What Next?

I just finished this quilt Saturday and now I have to decide what to name it and what to do with it. I used several different names while it was in process, but still haven't quite decided. Partly, it depends on what I end up doing with the quilt.

In the past, I have known during the construction process who would end up with the quilt, but this one is an orphan. It is a "Saturday Sampler Block a Month" quilt from my local quilt shop and I worked on it (off and on) from October, 2oo8 until May 2010. For some reason, it has not been my favorite quilt and I've had many struggles with it. But, now it's done and I find I like it after all -- I think of it as kind an ugly duckling that grew up to be a swan. Some possible names:

• Housatonic: kind of convoluted, but let me try to explain. In 1963, I worked in the radio physics lab of Stanford Research Institute. We were analyzing data from 1962's nuclear bomb blasts in the South Pacific. These tests had code names (now de-classified). Starfish was the first and largest of the blasts. Later tests carried the names of rivers in the Northeastern United States. One of those was Housatonic -- it was one of the lesser blasts.
  
• Stars Over Africa: Not sure if this is politically correct -- black quilt representing dark continent with black people. I'm considering donating the quilt to the church to raffle off as a a benefit for digging wells to provide clean drinking water closer to where people live in Mozambique.
  

• Sophomore Slump: I made this quilt during the second (sophomore) year of my quilting journey and I think it did represent a bit of a slump in my enthusiasm. I'm happy to report that seeing the project completed has turned that slump around.
  
• Bete Noire (this program won't let me put the accent circumflex over the first "e"): a black beast, literally and figuratively -- that's what I'm calling it for now. And now I must decide what I'll do with this king-sized (92x108) black beauty. Click on the photos to see larger images and more details such as the variegated quilting thread and the tiny multi-colored polka dots on the backing. Suggestions for names and fate are welcome.