Cruise-A-Palooza!!!

 A week ago we got back from our Cruise-A-Palooza, (a nickname from the YA's) and oh my goodness, what a wonderful time we had!!!   I mean, when you start with Cruising and add Quilting . . . could it get any better!!!  Thanks so much for to my friends at Stitchin Heaven for having me come and teach another Quilting Cruise (and I am teaching again in January, just in case you want to come quilt and cruise with me!!!)  

I taught my Nordic Nights class, and I have to say, this is one of my favorite classes to teach!!!  I get to teach curves, and I love seeing people realize they are not as hard as we feared they would be.   And then the block goes together so quick once your curves are done and just looks so awesome.  And we had so much fun in class!!!  Everyone did so great, and go so much done!!  And I was super excited to get to teach two of my nieces in class.  Didn't Marian and Kamree do such a great job on their blocks!!! 

And if you are wondering what class looks like on a ship . . . Well, about the same as class anywhere else, just with crazier carpet :)   This is half of the group, and then the teachers switch and teach the other half of the group on the next sea day.   That way each quilter gets their own spot for the whole trip and can come and go 24-7 as they please :)   Ya, lots and lots of Happy Quilting!!!

And speaking of Happy Quilting . . . This is the finished Nordic Nights quilt from the Stitchin Heaven Kit.   So pretty!!!   We had so many students finish their quilt top, it was just amazing how much they all completed.   I will say, we did have an extra day at sea due to some high winds, so that helped with progress.   It is kind of funny, when you don't get to port, everyone on the boat is pretty sad, but quilters, they just sew some more and see it as a bonus :)  

And I so enjoyed getting to teach with Elizabeth!!  She is another super Happy Quilter, so of course, we were kindred spirits just having a wonderful time cruising and quilting :)   

While on the cruise, I also got to share a trunk show!!   I brought all of the quilts from my Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book to share with my new quilting friends.   And my nieces and nephews were so kind to come and help hold quilts.  And Elizabeth was so great to take pictures during my trunk show.  I didn't realize until I flipped through all of the pictures she took, that I get quite animated while doing a trunk show.  

I know, you are all surprised right :)   I just can't help but get excited while talking about quilts.   Although, this one looks like I am a little nervous the ship will sink, tee hee hee ;)

And I have no idea what I was talking about here and what this stance is all about, but my niece and nephew seem to be trying hard not to crack up at crazy Aunt Melissa ;)   Let's just say, the Fast and Fun Lap Quilts Trunk Show is just that . . . Super Fast (talking that is) and oh so Super Fun!!!! 

So that was the Quilting part of Cruise-A-Palooza . . . but there was also some Cruising!!! 

And these guys just made the Cruising part oh so much fun!!!   Along with my Jacob (my sweetheart) and Barbara (grandma), I had my two oldest children, 4 nieces, and 1 nephew along for the ride!!  And they did all of the Cruising!!!!   As my niece put it . . . "We survived seasickness, dominated competitions, ate so much food, tried not to anger Emilio, danced our hearts out, was eaten alive by mosquitos, got sunburnt, did not get lost in Mexico, and had a great time with each other!!"

And of course, we loved getting off the ship as well and exploring beautiful Honduras and Cozumel Mexico!!  Snorkeling was for sure a favorite of all!!! 

Thanks Jacob, Barbara, Spencer, Jessica, Kirsten, Kamree, Makell, Dallen, and Marian for making Cruise-A-Palooza so great!!!  You all made me feel 22 again ;) 

Oh and I thought I would sign off with this . . . 

Coolest find on the ship, An English Paper Pieced Grandmother's Garden made from Soccer Jerseys!!  

Looking forward to Quilting and Cruising again in Jan 2025!!! 

Candy Stick Quilt!!!

It's another secret share day!!!!  I was so excited when Stephanie, from Fancy That Design House, asked if I could make a sampler of her Candy Stick quilt ;)  You know how I just love making Christmas Quilts and this one reminded me of the candy sticks my grandparents used to give us on Christmas Day!!    Stephanie designed this super festive Candy Stick Quilt using her just released, Cozy Wonderland Collection.   Isn't is just so happy and bright!!!  

I just love all of Fancy That Design House fabrics and this Christmas Collection is just so bright and festive, you can't help but sing a carol or two while sewing with it :)   This quilt was so much fun to piece.  Chain piecing, Half Square Triangles, and some fun four patches.   Just so great!!!  I just love the variations  Stephanie designed in this, it just looks like it it bursting right out of the quilt!!! 

And aren't these Cozy Wonderland prints just so great!!!   The colors are just so rich and the prints are so happy making ;)   The vintage Santa's, adorable sweaters, and sweet stockings are just so cute!!  And I just love the Teal added into the classic Red and Green ;)   The quilt is Yardage Friendly ;)  It finishes at 57" x 74" so it makes a great lap size to cuddle in!!  

