Monday, November 25, 2013

Winner!

Many many thanks to all who entered my Giveaway~
The winner is Laura of Prairie Sewn Studios!  (Laura, I have send you an email.)

It was fun getting people talking about the Greek Island retreat-- there were lots of oohs and aahs, I guess lots of people haven't considered Greece as a retreat destination yet.  I suppose the Greek islands have more of a reputation for romantic getaways (Santorini) or wild partying (Mykonos).  Quilters relaxing and sewing together on Paros?  It may be a first.  But it will be a lovely and refreshing retreat, full of simple pleasures and hopefully stress free.  It will also be quite small-- there is room for a maximum of 16 participants.  We don't want to overrun the island with quilters, do we?

I know it may seem like a dream, but if you are giving it any thought at all, please request a registration packet and read all the details.  It may become more of a reality than you thought..


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Giveaway Time!

I love talking about English paper piecing, and since the book came out, I've had a lot of fun talking to so many quilters and hearing about their EPP projects, goals, or fears.  (Seems lots and lots of people have WIPs..)
Talk is great, but what I really need is time to sit and sew, so I am arranging an EPP quilt retreat in Greece next summer.  I would LOVE it if a bunch of you would join me there.
It's a week-long handwork-only get together at the beautiful Anezina Village Hotel on the island of Paros.  You can read more about it here, or request a registration packet by emailing me (jessunderquilts at yahoo dot com). 
We will play with a bunch of EPP shapes and ideas and get in some good stitching (and relaxation) hanging out poolside, at cafes, at the beach (!), and anywhere else we can find on this picturesque island.  Included is a Greek cooking class, lecture on traditional Greek needlework, and ample time to explore the area.  Registration is open until February 1st and quilters from everywhere are welcome (classes will be taught in English).

In order to get people thinking about the idea (and hopefully deciding to do it!), today I'm offering a giveaway if you help me spread the word about the retreat..
Would you like to win a copy of my book and two packs of English paper piecing templates?
To enter, do any (or all) of the following:
1.  Blog about the retreat and giveaway (go ahead and borrow the images in this post!), then come back and leave a comment with the link to your blog post.
2.  Find me on Instagram (@jessica_alex) and regram the giveaway pic with the tag #greekislandquiltretreat
3.  Post about the retreat/giveaway on Facebook with a link to this post, then come back and comment that you did.

I'll choose a winner on November 25th.
The giveaway and the retreat are open to everyone.  Thanks for helping me get the word out!
Good luck!!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Ribbon!

I put some quilts in the local show this weekend and look what I got!


I took first place in my category (pieced quilts over 245", professionally quilted), yippee! 
But the best was the judge's note, "meticulous workmanship."  I read that in the car after pick up last night and I was beaming.  I wanted to put the paper up on our fridge, but it's better to post it here.

It was a very good show over all, but made for a busy weekend.  I've got lots to catch up on, and after that, maybe a blog post on the quilt top I finished last week?

Free Zoom Quilt Class, October 20.

    Free Live Online Craft Class Learn to quilt with Jessica Wed., Sept. 9 Tues., Oct., 20, Nov. 9 7:00 – 8:00 pm Sign up now.   Take one or...