Quilting & Cruising 2014

 

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.

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.

 

“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.

 

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.

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.

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!