Threadcation (noun) : a trip to the water where the sewing kit gets its own tote bag. Stitched by the Shore is our seaside corner of the Stitchin' In series, full of lighthouses, piers, palm trees and waves drawn in wavy lines of stitching, and if you look closely, a few spools of thread that clearly packed themselves.
Lighthouses, wild horses and boardwalk lights
Stitchin' on the Outer Banks pairs two lighthouses on the dunes with wild horses galloping along the sand while kites and an old biplane drift overhead. Stitchin' on Block Island perches a white lighthouse on a green bluff above a picket fence, with two red bicycles parked in the sand and red thread spools hiding in the beach grass. Stitchin' in Biloxi brings a navy and white lighthouse to the Gulf, with shrimp and oysters swimming through its striped waves. Stitchin' in Ocean City stretches a pier across the top with two bright Ferris wheels, and beneath it the waves roll in stitched ribbons of blue down to a sandy beach dotted with umbrellas.
Island time, with a volcano or two
The Hawaiian designs turn up the color. Stitchin' in Kauai shows towering green cliffs layered in stripes like a stack of fat quarters, a waterfall threading down to a quiet cove. In the Hawaii Eruption design, a volcano puffs fiery orange into billowing clouds above a golden beach, with thread spools and fabric stacked in the corner like a stash that followed you to paradise. The Hawaii Surf design sets a palm tree, surfboards and another pile of spools on the sand, while the waves underneath curl in every shade of teal. Stitchin' in Honolulu wraps its crater peak and big blue wave in hibiscus blossoms and surfboards.
Palms, pinks and a pincushion on the sand
Stitchin' at the Gulf Shores lines up palm trees and little sailboats over rainbow waves. Stitchin' in Los Angeles goes pink and glamorous, a skyline of palms and towers with a curl of film reel looping above it. Stitchin' in North Carolina fits the whole state from mountains to coastline, white dogwood blossoms included. And Threadcation is the one that gave this post its name: a retro roadside sign crowned with a coconut drink, two palms, and a plump pink pincushion resting on the beach with a tropical cocktail stuck right in it where the pins should go.
For the quilter who packs a project in her beach bag
These are for the retreat-by-the-sea regulars, the cottage renters who find the nearest quilt shop before the nearest restaurant, and anyone who has hand-sewn a binding under a beach umbrella. Choose your coastline, and let the sand fall out of your seam ripper for weeks afterward. It is the best kind of souvenir.
Written by Judy. Thanks for reading.
