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...