I love living in Alaska! I’ve lived here 35 years and traveled the state quite a bit, but I’m not done yet. There’s just too much to see, from the islands of the Aleutian Chain (next year’s trip, I’ve promised myself!) to the northern Arctic Wildlife Refuge to the islands of the south east panhandle. I’ve gone ocean kayaking in Prince William Sound, commercial fishing in the Gulf of Alaska and driven the Alaska-Canada Highway, many times. I’ve flown in jets, small planes, taken the ferry to many towns and driven many roads to explore this great state. Below, courtesy of Google, is Russia, Alaska and Canada, with a tiny bit of the Pacific Northwest USA in the lower right hand corner. The two pink dots are Anchorage and Seward and the yellow path is roughly the path I drove my RV this past year, heading toward Arizona and back north, to Alaska just a month ago.
This is one of my favorite photos of Turnagain Arm, just south of Anchorage, along a road I’ve taken hundreds of times to get to Seward, Kenai, Soldotna, Homer or Seldovia. The Arm, like so many things in Alaska, is gorgeous to look at but can be deadly to the unwary.
As I get older I think more and more about sustainability for our world and our global economy and I love the fact that Clothworks, a company whose fabrics I’ve loved and used for years, is focused on creating their fabric here in the USA. When I traveled through Arizona I saw cotton fields and I often wondered if that cotton would someday be in fabric that I use to make a quilt. Clothworks is introducing their American Made Brand (AMB) cotton, which is from Arkansas (and possibly other locations), spun and woven in South Carolina (I really want to visit there!) and sold out of Seattle (I love Seattle too). I was invited by Candice at Clothworks to join in on her American Made Brand Debut Blog Tour of the United States. 
She asked 50 quilters and bloggers to participate and to create a quilt block based on their state license plate – what a cute idea!
Here’s a pic of me, with my RV, and the RV license plate, which I used for the colors of my Alaska Quilt Block.
I took this opportunity to play with paper and pen (which I love doing) and then take some long overdue classes on using Adobe Illustrator.
Here’s my first draft, in pen on tracing paper. I use tracing paper a lot so that I can keep design aspects I like (just trace over them with a new sheet of paper) and move, resize or discard the parts I don’t like.
From there I started playing with color, matching the fabrics to the actual license plate and trying to decide on the color of the mountains. One of the things that I love the most about the mountains here is how close they are, and how beautiful they look when lined up against each other, fading gradually into the distance. This photo of the mountains in Seward, taken from the northern boat harbor, shows what I mean as the mountains go from dark in the foreground on the right, to faded on the left. The center has the two boats I worked on in 2003 and 2004, when I went commercial fishing for salmon.
I wanted the Alaska State Flower, the Forget-Me-Not, to be part of this block. It’s a delightful shade between pale blue and periwinkle and it’s a delicate, tiny blossom. I found these just down the street from where I’m parked in my RV this summer. Alaska is definitely a place you will never forget once you visit or live here.
When it came time to do some drafting, I went back to a site I’ve been taking classes on: Skillshare. It’s a site that offers a wide variety of technology and business classes that allow you to learn at your own pace. I’ve taken several classes there. I particularly like the fact that they use a lot of videos in the classes, and a minimum of text. The classes encourage students to use their own projects to learn with which is another aid to learning. By working on my own projects, I accomplish two tasks at one time – learning and finishing something I need done. It’s also a lot more fun to learn while working on something you like rather than a textbook lesson. Here’s what I came up with in Illustrator.
After drawing and drafting I was finally able to start playing with fabric – YAY!! What a gorgeous collection Clothworks provided, making it very easy for me to be able to use fabrics in the exact colors I was looking for.
I used the fusible web technique, drawing reverse images onto the paper backing of the Steam-A-Seam and then lightly adhering it to the wrong side of the fabric. After cutting the pieces out, I used a full steam heat setting to permanently set the fabrics. If you are not familiar with the various techniques of applique, I highly recommend Kay Mackenzie at All About Applique and my friend Ruth Blanchet at Academy of Quilting.
I put a little bit of stitching to hold the Aleutian Islands in place and wanted to embellish the Forget Me Nots with some white and yellow thread, but that’s something better done when the block is quilted. If I were quilting this today I would also put some white thread on the tops of the mountains because as late as June this year there was still fresh snow appearing on the mountains around Anchorage. It’s been that cold!
