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..

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!!

Blogger's Quilt Festival (and Quilt Retreat Invitation)

I was racking my brain (and sewing room) for something to enter in this fall's Bloggers' Quilt Festival.  My Lime String quilt isn't finished yet and I haven't had time to work on much else.  Then it occurred to me that I never did a real blog post on Travel Quilt #3, the one that is featured in my book.  So, here it is:

I started this quilt in July 2010, stitched the last diamonds by hand in February 2012, and had the entire thing finished in October 2012.  I took a few detail shots of my own, but then it went straight on to my publisher for photography for the book.  (And I wasn't supposed to blog about it til the book was released!) It ended up on the back cover, which I was really pleased about.  This is the third in my Travel Quilt series and the first time I actually wrote on the stars as I pieced them.  The full pattern and instructions, including step-by-step photography, is available in the book. 

Long arm quilted by the brilliant Shannon Couvillion in Georgia, this is a very personal quilt, a fabric scrap book of where I went and how I spent my  time. 
Of course this isn't the first time many of you are seeing this quilt.  I heavily blogged my progress as I carried my EPP sewing kit back and forth across the globe, completing a few stars at a time.  Here's a quick recap of my favorite in-progress photos:

Have you ever quilted on the beach?  Would you like to?
I'm organizing an English paper piecing retreat that will be held on the Greek island of Paros in June, 2014.  Come enjoy amazing food, perfect weather, relaxing atmosphere and good company as we stitch together in the middle of the Aegean.  Check out my "Greek Island Retreat" tab above, or just click here.  Registration is open through February 1st, but space is limited.  I'd love to have you join me and start a Travel Quilt of your own~