Quilt Seminars at Sea Alaska Adventure

Finally,

It was time to set sail on our cruise to Alaska!

I had already premade my block

 for the group quilt...

And as a gift, 

I jumped on the 

ducks to be found at sea 

and created keyring on my Bernina 990

 to give to participants...

Once on board the 

Holland America Eurodam 

I was eager to pick up my welcome pack.

The next day we got started:

"If" 

and 

"When" 

I get it quilted.... It 

"MAY"

 look like the above... 

We'll see

We spent the first half the day cutting carefully preselected fabrics in to minuscule 

bits to mimic the pattern.

I... a previous victim...

and not willing to take a chance...

had my ruler with handle to hold and thick glove.

Alas, others did not.

We lost 2 quilters in the morning and 1 more in the afternoon session to rotary cuts. 

One never made it back :(

By the end of the day 

I was really loving the layout!

(Wish I had taken more images along the way... but the boat was really rocking and rolling!)

The next day we had to

CAREFULLY

& very stressfully

slip the board we had dragged 

in our suitcase under the quilt.

This was a 2 person job...

I would definitely have done this before starting this project had I realized the fragility of it. 

and if I do it on the road again,

 that will be the only way I do it. 

I found lifting this on to the board very stressful.

Once complete...

Everything gets covered in netting

 and must get pinned tightly

 in place against boards.

And then I took a final glance... admired my work... & taped closed my 

"3 Sided Standing Report Display Board"... 

hoping it would stay in tact til it 

made it home to be completed...

Saphire Blue Jazz???

Wool& Company has slowly become my clothing of choice...

They have a fun sale each summer. 

(This was my first year to participate)

Previously purchased or sample items are purchased by size & group... 

but it is luck of the draw what you end up with. 

I was very lucky and got 3 items I really liked. 

                                 But---

I really needed another every day dress.

Quickly, a marin maxi dress came sup for resale                       & my daughter jumped at it! 

Quite the bargain!!!

But--- OY: the color!!!

COLOR Wild Orchid

$85 

$164

FABRIC. SIGNATURE 160

Durable lightweight knit. 78% merino wool, 22% nylon. 160 gsm.

Easy elegance. Marin is your perfect pop-on-and-go dress.

• Maxi length (52” on size M)
• High and wide neckline
• Dolman sleeve
• Elastic waistband
• Inseam pockets

Care & Origin:

• Machine wash cold, line dry.
• Made in Korea.

M  

Mystery Three-Quarter Sleeve or Long Sleeve Dress

Mystery / XL

$85.00

So...

I ordered dye on amazon... 

and gave it a try!!!

I figured if I blow it, 

I have an overpriced house dress...

I chose:

Jacquard Acid Dye 1/2oz Jar Sapphire Blue - 

Acid Dye for Wool

Jacquard Acid Dye 1/2oz Jar Sapphire Blue - Acid Dye for Wool, Silk, Alpaca, Feathers, Cosplay Wigs and Nylon - Powder Wool Dye for Full Coverage Dyeing - Vibrant Acid Silk Dye

I used the biggest pot I had laying about

 that I knew I'd never use again

 since the dye would destroy it for cooking...

After bringing to a simmer with

 dye and acid...  and

 constantly mixing with tongs

 I thought I had achieved 

an amazing color...

I dipped in a paper towel to check my water/dye mixture...

and indeed... dye was nearly 

fully absorbed by my dress!

After spilling out dye...

letting dress cool some and then viewing I saw how uneven it was...

SOOOOOOO, I did the prep 

all over again start to finish.

Second time around...

After dress cooled down enough to rinse off I laid it out on towels to dry and saw it was still splotchy and gave up...

I concluded it is what it is and 

I was out of energy for the day

3 days later... 

I tried the dress on today...

to my surprise...

it is kinda oceanic and jazzy. 

And I think it kinda looks like 

I created it to look this way???

for now, it's a keep as is...

to be redone when the urge hits.

who knows, 

perhaps this is the beginning

 of a new hobby???

ALASKA QUILT SEMINAR 2025 CHALLENGE BLOCK CONTEST

Just 30 days 'til we set sail!!!!

ALASKA QUILT SEMINAR 2025

CHALLENGE BLOCK CONTEST

"JOIN OUR

CHALLENGE BLOCK 

COMPETITION"

We are holding a Challenge Block competition

 on board our Alaska cruise. 

Therewill be a prize awarded based on votes

 from quilters, non-quilters, and even other

ship passengers and staff!

All you have to do is follow the simple instructions below!

CHALLENGE BLOCK INSTRUCTIONS:

Before the cruise make a 10” block 

(10.5” unfinished and unquilted) 

reflecting the theme of :

“Bearfoot in Alaska”

NOTE: It is very important to 

ensure your blocks are not

smaller or larger than 10.5”

• Unfinished

• Unquilted

• There are no fabric requirements

• No need to label your block, 

we will provide a label to

put on the back.

The theme is your starting point and must be incorporated in the block,

but is open to your own interpretation. 

Any technique is acceptable:

piecing, appliqué, embroidery, etc… 

just use your imagination!

The winner will receive all the submitted 

blocks and can use them to

create a fabulous memorable quilt 

of our Alaska cruise!

PLEASE BRING YOUR BLOCK WITH YOU TO BE COLLECTED ON

THE FIRST DAY OF THE CRUISE 

I purchased a design on line to embroider on my B700e after much exploring on line for something that felt just right...

Eventually I went with this one:

Except background... 

I used just scraps...

Eventually all the different fabric 

scraps were sewn in to place

Then it was time for embellishment... 

and finally, it was done!

press & cut to size...