Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Setting Sail Searching Sunnier Scenery

I know it is cliché to say "I really needed to get away....."  but it was never more true than this year.

Rich and I escaped the winter of 2015 for a week long cruise in the Caribbean aboard the MS Nieuw Amsterdam of Holland America.

But before we left, I worked up this little quilt as a Birthday gift for my friend, Diane of Persnickety Quilts.  We have been quilt friends for almost 20 years.  She sent me this block, which she appliquéd for my birthday a few years ago.

I machine quilted it with silk thread in the traditional echo style of Hawaiian quilting.  I almost went with a plum binding, but decided to stick with the perfect color theory combination of green with the red and cheddar.

I sued this wonderful New York themed fabric for the backing.  I hope Diane will forgive my free motion quilting.  I just don't practice enough!

On to the getaway.  Here we are docked in Key West.  It was such a fun port to visit.
While away I did a lot of this....
 Quite a bit of this...

A little bit of this....I'm basting here in the cabin so I can stitch on a lounge chair.
 A few rounds of this....
 And nightly dining with Herman and Harris who spoiled us at table 84.
And all too soon scenes like this were replaced
with scenes like this.

Fortunately I have a couple of wonderful things to look forward to:

I'll be a the AQS Show in Lancaster on Friday.  Say Hi if you see me and visit my Jubilee quilt.

I also learned before leaving that my Jubilee Quilt has been accepted to AQS QuiltWeek in Paducah in April and I've already made plans to go!  I'm so excited and thrilled.

I hope you have all had a great week too.  I'll share more travel photos soon.

41 comments:

Pat said...

You are a Lucky Duck!!! A vacation cruise, Lancaster and then on to Paducah - big congratulations to you and well deserved. Savor each moment.

Lori said...

Wonderful winter to getaway!! Is your snow gone now?

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

It is nice to get away but especially since you get to go to Lancaster and Paducah this year. Wowser! I know your Jubilee quilt will be a bit hit at both shows! Congrats!

rondiquilts said...

Fun with Barb! I love it! I wish I was going to be at Paducah this year, I was last year. Would love to run into you! Glad you had a get away. We ran away during the first snow blast here in KY. Great to be on the south side of the misery.
Rondi

Kyle said...

What a great get away. And then to come home to some quilting fun. Isn't it great that your awesome quilt has made other exciting plans for you! Enjoy!

Sujata Shah said...

Wow! The quilt is beautiful and the pictures of your getaway would make anyone slight green;-) perfect place to be during the winter east coast have had. Enjoy the shows.. Congratulations Barb!

CecileD said...

Ooooh what a beautiful trip Barab and thank you for sharing with us !! Your each presents are so cute !! Made by heart...
Cobgrats for your wonderful and awesome jubilee quilt !!
You know what ? I didn't write again in my blog but....I will go to Paducah too...:))))
If you go there, maybe we can meet there !!
xoxo

Unknown said...

I'm so glad you and Dad had such a relaxing and enjoyable vacation -- no one deserves it more than you two! I love and miss you both xoxo

Judy in Michigan said...

Congratulations!!!!!!! Lancaster and Paducah! Wow!!! Your vacation was wonderful - we have been on Holland lines before and love them. I am so happy for you!!

Linda in NC said...

Congratulations on getting your quilts hung in Paducah - and Lancaster, too!

Looks like you had the perfect get-away.

Janet said...

Your free motion quilting looks good to me. What a lovely birthday gift! Your view of the beach looks pretty lovely too. I hope you had a wonderful time!
Enjoy the shows! Yippee!

Raewyn said...

It looks like you had a great time - and congratulations on your acceptances!!

Chris said...

Congratulations Barb! It is a lovely quilt and I am sure it is even more lovely in person. Wish I could go to Paducah and see it! Nice that you had a little getaway, we're all ready for spring!

Thimbleanna said...

Awwww, Hanna commented -- what a cutie!!! It looks like you had a wonderful time -- cocktails are the way to a better life LOL!

And now two great quilt shows to attend -- How Fun!!!

Diane said...

Good for you! You certainly deserve a break from winter. So glad you had a good time and even got some stitching done. Only 3 weeks until spring break for us, and I am counting the days for sure!

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Congratulations on your Paducah acceptance and have a super time in Lancaster. Hope you stored up enough sunshine to make it through 'til spring!

Debra said...

