It’s taken forever and a day (or so it seems) to get the folded flange and border attached to my fractured image:

I blame the weather. It’s been so sunny and dry in Portland since my last post that the Dear Husband and I have been spending an inordinate amount of time outside. Watering and weeding, weeding and watering. (Big sigh.) I shouldn’t complain because we’ve been enjoying the bounty our small urban garden is providing: rhubarb, raspberries, French filet bush beans, perfectly plump Early Girl tomatoes, potatoes, apples, and all manner of herbs. It’s ever so satisfying to venture out into the backyard and gather whatever herbs are going into our dinner. I’ve already made a big batch of pesto using basil, parsley, and sorrel — and now all three are begging to be picked again. Oh, and we are going to have an artichoke!

Now that my floral fracture is framed (so to speak), it’s time to make a quilt sandwich and get to the quilting. I’m auditioning a variety of thread colors by pooling them on the quilt top:

It’s rather hard to see the thread but that’s the point: I want the quilting to add subtle texture without it being the first thing you notice when you look at the finished product. I’ve decided to quilt simple wavy lines diagonally across the quilt. I may wind up testing the thread colors on a scrap to help me decide whether to go with green, aqua, or a variegated green/blue thread.

I’d really like to get this wrapped up in order to move on to the next project, which I am already dreaming about.