Quilt Camp at Sea Alaska cruise, part 2

During this year's Quilt Camp at Sea Alaska cruise, onboard instructor Lisa Moore and her husband Dave hosted an open house for us during our stop at Sitka, Alaska. WOW, their home and hospitality were wonderful! Lisa's website, "Quilts with a Twist," features her original pattern designs, as well as her favorite notions and kits and fabrics for sale.

On the way to her home, Lisa suggested that we visit Fortress of the Bear. Please check out their website to learn the wonderful work this nonprofit group is doing as they rescue and care for orphaned bear cubs. It was a heartwarming experience watching the bears play and interact with each other.

More details of our great 2011 cruise experience to come.

Quilt Camp at Sea Alaska 2011 cruise

The weather was great and the seas were calm on the Quilt Camp at Sea Alaska 2011 cruise that took place last week. The time spent in Glacier Bay is always the most inspirational for me. It is quiet and serene as the ship slowly enters the waters of the glaciers. It is awesome and grand. The first photo is of Margerie Glacier. The mix of colors from white-white to aqua is beautiful and the way the light between and around the ice pillars shades and highlights nature's artwork is just amazing.

This second picture is Patti Carey (right) and I on the back deck of the ship in Glacier Bay. Patti is Northcott Fabrics' Marketing Director. She has a great blog about her own designs, patterns, and events.

Patti and I have enjoyed taking our professional relationship to a girlfriend relationship of sharing our joy of family and quilt and fabric designs. I got points for helping her with a technical quilt design software issue, and she got points for guiding me back to our room, as I apparently lost my sense of direction on the ship! We had lots of fun and good giggles.

More to come.

Cute Charity Jacket

When I find a free moment and realize that I can just play, creativity happens!

I have been wanting to make Jan Ballagh's "Mismatched Medley" jacket pattern for a long time. The moment finally arrived, and look what I created with my art panels! Fun, huh?

I love it and it was so quick and easy. Jan's design is available online at Indygo Junction. I have enjoyed Indygo Junction's designs for years at Quilt Market and have watched them grow and grow.

Enjoy their website. It's really fun. And don't forget to visit my site: www.sisterhoodofquilters.com.

Go have fun!

Freebies!

I've added a page to the sisterhoodofquilters site exclusively for Freebies. I encourage you to check it out.

Currently I have FREE patterns for a wall hanging and quick quilt, as well as for my quilted heart pins. Also, there are free printable files of my "Girlfriend Wisdom" column that I write for the Country Register Newspaper. An example (#49) is shown at right.

I often write my column in the voices of my wise, wonderful, women: Faith, Hope, and Charity. As you will see, I combine my fabric designs in the artwork for the articles. Print them out for yourself or your Quilting Groups. I hope you find them inspirational and uplifting. Check back for the newest publications.

Girlfriends @ Sea, Reserve Now!

Because my newest fabric collection, Girlfriends @ Sea, was inspired on the 2010 Sisterhood of Quilters Alaskan Cruise, this year's Alaskan quilt cruisers will receive the opportunity to purchase the fabric before it is released to the general public.

If you won't be joining us on this year's cruise, you can still "reserve" fabrics for Sept. 1, 2011 delivery. The fabrics are limited in quantity and only available for a short time, so don't miss this opportunity. See the April 17, 2011 blog posting for the designs available and reference numbers to use.

The complete quilt kit, "Girlfriends at Sea" is $55.00. The totebag kits are $28.00 each. Both are shown here.

To reserve the new fabrics, simply email me (jody@jodyhoughton.com). You will receive an email in September and can confirm your order and make payment at that time.

Grandmother-to-be

One of the wonderful benefits of quilting is the ability to create projects to honor events, family or friends.

I have the great privilege and honor of becoming a Grandmother for the first time. My daughter and son-in-law are having a little girl in September!

My design mind immediately started thinking about baby images. My first collection is zoo animals with encouraging blessings (sample panels are shown at right). The individual 10" x 10" art panels and zoo baby fabric collection are available here.

The zoo babies are my current "Art Depicting Life" project. I have designed a quilt pattern that includes the art panels. It is also available at www.sisterhoodofquilters.com.

I will be announcing another "Art Depicting Life" project so check back to learn more!

Totebag Workshop at the Quilted Cottage in Toledo, Oregon

I had so much fun making totebags with Quilters: Shirley, Jan, and Joyce! From cutting the fabric to applying the rhinestones, we moved along completing the totes.

Quilted Cottage shop owner, Monica Lyons, gave us a special treat by serving High Tea. We giggled with "Pinkies Up" as we sipped our tea from fine china.

The highlight of the class for me was teaching the unique process of making my three-dimensional leaves. I love to use the leaves as embellishments on my totes and quilts.

I will be offering a packet of the leaf patterns and instructions very soon on the sisterhoodofquilters.com website.