So, why did I call it Blue Alaska? If you look at every photo in this project, your will see multiple shades of blue. Alaska, The Last Frontier, has a big clean blue sky, huge clean blue lakes and is surrounded on the south, west and north by blue ocean. Even the icebergs have a blue tint to them. This land is often green, sometimes (for very loooooong periods of time) it’s white, but always there’s some blue… there’s even a Blue King Crab! Tomorrow brings the summer solstice and on a clear mid-summer night the sky in Anchorage is just a dark blue. On the solstice it never really gets dark like it does in the south, just dusky around 2-4am, and then it’s daylight again.
For quilters who know me, this little block was just a fun side project. I’m still focused on making, writing about and teaching quilt-as-you-go projects and the one I’m working on now ties right into this “Alaska” blog post – check out the T-Shirt I found in, of all places, Las Vegas! I went scrounging the second-hand shops in both Las Vegas (on my way home) and Anchorage for T-Shirts for project testing. I just had to buy this one! Look for more about T-Shirt quilts from me very soon. If you have always wanted to make a T-shirt quilt, gather them up now and sign up for my newsletter on the sidebar here. If you want to take a class with me, check out my schedule on the Classes & Workshops page here.
This was a fun blog tour and I’ve really enjoyed reading about the other states, 
and learning more about the quilters – some I know and some are new to me – and I hope you will too. Take a trip around the USA to visit some very creative quilters and learn about their home states. Many thanks to the folks at Clothworks for inviting me to be part of their wonderful tour and for sponsoring this great giveaway: leave a comment here to be entered to win an 8 Fat Quarter Bundle of American Made Brand fabric from Clothworks – YAY!! To qualify you must live in USA (I’m sorry to my Canadian and International friends). I’ll pick a random comment on June 27th and announce the winner then.
Click here for a comment window…..
Download the Alaska License Plate Block Pattern Download
OUR WINNER is Carolyn Boutilier! YAY and Thank you for reading and commenting on my home and my quilt block 🙂 ~Marguerita
Comments
170 responses to “Blue Alaska!”
Beautiful block!! I am looking forward to seeing a small part of Alaska next summer as my husband and I take a delayed 40th anniversary cruise/land tour. The trip will also celebrate my upcoming retirement.
Alaska is beautiful! A visit is on my bucket list. Thanks for participating!
Such an interesting tour–thank you for sharing your beautiful state. I’d love to see it one day.
Beautiful colors – I want so much to visit Alaska some day.
Thanks for the chance at the giveaway!
You did a fabulous job on your plate! Someday I would love to visit… TIA! B-)
Thank you for sharing the gorgeous pictures & info about your Beautiful State!! Your block is Awesome too!! & you picked perfect name for it…the skies are soooo blue!! Love Forget- Me- Not’s…plant them in my flowers here, in Ohio. Did not know they were your State Flower! Cool!
Never been to Alaska, but maybe someday. Beautiful pictures!
Beautiful! I live in Seattle and love Alaska as well. I took my mom on a cruise there a few years ago and it was just gorgeous everywhere we went.
I love blue and yellow together so your license plate looks terrific! And I love the ForgetMeNots.
Loved the story about AK pattern. You live in a truly beautiful state. We were there some years ago and would love to go back. If we can make it back, we have wonderful memories of our time there. Will be checking out fabrics made in USA. I’m always happy to purchase products made here!
Take good care.
What an interesting post! Alaska is another state that I want to visit. Heck, I’d like to visit ALL of them someday, but for now, my job is interfering with those plans ;0. I really like how you picked all the shades of blue to match the mountains in your photos.
It was a fun blog tour. Loved seeing all the plates. Yours is great. One day I hope to visit Alaska. I live in North Carolina.
Wonderful blog post! AMB is on my list of fabrics to try.
Hello from Montana, home of the beautiful Rocky Mountains (part of your state’s chain probably!) Loved your post today! Neat license too+Thanks for the download!
That is a great block. I have wanted to visit Alaska for a very long time–probably since reading White Fang as a child!
Hi from Kansas! I have friends who have taken an Alaskan cruise and say Alaska is se beautiful. I hope to visit someday too.
Great license plate block. I would love to visit all of the states…maybe if I win the lottery. Thanks for being in the hop.
