pattern you like online, bookmark or pin it. Use it as an inspiration for your own design. If’s a one block type quilt, can you identify the basic components of a single block? Squares, HSTs, Flying Geese, 4 patches, etc. Identify what drew you to that quilt and replicate that in your own design. Many baby quilts finish at 36″ x 45″ or 40″ x 48″ and are based on a 6″, 8″ or 9″ finished block. Borders are optional, but are an easy way to get a quilt to a needed size.

Let’s get real. If you’ve been sewing/quilting for a decent amount of time, you can probably look at a simple quilt and figure out how to make it on your own, or you already own a book with a similar pattern. No need to buy a new pattern. I’m not trying to deprive designers of income, but why would I pay again for something I already own or can figure out with a little math? $12 for a pdf pattern is a bit much for a quilt I’ll probably only make one time? Just sayin’.