And when it came time to quilt it, I wanted to add a little curvy goodness to all of those sharp points, so I decided on an all over loose feather design!!    I just love how it gives so much flow and texture to the design.  And you all know my favorite 402 Pearl was perfect for this quilt, blends perfectly with the background and is nice and soft on all those bold colors ;)

And along with the quilt, I also made some pillows!!! How cute is this Cozy Wonderland Pillow Bundle!!!  And it is always just so fun to make pillows, you get such quick gratification with finishing small projects, and they just look so great going with the quilt!!!   Two of the pillows from the bundle use Stephanie's adorable Cozy Wonderland Panel and the other two are pieced.   Just so fun!! 

And  that is my Candy Stick Quilt and Cozy Wonderland Pillows;)  I had so much fun making these and it just gets me in the mood to do some more Christmas quilting!!!  Oh, and how gorgeous are these  2 photo's that Stephanie shared.   She takes the pretties pictures!!!   I want to go visit Stephanie's backyard, just lovely!!  

   

And that is it for today, so how about you . . .It's almost June and that means Christmas Sewing in Summer!!!  Do you have any Christmas Sewing Projects you are planning on this Summer???

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First we need to pick some winners;)  

The winner of the Flower Girl Layer Cake   from Fat Quarter Shop from  TTGD when I was cruising is  . . . #195 . . .Congrats sbsemom!!!  I have messaged you ;) 

   

   

And the winner of the $25.00 Gift Certificate  from    Lou Lou's Fabric Shop    from last weeks TTGD is . . .      #447 . . .Congrats Kathy Secor!!!  I have messaged you :)

      

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Green Fairy Quilts.  Green Fairy Quilts is your home for pre-cut goodness and they always have amazing sales going on every weekend on a selected pre-cut or notion!!!   And did you know that Green Fairy Quilts has a Deal of The Day, I just love these!!!    And Green Fairy Quilts is currently having an  Amazing Layer Cake Sale with 30 -50% off!!!!  Also, Green Fairy Quilts has just added lots and lots of new pre-cuts to their 50% off Page, you won't want to miss these!!! 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway, Green Fairy Quilts will be giving one lucky reader a brand new Autumn 10" Stacker by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs!!!  This is such a fun fabric line that would make a wonderful fall project!!! 

You have two entry chances here on the blog, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.   Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me what is your favorite season?? 

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Green Fairy Quilts love.   You can Sign up for their Newsletter which I highly recommend as it will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales!!  You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook,  or you can visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Green Fairy Quilt Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, May 28th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Piece and Quilt Sampler QAL - Month 2

It's Month 2 of the  Piece and Quilt Sampler Quilt Along and I am just so excited to share my second set of blocks!!!  Thanks to Fat Quarter Shop for hosting this awesome quilt along from the Celebrate with Quilts book!! And here is the month 2 finish, so fun :)   

I am making my Piece and Quilt Sampler in a diagonal Rainbow of Ombre goodness. (see plan here)  I love how it makes some of the blocks two color ways.   Just fun ;)  So this month we started with a 12" Album Star block.  I did try to match the fabric in the center diamond, and I just love how it turned out!! 

And then, it was on to the 9" Hovering Hawes block.   This one went together in no time flat!!  And the fun thing, I had extra HST's to make the colors work, so I just trimmed them down and now they will work for the outside border of the quilt.  Yippee!!! 

So are you joining in the Piece and Quilt Fun???  It's going to be such a fun QAL!  Oh, and once you are done your blocks, Be sure to share your Piece and Quilt Sampler progress on social media with #PieceAndQuiltSamplerQAL and check out Fat Quarter Shops post for Month 2   for lots more Celebrate with Quilts Inspiration!!!   

And that's it for Month 2 - 12" Album Star and 9" Hovering Hawks Blocks in the Piece and Quilt Sampler Quilt Along!!!!      

Thanks for popping in today ;)  Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

Some Ship Projects!

While I don't expect to have a lot of downtime on the Quilting Cruise, I figured I might as well pack a few little projects :)   So I grabbed my Sweet As Honey quilt pieces.  I cut this one out clear back in 2022 so it is well aged and ready to be made into a happy baby quilt!!!  And isn't' it so fun how the project bag matches the project, that was a happy coincide ;)  

And second, I told you when I shared the Bobbin Blooms from my last Sew Sampler box that it was going to shoot straight to the top of the list.  It is just so cute!!!   I managed to get it cut out last week and am hoping to get it pieced in little bits of down time ;)   I don't plan to have a lot of time in the evenings (the young adults have lots and lots of plans) but lucky for me, they tend to sleep in and I am an early riser ;)  

Be back soon with hopefully two more quilt tops to share ;)   And now I am wondering, do you like to take small projects with you on vacation as well??? 

Oh . . . and since I know someone will ask, I am sorry but I don't know the pattern for those adorable project bags.   They were given to me as a gift for teaching at a retreat and I just love them!!!  If you happen to know of the pattern, just let me know in the comments and I will add it to the post ;)