Yesterday was beautiful - it was 72 degrees - in February!

Alpha-Babies

Soft book panel converted into a reading quilt.

I did a small amount of yard work then took all my quilt tops

out to the front porch to photograph them in natural light.

These are the photo's I sent in with a write-up on the projects.

Meow

Today I'll finish up a few odds and ends then start pulling

fabric for the backs of each quilt.

Barnyard Tales

This was a soft book panel I converted into a reading quilt.

I may add a few border fabrics to make it a little

wider before it gets quilted.

I still have the panel to Barnyard Tales to work with.

Tomorrow I'll post the tops I made using the collection Beach Bound.

Sewing Progress

 

Over the last week I started working with the newly released 

collections received while on vacation.

 "Barnyard Tales"

This is a super quick pattern and from start to finish

was no more than 30 minutes to make the top.

Progress Shot

The start of the second quilt top using the

same pattern above.  Some fellow brand ambassadors 

make beautiful quilts with complicated patterns [the

pieces are cut so small you can't tell what fabric they are

even using].  My theory is make quilts using larger blocks because 

it's about showcasing the newly released fabric lines.

"Meow"

This is a free pattern from Missouri Star Quilting used to

make the kitty blocks.

The large cat blocks were taken from the

panel in this collection.

"Alpha-babies"

I love the bright colors in this collection.  

Progress Shot

A soft book panel came with this collection.   When that happens

I turn those panels into reading quilts. 

"Beach Bound"

This is a beautiful collection but it's hard to photograph.

Progress Shot

The beginning of Beach Bound angels.  The background

fabrics for each angel were pulled from the fat quarter

bundle I received from Free Spirit.

The colors are very soft and this top will

photograph much better outside in natural light.

"Nights of Olde Salem" 

for Henry Glass Fabrics

This collection came Fed-X straight from Korea!

I was totally surprised to receive it after receiving

all the other collections {I'm not complaining}.

*  *  * 

What's new in the brand ambassador program this year:

We have 2 months to turn in our project photo's/write-up

plus 

We receive 1 [one] yard cuts of all fabric in the

collections we are sent.  This allows more flexibility

 in creativity and for me that means more quilts 

 for the kids camp.

 

Fabric

 

While we were away Jennifer sent me 3 boxes full of fabric.

Since we haven't been feeling great since returning home

[thank you Covid germs] I'm just now taking pictures.

This is the cutest panel which I just had to show in more detail.  

It's the second skinny bolt from the left in the photo above.

I'm not sure how many panels I have but if anyone of my

quilting friends would like one - please let me know.

I'm glad to share.

Periodically I'm sent skinny bolts and some full bolts of leftover

[for lack of a better word] fabric from the Jaftex warehouse.  It's

so incredibly nice of them to do this.

The skinny bolt of reindeer will go to making Xmas stockings

for the kids at The Child's Haven.  The Halloween fabric

I was thinking of making into pillowcases.  For now these

are tucked away with the other holiday fabric.

This was a skinny bolt of 5 soft book panels.  I know I'll make

one into a quilt, ask Chris from Outreach if she wants one 

and give one to the Guild to use as a raffle item at a meeting.

The toweling I haven't opened yet.  That bundle of Free Spirit

solids is really yummy and will incorporate them into various

projects along the way.  The Nebula pattern is something 

that I need to concentrate on at some point.

Besides the all bolts to add to my stash also came

4 collections that are brand new releases.  These

require me to make something, take photo's and send it.

I'm gonna be pretty busy!

Alpha-Babies for Henry Glass & Co.

Farnyard Tails from Studioe

MEOW from Studioe

Beach Bound from Henry Glass

This collection has 2 panels as well.

Since I'm still not feeling the greatest but am getting my

energy back I decided to start on the MEOW collection.

I will using the cat pattern designed by Missouri Star

Quilts.  

A Few From the Cruise

Our cabin size and small balcony was fine.

Even the bathroom was adequate for the week.

The entire ship went through a major renovation 

and I liked the improvements.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of food in the Oceanview Cafe

but it was the usual selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We did try the dining room two nights and were totally

disappointed in the food.  We ate in the Cafe for all

our meals.  One night we sprung for the special chop house

and it was a waste of $'s.  Not going into details but we

will let the agents of this cruise know what we thought.

The desserts on the ship were nothing to write home about. 

Those little cakes to the right seem to be on the 'everyday'

selection.  Ice cream had it's own station and that was 

basic but good.  Needless to say we didn't eat a lot of sweets.

This is one of the two nights we had dinner in the 

dining room.  Since we had second show seating

we had a early dining time.  

Mindi Abair playing a lunch time concert by the

pool.  By the end of her set she was fried from the sun.

This lady can play the sax!

One bottle of wine lasted through the week.

We didn't drink much.

We took to having dinner on the back deck to

watch the sunsets.  The cafe buffet is right inside

so it was easy to get food and bring it out.

The sea was so calm we hardly knew we were

moving.  It was amazing!

Our last sunset.

If you look closely you will see two white

dots which are planets.  

Deck 8 - midship was our home for the week.

We couldn't have asked for a better spot.

The stairs to the cafe entrance were two flights up

and the stairs to the entertainment deck were

three flights down.  

Different heads were on each landing.

The newly renovated dining room ceiling.

I took a lot of few second video's of the performers

which I can post later.  As we said goodby to

Smooth Jazz Cruise 23.2 we said hello to arriving

home sick!  Wilson started feeling bad the day

before we departed the ship and I waited until

we got home.  We don't think it's Covid just

bad head colds.