Surprise, surprise

Sometimes we - or rather, I - start a project and don't know if I'll like it in the end. Especially when I'm just winging it, working off an idea in my head. Those ideas don't always turn out.  That happened quite recently.  When it does, the top gets folded and put away or at least on the bottom of the pile. One was so butt ugly I gave it to daughter for the dog.

But not this time.

I've been wanting to do a flying geese quilt and have been on a mission during  this Great Pause to use my scraps.  After randomly constructing these geese/goose units I thought I was really going to like this one.

But there was one problem.  Seams.  Lots of them.  Let me tell you, when I finished this quilt top I put the machine back in the bathroom closet.  But I found I really, really liked this top.  It's not big because I just plain got tired of using the machine to make the geese.  Because of the seams and my arthritic hands I knew if this was ever going to be quilted I'd have to send it to a long arm quilter.

Friend Marilyn knew of someone, Dawn, who lives about 45 minutes away.  I've only ever had two other quilts finished by machine and that was many years ago, so Dawn and I talked about batting, what I was looking for, and where on her porch to leave the quilt. 

And here it is, finished and beautiful, she did a beautiful job.  I was so excited to get it back yesterday I put the binding on immediately and just finished sewing it down.

This quilt really makes me smile when I look at it.  I don't know why but it hits just the right note, it turned out exactly how I wanted it to and that doesn't always happen.