My husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary on a cruise in the Caribbean. One of my favorite tours was on the island of St Kitts which is known for its batiks made on the island since the seventies. Caribelle Batiks is located in the historic Romney Manor, “Once home to Sam Jefferson II, the great great great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of U.S.A.) the great house was renamed Romney Manor following its acquisition in the early 17th century by the Earl of Romney”. You can visit the website here: Caribelle Batiks
The grounds of the Romney Manor are quite lovely, with a 350 year old sprawling tree that spans over a half acre as a focal point. Colorful island flowers and plants complete the magical garden.
Within the Manor, rooms filled with expertly dyed batiks of all colors and patterns are made into scarfs, garments, bags, pillow covers, napkins, tablecloths, wall hangings, etc. Just about anything you can imagine is made from the expertly designed and dyed batiks. I purchased a bag of scraps and a large table cloth.
With the bag of scraps I wanted to make something special and representative of our trip to the Caribbean. Once home, I looked through the scraps for inspiration. The colors reminded me of the turquoise water and waves, the amazing sky and picturesque sunsets, and the ships and boats.
I researched quilt blocks of sailboat patterns and when I found just the right one, I started to cut and sew. My mini quilt came together quickly, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had used just about every inch of the scraps except for the yellow/ purple pieces that just didn’t fit the color palette.
I added white sashing and a turquoise border with a tiny border made from the bits and pieces left from the nine sailboat blocks.
I free motion quilted the little wall-hanging with designs that resembled waves and sails, and used my favorite sew-by-machine binding method to finish it.
It presently hangs on our living room wall, a sweet reminder of the wonderful trip we took together. It was a fun and exciting trip that I enjoyed more than anything. I look forward to more adventures together with my husband in the years to come. Meanwhile a quilting and a sewing I will go as I love that too!
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