Did it just rain again?

Really I'm not an ungrateful sort of person, but if anyone out there would like some rain let us know -- Ohio is one of those parts of the USA that has been getting more than we need and I'm sure we'd be happy to share at least one rain storm with say southern California -- yikes!!

 

See that cute little yellow pan on the edge of the pond -- it was empty Friday,

but by the time it was safe to go outside again on Sunday morning, it had a good 3" of water in it.

That meant there was little choice except to sew all day Saturday!

Gordon helped me finish the quilting on this charity quilt. 

He keeps it from sliding off that end of the table?!?

On Sunday, I trimmed and bound it.  As I trimmed it, I was reflecting on how much I learn about machine quilting every time I finish another charity quilt. 

I did a great deal of straight line stitching to give it a graphic masculine feel.  I like the look of it, but it's a lot more work than free motion meander quilting. 

I should have done a bit more pre-stitching math to calculate line spacing on some areas of the quilt.  By the time I got all the green squares and triangles on the front filled with straight lines, I was bored, too.  So I switched to some free motion meandering and my spider webs. 

This top was my February stash busting project to create a donation quilt.  I used the Moda Love LayerCake Quilt pattern cutting my 10" squares from the green shelf.  The fall floral for the background has been in my hoard for over 10 years.  I'm not sure the "cute" panels do much for the quilt, but it's another lesson learned -- they are too close in value to the central green triangles.

But I did use a lot of green -- about 9 yards altogether!!

And the quilt will head down to eastern Kentucky with a local mission team in July spending a week working for the Appalachia Service Project.  I think it will be a good quilt for a man -- so often our charity quilts feel more like they should go to a child or a woman so I always try to get one or two manly ones organized. 

This is my fourth finish from the list of goals I set back in early April for the 2015 Finish-Along over at On the Windy Side.  I set eight target projects and while I didn't get four more finishes, I did make progress on three of them.  So I'll roll them forward into the third quarter at the top of the list!

(That list is HERE.)

 

Today's post is dedicated to Coal, my frequent companion over the past four years in the garden,

in the sewing room,

and around the neighborhood.   

One of my daughters and I live together. Coal was her dog but when she is working, he has been my dog.  We lost him rather suddenly Monday to a neurological disease that wasted his muscles. 

I will miss stepping over him on my way to the ironing board and our daily evening walks.

Rest in peace you old sweetie!!

 

Mary Huey

 

Linking up with all the other finishers at the

2015 Finish-along over at On the Windy Side!