Mainely Quilting

Back from the wonderland that is Maine, I've pin-basted the lake quilt (how appropriate is that--lakes and Maine?) and it's ready to go on the machine.

Other than for the lake itself, I have no idea what threads will be used for all of this free-motion quilting. The water will be stitched with three shades of green. Those periwinkle flowers in the tall grass could be a bit of a bug-a-boo because of their small size, but something will occur to me (I hope). The rocks might be a lot of work but will also be fun once I figure out what color of thread(s) to use. The turtles, geese, dogwood blooms and lily pads will be the last to stitch so that they can appear as dimensional as possible. The fabric on the edge is just a temporary extension of the backing, not a border or a binding. It serves to cover the batting, which also extends beyond the quilt-top edges and tends otherwise to get caught under the machine needle.

And speaking of Maine...forgive me for posting a couple of photos, but I don't get out a lot. Nature scenes are a big deal when you're a landscape quilter, and Maine is a world away from Kentucky.

This is on the way out from Portland to Great Diamond Island, for my niece's wedding rehearsal dinner. The weather was great, so I was able to get some wonderful shots for quilt inspiration.

Then there was the day-after brunch at my sister-in-law's home. I pretty much want to live in a tent in her back yard...

...but as you can see from the first photo on this blog entry, I did come home.

I can't sign off here without sharing this next little gem. I had taken a few ratty white washcloths on the trip to wipe makeup (which I wear seldom and very little of) off my face after the rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception. But as ratty as they were, housekeeping kept taking them away with the nice hotel washcloths, so when my husband and I went to the grocery today we bought some more.

After I took them off the grocery shelf and tossed them in the cart, my husband, a punmaster from way back when, picked them up, pointed at the brand name on the package and said, "Couldn't be more appropriate, since they're replacing the ones that stayed in Maine."

Gotta admit, that was a good one.

Hooking up with Sarah over at her Whoop Whoop Friday link (since I'm definitely whooping about getting the lake quilt on the machine). She just happens to be showing some other folks' work, which I missed seeing last week. There are also plenty of reader blog hookups to check out at the bottom of her post. Also hooking up with Leah Day at FMQ Friday--she's dyeing fabric, something I want to do eventually.

Hope everyone has a great week. Don't know if I'll get to post again before heading out to Jackson, Wyoming on the 22nd with my son and daughter-in-law (it was no joke when I said I don't get out much--this summer is the exception). Looking forward to visiting with my daughter-in-law's family, rafting on the Snake River and hiking in the Grand Tetons with them, and bringing back even more photos for quilt inspiration. Yeah!!!!

Stay cool, everyone!