Beautiful Geometry, and a Little Adventure
I can’t believe it, but it has been more than a year since I went to Alaska with Stitchin’ Heaven! I was one of the two teachers on the cruise, and the quilt I was asked to teach was Alaska by Laundry Basket Quilts. The moment I saw it, I instantly said yes! I love working with triangles, diamonds, and even Y-seams. That is my jam! I think it’s the points and angles that get me. There is something so beautiful about the way all those shapes come together.
The Alaska quilt is essentially a kaleidoscope quilt, which is especially fun for me because a kaleidoscope quilt was the second quilt I ever made. I love how you can use square blocks to create the illusion of curves and movement in a quilt, even though there aren’t any curves in the piecing at all. It’s one of those quilting tricks that never gets old!
A Quilting Cruise to Alaska
I had such a wonderful time on the cruise. Since I had never been to Alaska before, there were so many things I wanted to experience. I usually try to avoid excursions when I’m teaching because they eat into my income as a teacher. But this time, I just couldn’t resist!
I went on a bike/hike excursion in Juneau, walked to a quilt shop in Skagway, and took a walking food tour in British Columbia. Between teaching, sewing, exploring, and taking in the scenery, it was such a memorable trip.
Finding My Favorite Spot on the Ship
Even the ship was a different experience for me.
I’m used to sailing on ships where the middle section of the upper decks has a park-like area. There are beautiful vines growing up the walls and little paths that weave in and out of planters. It’s one of my favorite places to hang out on the ships I usually sail on.
But an Alaska cruise is a different experience because the weather is much colder. I had to find a new favorite spot!
At the back of the ship, there was a huge enclosed room with windows all around. You could sit and eat there or simply soak up the sunshine while watching the scenery go by. It was the perfect place to relax and enjoy the views without worrying about the cold.
And speaking of views, our sewing room had an entire wall of glass windows facing the back of the ship. On the last day, we saw whales swimming, jumping out of the water, and shooting water into the air.
It was incredible! There is something pretty special about sitting with a group of quilters, working on our projects, and suddenly realizing that whales are putting on a show right outside the window.
A Few Things I Love About The Alaska Quilt
One of my favorite things about the Alaska quilt is the geometry. The triangles and diamonds work together to create a design that looks much more complicated than the individual blocks might suggest.
I’m always fascinated by how our eyes interpret shapes and colors. With a kaleidoscope design, the placement of the fabrics creates movement and the illusion of curves. You can look at the same block in different ways and discover something new.
The fabrics are another fun part of this quilt. Batiks are especially interesting because they don’t have a traditional right and wrong side. The colors and patterns often work beautifully from either side, which gives you a little more freedom when you’re piecing.
And, of course, working with all those angles made me happy. Give me triangles, diamonds, and a few Y-seams, and I’m a happy quilter!
The Story Doesn’t End With the Quilt Top
This quilt was such a wonderful project to work on. Every block brought a smile to my face, and I loved seeing the design come together.
For the back of the quilt, I decided to make a pieced quilt. I had a beautiful, stylized bird fabric in my stash with a brushstroke feel that I thought would look fantastic with the batiks. I didn’t have enough of the batiks to make the back I envisioned, but I did have other fabrics that I thought would work beautifully together.
Rather than settling for a plain backing, I decided to create a second design that would complement the quilt top.
I’ll be sharing the pieced backing in a separate blog post, including the fabrics I used, how I adapted the Alaska design, and a few special fabrics from an indigo-dyeing class I took around 2020.
I love this photo of Lenu!! I took it right after I finished quilting it on my Q20 and I quilted swirls, a nice contrast to the angles in the piecing. Hobbs is always my go-to, and I used some of the Poly-Down batting. I am almost done with my roll of batting… I think I might get wool next.
What’s Next? Another Quilting Cruise!
I had such an amazing time teaching in Alaska, and I can’t wait to do it again!
My next quilting cruise is in April 2027 with Stitchin’ Heaven. We’ll be sailing a different route on a different ship, and I’m so excited to see what this adventure brings.
I’ll be teaching my Lucky Stripes quilt, a jelly-roll-friendly pattern that lets us play with triangles — one of my favorite things! We’ll explore triangle piecing and use acrylic templates to help make the process easier.
There is still room on the cruise if you’d like to join me. It would be so much fun to sew, learn, and explore together!
Have you ever taken a quilting cruise? Or have you made a kaleidoscope quilt? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!
Happy quilting!