I have enjoyed your tour of Alaska, it is a place I have always wanted to visit. My brother lived there for a few years several years ago and he loved it. Love your plate! Forget-me-nots are one of my favorite flowers. They are so dainty and I love that blue color. Thanks!
Love! M you are so talented!
I took an inside passage cruise from Seattle in 2001 and was awed from start to finish by the beauty of Alaska.. Would take another cruise in a heartbeat , maybe a quilting one this time. I live in southern Michigan just a short distance from the Indiana and Ohio State lines. You did an amazing job on your block.
My inlaws took a month trip around Alaska over 30 years ago. They loved it. Said it was the most beautiful place they had ever visited. They always intended to go back, but never got around to it. Your license plate is very pretty. Good job.
Very pretty quilt block. We visited Alaska several years ago — so beautiful. Can’t wait to go back. Thanks for the giveaway! info {at} cocoplumbeachhouse {dot} com.
I really want to visit Alaska!!!! It is at the top of my to visit list and I’m hoping in the near future I can go.
Beautiful!! A visit to Alaska is on my bucket list. Love it and love the license plate. You did a wonderful job!!
We’ll be there next year for Soltice – cannot WAIT to visit!
Gorgeous license plate. I totally understand about the blues. I miss those blues, and the mountains marching away forever.
Your license plate is a wonderful depiction of Alaska. I would love to visit there someday, but that will probably never happen. I will be on vacation and away from my computer until Tuesday, July 1. I would love winning the bundle of USA fabrics! Kudos from Iowa!
I loved the block you made and thanks for the pattern. I will be exploring the link to the other quilters.
I love your block. Hopefully I’ll get to Alaska some day. It’s on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing with us.
I love your license plate! I have been to Alaska several times and I love it! To me the glaciers and mountains always look several shades of blue, just like your license plate. The last time we were there, the weather cleared and we were able to see Mt. McKinley.
Would love to visit Alaska. thanks for the pictures and I really like your license plate design
Thank you for a beautiful tour of the only place in the whole world that is on my bucket list! Wonderful license plate and tour!!! Love what you do for all us quilters!
I would love to visit Alaska as well. My friend went on one of the Alaskan cruises and said it was beautiful. Thanks for sharing a little more about Alaska with us!
Very pretty license plate. My husband has been to Alaska and really enjoyed his time there he wants to someday return with me. I can’t wait it is so beautiful. Thanks for the trip through Alaska and the opportunity to win fabric.
nroot801 at gmail dot com
Nice block! I’d love to visit Alaska someday… preferably before the glaciers melt…
Definitely will check out your Tshirt Quilts class.
What a beautiful, breathtaking part of America in which you have lived for 35 years.
Thank you for the opportunity and for sharing your quilting wisdom!
I like your block…I visited you state couple of years ago via a cruise but compare with other many things that one can see is like I didn’t visit…like to see ‘Denali park’…thank you for the giveaway…marta
What a charming block. I love it. Alaska looks beautiful. I not sure at age 66 that I will ever make it there (from western NY), but it looks enchanting. I’m also intrigued by the quilt-as-you-go concept, so I’ll be coming back to visit your site soon.
Iowa here – love all the info you shared – my mom and daughter visited there 2 years ago and loved it – it was on mom’s bucket list – I’m so glad she got to go
You sound so adventurous! I think you made a perfectly beautiful block; the mountains look super.
joannadotperry0109atyahoodotcom
Lovely block. I’ve always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise, maybe some day. Thank you for sharing.
Nice block!! Alaska is a very beautiful state!!
Such a beautiful state. I know exactly one family who lives in Alaska. They used to live on my street, here in western New York State. Great job on the block, and just I love forget-me-nots!
I would love to visit Alaska. It’s gorgeous. I loved your photos and info, and the block. Thanks.
Loved reading about your design process. Great block!
I love your block! I would love to visit Alaska one of these days, but don’t know quite when that will be. Some day …. Thanks for the great giveaway.
Alaska is at the top of my list of places to see. Thank you for making me want to go sooner rather than later! Love your block!
It is my dream to see Alaska! Thanks for sharing your part of it. Love the block and the quilt as you go sounds like so much fun! Hi from Michigan!
Love Alaska, great state
Lovely Alaska piece! Thanks for revealing your creative process!