Me and My Shadow

Table runners are fun to make. You can try a new block and make something useful rather than relegating it to the orphan pile. You can buy a kit and finish over a weekend. They are a great way to get your quilting "fix" with getting discouraged by yet another UFO.

This one I finished up today as a gift for my neighbor. It's a kit from Connecting Threads. One of our fellow bloggers mentioned she buys most of her fabric from CT then adds a kit to qualify for free shipping. Great idea!

The border fabric is a whimsical Halloween print with lots of costumed faces. Very cute! And the pattern was easy. The only difficult part was figuring out the "quilt as desired" step.

This finish was rather bittersweet for me. Yesterday we said goodbye to our beloved lab Jessie. She was only 8 years old and her health deteriorated rapidly. This was a sudden loss, but it wouldn't have been any easier any other way. I feel numb and empty. As a distraction from the aching grief in my heart, I decided to work on this table runner yesterday. Done. I have another table runner to get me through today and tomorrow. There is a shadow at my feet, watching me sew and waiting for her next pat on the head.

In memory of Jessie, my sweet, goofy, playful puppy dog. 

May you have plenty of squirrels and balls to chase and a soft blanket to cuddle with in heaven.