For this year’s Quilter’s Playcation Adventure Sew Along, Cheryl Arkison has created 2 versions of an improv pieced Treasure Map. One version is on a bigger scale and more representational and the other, the one I chose, is smaller and more abstract. (Click the link to see what she’s been doing with her two quilts) My quilt is less abstract that Cheryl’s. It is a mix of both abstract and representational designs. And there are neither boat nor pirate fabrics in Cheryl’s. I just couldn’t resist when I found them in my stash!

Here are the components of the Treasure Map, in the order on my quilt, but not in the order Cheryl posted them:

Ocean waves
A palm tree
Footprints in the sand
A compass (I added a note in a bottle on the compass strip because it’s always good to let someone know where you are, just in case!)
A cave (a bat cave in my quilt)
A Jolly Roger flag
A hidden trap in the trail
X marks the spot (an arrow in my quilt because the cross bones of my Jolly Roger is an X)
The actual hidden treasure
A volcano

So were is the hidden treasure? I’ve actually given you two clues! Can you find it?

Or…are you ready for the big reveal?

There’s the treasure! Under an flap of vines!

Cheryl hasn’t revealed her treasure yet…That will happen the first Tuesday in December, 2023 on her YouTube channel. I jumped ahead because I wanted to get this quilt on the calendar I make every year.

I was feeling kind of done with curves! But this is a Cheryl Arkison project so the curves insisted on being included in the treasure chest! And they are definitely the correct design choice. I wasn’t sure what to use for the treasure. But then I saw some Mardi Gras necklaces in a drawer. There is glue between each of the beads so it was safe to cut it apart. It’s perfect…gold, not gold!

I posted the treasure chest strip on Instagram #qpadventuresewlong and #quiltersplaycation so Cheryl has seen it…and her comment was “Love it!” So happy she approves!

This has been so much fun! This quilt is now hanging in my hallway, opposite a castle full of Vikings. Hmmm. What does that say about me?