AUDITION

Now I am at another design decision point.  I must figure out what to quilt in the large triangles framing the center of Mom's quilt

 I considered a celtic knot, to mirror the appliqued center block.  I realized that would require ruler work and I haven't practiced with the curved ruler yet.  I thought about long parallel diagonal lines but that, too, would require ruler work.  I prefer Free Motion Quilting (FMQ) to the tedium of ruler work.

I decided to try feathers with background filler to set them off.  I tried pebbles and straight lines. The pebbles gave the background more interest and texture; plus Steven liked that better.  Who am I to reject good advice?

 It's dark here in New York by late afternoon and the bright florescent lights don't show up the texture in a photo.  I illuminated this with a small,  lighted make-up mirror. (I use it to check the backing stitches).


Here you can see the detail better.  I used an old sheet and some scrap batting to make a piece the same size as the triangle in the quilt.  It shrunk up quite a bit.  I like the effect.  I think I can accomplish this on the Nolting.  

I stitched this out this afternoon on the 201-2.  It was good therapy.  Overnight, Wilson was up three times and was clearly getting weaker and sicker.  He deteriorated through the morning and while I had hoped to keep him home until he passed,  he was clearly suffering.   He lay peacefully in the back seat of the car, his head in my lap as we drove to the vet.  We didn't have to move him inside.  Despite the bad weather, they came out to the car to lovingly tend to him. 

He is buried in the yard.  It was sleeting and snowing as Steven and I filled in his grave.  Wrigley and Frannie came out but didn't really pay much attention to Wilson's body.  Wrigley sniffed, Frannie whined and barked from a few feet away.  They did not seem perturbed.  Even my sudden bursts of sobbing don't set them off now.  He was a good boy and a fine dog.  I will miss him so very, very much.