CRUISE QUILTS

While I am away teaching on two cruises with the staff from Stitchin' Heaven Quilt Cruises, back to back, I thought you might like to see the quilt projects the students are making.

First, we sail from Port Liberty in Bayonne, NJ on the 10 day New England/Canada cruise. There are about 80 students and two teachers. We split into two classrooms, I teach half the group one day while the other teacher has the other half. The next sea day, we teachers change places, the students stay at their assigned space all 10 days.  A Bernina sewing machine is provided for each student to use 24/7 if they like.

This quilt is my original pattern, based on an antique quilt I own. ON THE LILY POND:

Most students buy the pre-cut kit, as space in the classroom is limited. Students who want to use their own fabric buy the pattern in advance then pre-cut ALL their pieces at home before boarding the ship. 

Here is the lovely kit for ON THE LILY POND, each piece laser-cut and carefully sorted in bags for class time. The kits are shipped onboard so all students need to bring are basic sewing supplies:

Some students only make ONE of the offered quilts, some make both. Some sew from morning until late at night, rarely leaving the ship. I will be enjoying tours in Boston, Portland, Nova Scotia and St. John. 

After 10 days on that cruise our ship, LIBERTY OF THE SEAS , returns to New Jersey where most passengers will disembark. I stay onboard as later that afternoon the ship sails south to BERMUDA. I am the only teacher and we have about 70 students for this cruise. 

The pattern for this cruise is DAZZLED, and involves learning to sew curves. Here is my sample top, made from the Kit:

And the Kit. Believe me, having all those curved pieces laser-cut saves much time and ensures things FIT:

 

As usually happens, I have friends joining me on these cruises. Sandy and her husband will be with us on the New England/Canada trip and Jan and her husband will join us for Bermuda. 

I expect to teach again on a cruise in 2027. When that opens for registration I will tell you. These cruises fill in a matter of a couple weeks. Sandy was on the waitlist and we are both thrilled a spot opened up for her and her husband to join in the fun.

The only problem I foresee after being on a lovely cruise ship for more than two weeks? It will be really HARD to have to start COOKING DINNER AGAIN! I stick to my exercise routine on the ship every day but there will probably be a few pounds to get off when I get home.

You can expect a blog post about these great trips sometime after I get home. 

Let's quilt AND cruise!

Barbara

CRUISING IN ALASKA!

 Recently I taught on a wonderful quilt cruise for Stitchin Heaven. They do at least 12 such cruises a year, to various locations, and they really know how to do it right! 

So much to do

Indoor pool as well as outdoor pools

The incredible conference center on Deck 13 with floor to ceiling windows

We had 58 students and many of them had family members with them. The Alaska itinerary is a family-friendly one and there were lots of multi-generational families on board. About 5000 passengers and 2000 crew sail on the beautiful  Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas

Deck 13 Balcony Cabin--I am waving to hubby who is on shore in Skagway

We flew to Seattle the day before, that's essential for cruises in my opinion. The Mediterranean Inn was a good place to stay, near the Space Needle and Pike's Place Market, with lots of restaurants an easy walk from the hotel. The next morning they were superb at shuttling many guests to the port just 10 minutes away. Their rooftop deck had lovely views of the area:

Embarkation was a breeze, we were onboard before our assigned time of 11 am. Staterooms aren't ready until 1 pm so we wandered around the public areas, had lunch in the Windjammer Buffet, and got a sense of the size of the ship. I was most interested in the walking track. On this ship it's on Deck 14, were the pools are, and speed walking was challenging as many people were strolling around waiting to get into their cabins. 

I found a better place to walk the next day: Deck 5 where the lifeboats are. No one was out there at 4-6 am, I had the place to myself. I got to see the sunrise each day, glaciers the day we sailed there, ports as we were coming in, and it was delightful to feel alone on a huge ship full of people:

I asked a guy who came out early to see the sunrise to take my photo

My glorious view each morning before "work"

My own private walking track

Scenery for miles

This was a chilly morning, hat, gloves, sweatshirt and rain jacket needed

A glacier seen from the Buffet window

The students came from all over, including a mother/daughter team from Germany. The first day I taught 30 students my project, It's  A Puzzle. We had a great day, laughing and learning. 

My good friend Donna Daniel who got the perfect assigned spot

    

An alternative layout I suggested

Before the week was over Jeanne had her top completely done

Some of half the cruising quilters Day 1

Not a bad place to "go to work"

On port days the classroom was open for free sewing but we didn't have class. So I taught Saturday and Wednesday, 9-4 with an hour out for lunch, Thursday morning and  Sunday night I did 3 hours just answering any questions and keeping students happy. 

