A bridge is really a seam. It takes pieces that were never meant to meet and joins them so neatly you can walk right across. Bridges Worth Stitchin' For gathers our favorite spans from the Stitchin' In series, each one drawn like appliqué and embroidery, with a river running underneath and the name of the place lettered below.
Steel arches over wild water
Some of these bridges are showing off, and they have earned it. Stitchin' in New River Gorge flings a silver steel arch between two steep green cliffs with a waterfall tumbling far below. Stitchin' in West Virginia fits a stone arched bridge, rushing rapids and misty blue hills inside the state outline. Stitchin' in Duluth stretches a long silver bridge across the harbor while a little ship sails through and pine trees crowd the far shore. Stitchin' in Minneapolis sets a sweeping white arch in front of a tall skyline, and right where the river should be, a happy tangle of red and blue thread spills out next to an artist's paint palette. We may have recognized our own sewing table in that one.
Covered bridges and country crossings
Then come the gentle ones. Stitchin' in New Hampshire tucks a red covered bridge beside a winding stream, with snowy peaks and a burst of autumn gold rising above it. Stitchin' in Pennsylvania is the one to study with your reading glasses on: red barns, rolling fields, the Liberty Bell and a steel bridge, plus spools of thread planted in the farmland like a crop. Stitchin' in Greenville curves a white arched footbridge over a sparkling falls, with a walking path along the bank and a red brick building peeking through the trees.
City rivers, stitched into the neighborhood
Stitchin' in Hartford frames a red brick arched bridge, a blue river and turreted buildings inside a soft rounded window. Stitchin' in Harpers Ferry looks straight down from above, like a map, with two blue rivers meeting under a bridge and the whole scene finished with a pinked label along the bottom, just like a fabric tag. Stitchin' in Atlanta and Stitchin' in Little Rock each set a skyline behind a river crossing, and Stitchin' in Michigan fills both peninsulas with rolling blue waves, tiny sailboats and pink cherry blossoms, with a bridge stitched across the top.
For the quilter who loves the long way around
These are for the scenic route drivers, the quilt shop hunters who always take the back roads, and anyone who has pulled over just to photograph a covered bridge. They are for the quilter who knows that the best part of any block is where the pieces come together. Pick the crossing you could drive with your eyes closed, or the one you are saving for a fall color trip. Just remember to press those seams open before you cross.
Written by Jenny. Thanks for reading.
