february quilting moodboard
après, with love
Let’s hold hands and accept that early spring still means cold weather for most places up north, so with that being said, welcome to the February quilting moodboard ✷
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This month: Grab a warm drink. We're going to the Alps. We’re dreaming about retro ski and après culture and how we might bring this to our quilts and makes. Inside, you'll find the moodboard, trip highlights and recommendations from Megève and Chamonix, and things I want to be making right now.
Little ol’ Miami-born-and-raised me would have never believed you if you told me I’d be skiing as much as I am now or willingly choosing to live this close to Canada. See, I didn’t experience winter or snow until I was 18, when our high school senior trip set out for Montreal. I was introduced to what’s now a forever favorite, poutine, along with some version of beginner skiing known as “pizza”. Mostly, I made snow angels and just… played (along with a lot of black and brown kids who had also never seen snow before).
Right off the bat, let’s be so for real—the sport is wholly inaccessible. My family didn’t have the means to go on any kind of ski or snow vacation growing up. We stuck to Florida-discounted Disney parks and quiet beach cottage vacations on the Gulf, which was very exciting to us city folk who were used to a very crowded South Beach.
I gave skiing another try in my mid-twenties, where I ate shit so bad on a powder day somewhere in Colorado. The fall triggered a full-on panic attack, and a very young ski patrol bro escorted me down to the nearest lift that would allow me to ride back down, by myself, in shame. I vowed never to go skiing again. I was too adult, too stiff, too scared, and it just wasn’t worth the potential injury. I was a Floridian after all, and the Caribbean gal in me was certain this Type 2 Fun danger shit was absolutely NOT it.
As life would have it, I ended up marrying someone who was practically born skiing. I thought I’d be let off the hook entirely, but I didn’t want to be left out of all the fun. And, I had just moved to Utah! Eventually, I agreed to some lessons so I wouldn’t stay home sulking (and so Ben didn’t have to teach me… we had both seen enough couples in fights and tears). I slowly improved over time, got over my panic and fear, and learned to control my speed. We traveled around to Jackson Hole, Breckenridge, and all the Salt Lake City-adjacent resorts. Living out west spoils you because everything about skiing is significantly cheaper when you live in the foothills. It’s even cheaper now in the Midwest, if you’re okay with trading out huge mountains and long runs.
Then there’s my personal favorite part of skiing, the après. That’s what will really do you in, if you’re a retired party girl like myself. Nothing hits quite like an Aperol spritz or a crispy beer on a sunny, bluebird day with vibey house music playing on the loudspeaker. I don’t even like beer! Okay, so you don’t drink? Neither does my husband. Have a crispy Diet Coke, a lil’ espresso, or a non-alcoholic beer/cocktail. Sprinkle in the Upper Peninsula’s sauna culture to the mix, and winter suddenly became something to look forward to.
Ben cashes in his daddy bucks annually and allocates a ski trip to go chase that mountain high the Midwest just can’t provide. Fine! But we agreed to go as a family once our boys started skiing. And that day finally arrived.
Early on, we committed to teaching them to ski in hopes we’d avoid the hockey circuit that is so popular up north. While the jury is still out, I’d say being a ski family has been enjoyable so far. It took a few years of physical effort—schlepping the boys to the local hill, paying for group lessons, and toddler meltdowns of epic proportions. Again, all much more affordable where we live, plus there are lots of great gear hand-me-downs available through the local community.
We finally reached the magical moment when they became surprisingly self-sufficient and could ski greens, blues, and beyond with relative ease, and we were confident they could make the trek. They leave me in the dust, but that’s ok, I’m comfortable skiing slowly behind them.
And so we just returned from the Alps for skiing, which included a short and sweet visit to Paris to meet up with my friend and her family. This was our first long-haul trip as a family! The boys did great despite the expected jet lag. For skiing, we stuck to Megève (Mont d’Arbois/ Mont Joux) and Chamonix (Brévent-Flégère), flying in and out of the Geneva airport.
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I had started pulling this retro ski moodboard a few weeks before we left, but being there helped bring it all into focus. And so we continue the story of appreciating winter for itself. Not that this was totally surprising, but I was struck by the way people dressed (like they actually cared) and the way places felt (cozy, textured)—nothing overly luxurious or glitzy but definitely more considered and intentional. I mean, what can I say? It’s very… je ne sais quoi, a little joie de vivre, very… French.
The vintage-Euro-retro ski fashion aesthetic is not unique in having its seemingly annual moment, with brands like J.Crew creating limited edition collections in partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the H&M x Perfect Moment collab. Is it overdone? Maybe. But for this now-northerner, it’s giving just enough to get us through until Spring.
Consider this your key to the chalet, friends. Let’s get into the moodboard with a heavy side serving of trip recommendations—like the skiing, the food, and places worth seeking out—plus a Stash Report full of quilt patterns, what I brought back from France, and how strategically I packed for the trip.
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