In the evenings my husband and I went to shows, after a great dinner. We were assigned a table for 12 but only had 9--four couples and a student traveling on her own. The food was excellent and the service was even better. We managed one group shot on the second "dress up" night:

Junelle our head waiter was GREAT! 

My husband with me before that last dinner in the Grande Dining Room

Our stateroom was a Balcony, I upgraded from an Oceanview teachers are provided as part of the compensation. About 200 square feet, there was LOT of storage, much we never used. The only thing in short supply are outlets--only 3 in the entire cabin. And two USB ports. Bring an extra charger for all those devices. 

Big storage bins above the bed

Sofa in front of the desk by the balcony, some rooms had the bed over there and sofa near the door

Ample storage in the bathroom

More storage which we didn't use--we each had our own closet on either side of the bed

The smartest thing I brought were small magnetic hooks--cabin walls on all ships are metal. Exercise clothes, jackets and swimsuits need to dry between wearings and this is the perfect way to do that. I found them on Amazon, 10 for about $6:

swimsuits drying using magnetic hooks I brought

The food was so good. I always say any meal I don't have to plan, shop for, prepare, serve and clean up is a great meal. Not many photos of the food, I just enjoyed it. Because I got my usual 1-2 hour power walk in each day I ate a big breakfast, then a smaller lunch like salad, and the 3 course dinner in the dining room each night. Serving sizes at dinner were reasonable, not massive. We rarely snacked. 

My usual breakfast

A light lunch in the Solarium Bistro, adults only

My favorite dessert in the Dining Room, Warm Apple Cobbler and ice cream

A light breakfast, oatmeal with Greek yogurt and walnuts, and the best grapefruit ever

I am often asked what my husband does on these cruises while I am working. There is so much to do onboard he always finds something to do. The night I worked he went to a comedy show. My good friend Donna Daniel and her husband Oscar came on this trip. The men hadn't met before but they have very similar backgrounds. So they would run into each other while Donna and I were in class and sat for hours and talked. 

Will also enjoyed shooting pool when he could get a table. He took me there to play one day and found out I was trained by a "pool shark" as a teen, he didn't stand a chance:

While some don't like "dress up" nights, I do, since we rarely get dressed up at home. Here we are the first night:

Oscar and Donna Daniel and Will and I 

49 years together

Most days my clothes were much more casual. Most people were dressed very casually, jeans or shorts, t-shirts, etc. Layering is important in Alaska, I always had my sweater with me. We were blessed with fabulous weather in every port, sunny, 60-70, just perfect:

Jeans are always appropriate on a cruise

A little more dressed up for teaching

Perfect travel pants, pull-on knit, I took 3 pair, ideal for air travel too

Another perfect weather day in Juneau 

We did excursions in Sitka, Skagway and Victoria. It's always fun to get off the ship and learn some things about the places we are visiting. In Juneau we stayed onboard so I could swim, the first day I had time for that. We docked about 1 pm, I taught that morning. Being onboard when almost 5000 people get off is great. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

All too soon, the week was coming to a close. Here is the group photo:

The Staff from Stitchin Heaven is so good to work with. Dana, Dawn and Tari kept everything running smoothly and all students happy. The other teacher this cruise was Annette Plog. I enjoyed getting to know her too. I look forward to more cruises with these good people:

Dana, Dawn, Annette, me and Tari

While it is a job, and I do work for real on these cruises, like cleaning, threading and servicing 30 machines both before and after the week teaching, I enjoy it very much. Next year I am doing a 10 day New England/Canada cruise followed immediately with a 5 day Bermuda cruise. The New England cruise is currently Sold Out but there is a WAITLIST. On this past cruise we had a few students who had been on the WAITLIST and got to come. So don't hesitate to get on the waitlist now by calling Stitchin Heaven. 

The 5 day cruise to Bermuda is the perfect cruise for those who aren't sure they will like a cruise. Check out the details HERE  The ship leaves Port Liberty in New Jersey Saturday late afternoon. We sail to Bermuda Sunday, dock in Bermuda Monday morning and leave from Bermuda late Tuesday afternoon. The ship is your hotel for those two days, come and go as you please. Wednesday we sail back to New Jersey and Thursday morning it's off we go. A few days to discover the great service and activities on these amazing ships. If you register, be sure to say you learned about this cruise from me.

All in all, I had a great trip. Only two issues: I was up 12 pounds when I came home, much more than the 5-7 I expected. In 10 days at home, I dropped 10 of those, and it took a few more days to get rid of the other 2. I ate with "abandon" and it showed. I know how to get rid of it so I did. 

The other downside was I got Covid. One student the first day found out she had Covid. She never returned to class. About 8 of us reported being mildly sick after returning home. I took two days off from walking, never had a fever, just a slight cough and was achy. I got right back to power walking and was fine within a few days. My husband didn't get it, just his usual allergy symptoms. Viruses are out there, we can't avoid them in public. It won't stop me from traveling. 

