Wednesday Randoms

Having just finished a project, I'm getting back into other things, so I have some randoms to share today.

First some cool pictures. We recently took a trip from Chicago to Colorado by train--my favorite way to travel. I didn't take any pictures on the train (much of our travel was during the night), but I have some indelible images in my mind of two breathtaking sunrises--one against the mountains turning the snow pink and a neon orange and gold one over the plains on the way home--and a nighttime view of the landscape in the plains illuminated by a full moon. I did take some pictures at Union Station in Denver while we were waiting for our return trip. The station was restored a few years ago. The lobby, surrounded by restaurants and hotel rooms, is a delightful place to while away an afternoon; my husband found access to the hotel's Wi-Fi and I was content to quilt. 

Here's the station's exterior. (I was too close to get the whole thing in one picture, so imagine these three stacked as one): 

Lots of quilty inspiration here!! And here's the inside:

Delightful! (No other word for it.) It's hard to get good pictures in such an open space. There were little seating areas all around (I should have got pictures of them), but I just wanted to keep looking up at all of the beautiful moldings and light fixtures. 

When I packed for the trip, one of my top priorities was leaving room in my luggage for a small quilt and a collapsible PVC quilt frame so I could do some hand quilting on the train and in our hotel during the evenings.) So here's what I was working on:

Most of my quilting on the background of this quilt is from the back. It's stippling and doesn't really show on the front, so it's much easier to do it from the back where I can see what I'm doing. 

Oh, and while we were on our trip, I got an email from Hawthorne Threads letting me know that I had won a bundle of fabric!! Yea! I have been entering their giveaways for a long time, but this was my first win. By the time I got home, my package had arrived.

Here's my bundle:

Paperie by Amy Sinibaldi for Art Gallery Fabrics. Silky smooth and delicious! They also sent me three of their digital fabric sample strips (Roam, Forest Fables and Norwegian Wood):

Aren't they great?! I don't think it will be long before they find their way into some special quilts. 

So this week, I'm back working on other projects that are waiting for a finish. Our weather's the same as it was last week. Schools were off yesterday and again today. I didn't take any pictures this time. Just look at my ones from last week. They look the same. The weird thing, though, is that between last week's post and this week's, the snow melted almost completely. (Actually, that's kind of typical for this time of year.) Perfect weather for quilting. And painting. After  days weeks months  years of dithering about paint colors for our bedroom, I finally picked one (and even bought the paint). I forced the issue by painting splotches on the walls to audition them. Good plan, don't you think? So sometime in the next few days there will be more painting than quilting. 

In the meantime, I added some beach bits to my Lake Michigan quilt.

It's a slow process. I think I need to add a little "dry" sand between the wet sand and the dune. (Seam ripper time, but that's okay)


Have a great week. And if you've never taken a train trip before, do consider it. If you're in the US, it's a great way to see America's backyard and to get some perspective of the vastness of our country. There are lots of little stories I could tell you about the microcosm of a coach car, but you just have to experience it for yourself. (And don't forget to take a little quilt project with for some slow stitching.)

I'm linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts today for Let's Bee Social.