Oh, so jealous! We love cruising and I hope you have a great time. Congrats on the acceptance into the AQS show in Paducah! I won't be making it to the Lancaster show this year - would love to see your quilt in person. BTW - my brother lives in Essex, CT. :-)

Rachaeldaisy said...

It's great to hear you had a wonderful holiday. The holiday snaps show that you made the most of it. Thst night photo is worth framing. Congratulations on having your quilt accepted at Paducah, that's great news to come home to ,and have fun at the show on Friday.

Nifty Quilts said...

Congratulations on getting your quilt into Paducah! What fun it will be to go and see it THERE! Your machine quilting is perfect on the birthday gift. Love the back and forth story of it. Woo-hoo on the holiday! You really picked the right winter for that! Glad you had lots of fun. Well, who wouldn't?

Julierose said...

Oh so happy that your quilt got accepted--you do such beautiful work! Congrats!! We have done 3 cruises on Norwegian and loved them all...if any Winter was a good one to getaway--this has been one for sure. Hugs, Julierose

Sherrill said...

AHHHH, cruises..they ARE AWESOME! Just got back 3 weeks ago from my 13th! Visited 3 ports in Mexico and came back to freezing and snow. UGH! Wanted to turn around and go straight back.

Ruth said...

Wow! Congratulations! What am honor to have your quilt in the Paducah show! The cruise looked wonderful. I'm sure it was necessary to get away from the cold. Hee Hee!

Ruth said...

Wow! Congratulations! What am honor to have your quilt in the Paducah show! The cruise looked wonderful. I'm sure it was necessary to get away from the cold. Hee Hee!

Kevin the Quilter said...

What a great get away.....with the exception of lines at the airport! BLECH! Story of my life! Congrats on your acceptance into both Lancaster and Paducah! I will be attending AQS Paducah as well with my collaboration quilt "Radar." We may bump into one another? I am kinda hard to miss! LOL

Maureen said...

Glad you could get away from the snow! Sure does look like you had a great time. Congrats on your jubilee quilt being accepted into the shows. Look forward to hearing about your adventures.

Angie said...

So glad you had a break from Ol' Man Winter - it's always good to get a little Caribbean Soul! Congrats on being accepted for Paducah - wish I could go see Jubilee in person!!

Barbara said...

Congratulations, Barb, on being accepted at Paducah. That's wonderful news! Still anticipating a "win" at Lancaster :) Have fun next week.

Pinkadot Quilts said...

Of course I am jealous that you got to spend time away from the snow but I hope you had a good time while we were dealing with yet another snow storm! I am excited to see your quilt at the show this week. Hopefully I will make it there unless a grandson decides to make an appearance....

Me and My Stitches said...

Congrats on your quilt being accepted in both shows - what an honor! I really want to go to Paducah this year, and even more now so I can see your quilt in person! The cruise sounds wonderful!

Janet O. said...

How nice that you could escape this year's relentless New England winter and have some fun in the sun!
Did you have any clue when you began that your Jubilee quilt (and you) would achieve celebrity status? Congrats on both shows. Wish I was going to be at either to meet you both. : )

audrey said...

What a great birthday gift. Good memories.:) Your vacation looks marvelous. Wonderful to get your break from the endless winter!

christine said...

Barb: when were you docked in Key West? When we were there early Feb & big ship was docked. Have a good time in Lancaster .... I'm missing it for one last chance of winter by skiing in Utah this week.

Dawn said...

Nice get away! Enjoy travel with your fantastic quilt!

Roxanne said...

A fun post with everything from moonlight over the water to Hawaiian quilting and Jubilee travels. Our big snow from last Friday is already almost gone--had a nice walk this morning and it felt like spring. Daffodils are on their way!

Ann in PA said...

Congratulations on Lancaster AND Paducah -Whoo Hoo! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting your beautiful Jubliee quilt at the AQS Show...wish I could visit it again in Paducah. LOL

fiberchick said...

Congrats On the show entries! Have never been on a cruise. Looks amazing!

Linda O said...

So nice you could escape the snow for a bit. Looks like a great time. And Congratulations on your quilt going to both shows!! Wonderful! Have fun visiting them as well! You find the most amazing fabrics for backings - just so much fun!

pandchintz said...

Sounds like the perfect get away. Congrats on the quilt acceptance - how exciting!!

LuAnn said...

Beautiful photos. Looks like you had a wonderful trip.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip. You did great on the quilting of that block. Hope the restful feeling of the trip lasts a long long time.

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

I'll be in Paducah and will look for your quilt.

Your trip photos make me long for a Caribbean cruise!