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Monday, February 10, 2014

Quilting & Cruising 2014

 
androsia
This beautiful “Androsia Star” quilt by Irene Knowles is just one of the many entries in the Stepping Stone Quilter’s annual quilt show in Nassau, The Bahamas. I was one of 8 quilters who boarded the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas ship in Port Canaveral at the end of January for a five-day cruise to The Bahamas. And this show was a highlight of our adventure. We were blessed with lovely weather and calm seas during the trip, and of course everything people say about the food on a cruise ship is true- it’s wonderful! Here’s the ship below, at anchor off the private island of Coco Cay. Tender boats run cruise passengers back and forth from the island. The sky and water are such a spectacular blue.


enchantment

The Stepping Stone Quilters never fail to deliver on a creative and fun-filled show. This year, each member created a nearly life-size rendition of herself in fiber or mixed media. It wasn’t hard to match up the members with their fiber selves. Real clothing, teeth made from a shell, glitzy yarn hair… the project was a study in personal flair.



steppingstone
 
junkanooman

“Junkanoo Man” is an applique image representative of the annual Junkanoo Cultural Festival which is a musical street parade held after Christmas. Groups don colorful and intricate costumes, dance and play music while parading.

 
oneyear


Guild leader Maria Chisnall filled her year in 2013 by making a 6” quilt a day, each incorporating new or special techniques. The small pieces were grouped together, and made an impressive display which was fun to study. One of our group commented to Maria about her creativity, saying, “I’d love to see inside your head!” Indeed… Maria also came up with the life-size representations of members to include in this year’s show. She loves to explore new avenues in fiber arts and quilting.



labels


This detail shot, and the one below show a couple of my favorite quilt pieces she included in the 365- not that you could really pick a favorite. We’re already talking about another cruise, perhaps in 2015.


starfishChihuly


We also took a short history tour of Nassau, and stopped at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort where I was stopped in my tracks by this gorgeous Chihuly glass sculpture in the casino. We also visited The Queen’s Staircase, which we wisely walked down rather than up. All in all, it was a memorable week, and it bears repeating!


staircase

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Call Me …

 DSCN3773
I’m back to working with paper and enrolled in an online class called Takin’ Care of Business taught by Gaye Medbury at Creative Workshops. Gaye’s videos covered all of the skills needed to make a soft-cover book using folded pages and an easy method for inserting and sewing the signatures in the book so that the book lays flat when open. Mine is a phone and address book.
DSCN3775
The pages are staggered and a few pockets are placed throughout the book. It’s intended to store all of those business cards that seem to pile up in one place. I adhered the ones I’ve collected, but also printed out all of the passwords for various online sites on adhesive address labels and included them in my book. I’ve still got lots of empty pages, so I can keep accumulating. I plan to use one section to keep all of the quilt show reminders for the coming year, too.

DSCN3776
This is page one and the inside front cover. We used plain copy paper for the pages, but in another book, I might want to use colored papers. I can dress these up with tapes and cutouts though.
DSCN3777
I collaged the front and back cover using scrapbook paper, text paper, and stamps. The book didn’t take long to make, and I really like the heft and weight of it. Lay-flat books are so handy, too, so I know I’ll refer to this one often. Now that I’ve mastered the methods, I’ve got ideas for at least two more books I’d like to make.