Take 1 (really it’s about Take 23).  While it’s fun to look at, I think it looks like I stuck the quilt in a light socket or something.  The petal/leaf things are like right on top of the pineapples and those tropical fruits need some breathing room.  But I’m loathe to mess with those borders, so I try something different.

What if I organized the leaves by color: cool in the middle, warm on the outside?  Still not liking it.  This is a Truth-in-Advertising shot, showing how I load up the edges of my pin wall with related and unrelated junk.  Can’t help myself.

Leaves off.  Flip borders, so narrower light part (next to the green vine) is out and wider is next to the pineapples.

More borders cut and sewn on.  I’m constructing the borders separately from the pineapple centers.  I made the fatal error of hand-appliquing on the vine.  I wanted to see what would happen if it were sewn down–it was really puckering before (it’s fine now).  But does that mean I have to hand appliqué all those sprightly leaves onto the thing?  (AAAAGH!)

Poking the leaves/petals/whatever back on.  Trying to adjust for balance in size, number and color.  I feel obsessive.

I think I’m pretty much there with the arrangement.  By flipping the borders, it gave the flowers more room, so they are not crowding the pineapple blocks anymore.  I’ll trim down the outer borders, but just that little bit gave the design some breathing room.

I started back to school on Monday.  This is Corner A of my classroom, a windowless affair with a high distraction rating.  The computer is behind that roll top desk, next to the TV with the dinosaur.  Doesn’t every college classroom have a dinosaur?

This is Classroom Corner B, with split personality model.  We are in the Respiratory Therapy classroom.  As Rachel noted on Instagram: “At least she’s wearing a shirt.”  Yep.

So when I got home, even before we’d had dinner, I’d eaten most of Tanzania.  This lovely little box of chocolate is from Trader Joe’s and was a stocking stuffer gift from my husband.  They only carry this at Christmas, so I feel lucky to have it just for such emergencies as this.  Sao Tome may be gone after my next class.  I’m thinking I might have to take it with me and put it in the car, to have it as I drive home through the LA bumper-to-bumper traffic.  Yes, I might.