A couple of months ago, one of my fellow knitting quilters on Ravelry posted a question about donating a quilt top to charity; I replied that my guild would be happy to have it for our ongoing project to ensure that every person who comes through the SAFE House domestic violence shelter gets a quilt of their own to use at the shelter and then take with them when they move on. Not too long after that, cattywampus sent me the gorgeous Rail Fence top in the picture over there. I didn’t want to just put that in the pile at the guild for someone else to finish whenever, so I found some coordinating fabrics in my stash to make a back and started quilting. I finished it up at the retreat house last weekend and turned it in at Saturday’s guild meeting. I love that the internet made it so easy for a quilt to start its life in Pennsylvania and get finished in Michigan, worked on by two people who have never met in person. That sort of thing doesn’t surprise me anymore, but it does delight me.

I was also delighted to be able to meet up with Mel in Toledo and spend an afternoon chatting and lunching and shopping. Again, something I wouldn’t have gotten to do but for the internet, since that’s where we met. Of course I wish her visit to Ohio hadn’t been a result of being displaced from home by Hurricane Ike, but it was great to see her again. I am not entirely sure if it’s so great that one of the things we did was visit a bead shop; up until this point, I’ve resisted the lure of their pretty colorful shiny wares, but this time I gave in. I fear I may have a new hobby soon. Good thing I did buy some beads, though, since I couldn’t get any fabric since the quilt shop was closed when we showed up around 4:30. Silly quilt shop.