alaskan batik lap quilt

this quilt started in 2016 in an "i want fabric as my souvenir" sort of way.
i went to alaska (specifically anchorage area) for the first time to visit friends (amy and luke) of mine and after days of being touristy, i left with a bundle of fat quarters (plus a few extras) but no specific plans.  after being loaned a batik quilt book from my grandma and seeing a pattern she had used before (since that tends to happen) i knew what my vision would be.  i went back to alaska in june of this year (but failed to post any pictures on here... oops!) and picked up fabric for the borders, sashing, binding & backing.  then, it sat... and sat... and sat some more until last month where i got the ball rolling and made this quilt all for me!
many of the fabrics feature animals seen in alaska, such as whales, fish, moose, and husky dogs.  my favorite would have to be the adorable sea otter fabric!  on my last trip there, we actually saw an otter out in the bay while luke took us out on his boat.  the whale fabric made for a perfect border with the bold blues and greens and stumbling upon this bubble batik for the sashing could not be any more perfect!  i aligned the borders around the quilt so that it would look like they were swimming around in the same counterclockwise direction.
i used the same pantograph as i did on jacob & sarah's wedding quilt (titled macrame from urban elementz) since i felt like it would blend well with the whales and also have a sort of "wave" like visual to it.  stopping at the points of this pattern is getting easier, that's for sure!  originally, i hoped to find more blue otters for the backing, but this purple colorway of it was just as pretty.  my math was off, so this chunk that was initially purchased as the sashing filled the extra length needed just perfectly.  no regrets!
while these photos are great place markers, i cannot wait to take this back to alaska and get some photos up there with it.  i do have some unused fat quarters as well (like a random red raven one!) that i might use to make a smaller version of this quilt... or maybe even a same sized one.  who knows?  i had so much fun exploring alaska with amy, who knows my appreciation of all things fabric and was willing to take me places to plan to create this quilt!  hopefully next time the weather will be a bit nicer for us, and we'll get to do some fun hikes as well!  luke is convinced i want to go fishing... which maybe... just maybe! i'll agree to.
quilt shops visited in alaska
the quilt tree and yarn branch - anchorage
sylvia's quilt depot - wasilla
just sew - palmer
quilt number: 104
pattern book: quilt batik! by cheryl brown