I hope you will consider coming along on a future cruise. Several students knew me from The Quilt Show and took this cruise to be in my class. I love that!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

CRUISING--COME ALONG WITH ME!

 You have probably heard by now--I am teaching on a Quilt Cruise with Stitchin Heaven March 11-18, 2023. Round Trip from Miami, FL on a beautiful Royal Caribbean cruise ship:

Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas

Miami FL 

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Learn more about this unique opportunity in this one minute Video:

Harmony of Quilting

Besides two great classes, you will have ample time to enjoy ALL the wonderful features of this great ship. AND enjoy 3 days in various ports of call. Get tempted by this 15 second Video:

Harmony of the Seas

It's so fun when I get a message from a friend saying "I am going on the CRUISE!" And that is happening frequently.

I would LOVE to have you come along with me on our SEA CRUISE. When you do register, be sure to indicate on the Registration Form that I told you to come--you'll be glad you did.

Let's cruise AND quilt!

Barbara

LAND AHOY CRUISE NASHVILLE 2021

 I recently had the pleasure of teaching at the first Land Ahoy Cruise Nashville, run by Stitchin' Heaven, a  well-known quilt shop in Quitman, TX. Five "land cruises" are being held this year since the 15 "sea cruises" held each year by Stitchin' Heaven are not possible.

In many ways, this teaching experience was like most--happy students from all over the country, classes were taught, there was fun and games, lots of good food, and many hours of sewing. The SHAG box (Stitchin Heaven Amazing Gift)  was, indeed, amazing. We also had an "excursion" day that  got us out of the hotel and a chance to see the area and learn some history.

In some ways, things were different--masks were required in all public areas of the hotel and in all restaurants. Sewing tables were set farther apart and dining tables that could accommodate 8 were set with only 4 chairs. In our conference rooms and large dining area masks were optional--some students wore them, some did not.

I tried to eat meals with different students most times, learning names and where they were from. The name tags on the back of each machine sure helped out!

Kelly hard at work

I led off the first day with my Trunk Show--bringing 13 of my quilts that related to our 1800's theme or my journey as a quiltmaker. Color My World. the 2021 Block of the Month for The Quilt Show, got a bit of attention and two students joined The Quilt Show immediately so they can get started:

The back, showing the quilting I did on my Bernina Q20 sit down long arm:

My Lifetime quilt, 100" square, with 12,800 triangles, each 1.25". Subtitled "Wow!":

The recently completed Western Sun top which used a wide variety of 1800's reproduction fabrics: 

The class I taught was Parlor Music, by Carol Hopkins. While I thought it was simple, compared to the other class, Remember Me, the students felt differently and most worked on the other project for the most part.  A couple students did work on Parlor Music first. Tanya got the body of hers done, and will cut off the excess, then add borders:

Terry had fun on the design wall and decided to alternate the quarter square triangle rows, I liked that idea a lot:

Autumn got far along on Remember Me, using her own fabrics:

Thursday was excursion day. First stop was Quilting Squares, a small quilt shop in Franklin, TN:

Good advice: 

Lots to see and buy:

Next stop was Carnton House in Franklin, a home used as a field hospital during the Battle of Franklin in 1864. The home is beautifully restored, with a lot of original furnishings. I felt lucky to have Carrie as our guide, the best historical guide I ever had and I've been to lots of such places:

Then we headed down the road a few miles to Carter House. More Battle of Franklin stories and more outbuildings. This one we saw first from the outside:

Seeing those bullet holes from the inside was eerie: 

Thursday evening we enjoyed the Trunk show from Janet Tanner, the other teacher:

After teaching for two days I was able to sew some personal things, while remaining available to students who needed assistance. I was glad to get two blocks started over two days, for an upcoming Round Robin project I am doing with the Sunday Sew and Sews.

This Bullseye block designed by Becky Goldsmith, took me all day Friday and still needs a frame. It is paper pieced to this stage. The center circle is pieced in to the ring of points--it took me almost an hour to pin, sew, fix a few places and press: 

Much faster, this one will be appliqued to the background, then a pieced sawtooth ring will be added: 

All in all, this was a lot of fun. I enjoyed meeting quilters from WA, UT, WY, CA, MN, IL, AR, AZ, PA, NY, NJ, FL and TX. The hotel staff was great, the food excellent, I enjoyed the meals and friendship I shared outside the hotel too. 

This year there are 3 more Land Ahoy Cruises--Fort Worth in April, Las Vegas in May and San Diego in June.  I believe only Ft Worth has space available and registration ends very soon. Several are in the planning stages for 2022. If you want to sew for a week and make new friends, I recommend you come along on a Land Cruise.

Let's quilt,

Barbara