April 3 - 10, 2011

Join us as we cruise the Caribbean while making Civil War reproduction quilt projects and experiencing a bit
of history all at the same time!

Ahoy, Quilters and history lovers!
We are excited to offer a quilting cruise to the Western Caribbean. We hope to give you the time of your life while you cruise the seas, and quilt in style aboard Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas.

Join us for a 7-Day Western Caribbean Cruise featuring Bobbie Aug, Paula Barnes and Betsy Chutchian. We will depart from Galveston, Texas on April 3, 2011, then travel to Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel. During your days at sea, you'll be 'entertained' with quilting classes, sewing, and the many fun activities aboard the ship.

The Ship & The Cruise

We will sail out of Galveston, Texas, on April 3, 2011 for a 7-day, roundtrip cruise through the Caribbean on board the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. We'll visit Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel, with three exciting days cruising at sea. Classes will be held during those three days at sea, but you are free to roam about the ship as you please, and take advantage of all the ship's wonderful amenities. The Voyager of the Seas is a revolutionary marvel of naval engineering. Enjoy features like an ice-skating rink, the Royal Promenade, a TV studio and concert arena, rock-climbing wall, and much more. How did they accommodate all of these innovative ideas? Simple. They built a bigger cruise ship. The 138,000-ton, 3,114-guest Voyager of the Seas became the world's largest cruise ship when it entered service in November 1999.

Punctuated by two atria, Voyager of the Seas' most compelling space is the Royal Promenade -- a horizontal atrium that has the look and feel of an upscale shopping mall. There are designer boutiques, a sidewalk cafe, a British-style pub and even a red Morgan sports car, which used to belong to Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean's chairman and CEO.

A fabulous space, The Royal Promenade is four decks high, longer than a football field and wider than three lanes of traffic. There are no windows, but it's always dazzlingly lit up and sets the scene for street entertainment and festive Mardi Gras-style parades -- complete with stilt walkers, a swaying inflatable dancer, streamers and confetti, and music from New Orleans, Rio and other cool places.

Click here for the detailed itinerary.

Classes & Sewing Time

Classes will be held during our three "at sea" days. There are three classes, and three teachers, so everyone will be able to enjoy a class with each of the teachers. Don't worry, students will not have to rotate classrooms, the teachers will come to you.

Sail 'n Sew Fabric Packs will be available. We don't want you to have to spend your class time cutting, so we're doing the work for you. Just let us know if you want a pack, and we'll have it ready and waiting when you arrive on board. Prior to departure, we will contact you regarding the specific fabric selections available for your kit.

How can all this get any better? Here's how!
We will also have onboard the Voyager of the Seas;

• Evening trunk show lectures from each teacher, on a different
  Civil War topic.
  
  
• A beautiful quilt will be given away each evening – that’s 7 finished
  quilts in all!
  
  
• Accommodations onboard the Voyager of the Seas with a state of the
  art conference center dedicated to our group the entire cruise.
  
  
• A private cocktail party exclusively for our group.
  
  
• Surprises, gifts, and a boatload of fun with your friends!

PLUS a $50 (per stateroom) onboard credit for you to
spend any way you want while on the ship.

PLUS ... You'll be sewing on a new Bernina machine!

Texas Quiltworks, in Rockwall, Texas, has generously agreed to furnish everyone with a new Bernina sewing machine during the cruise! There's no need to bring your sewing machine all the way from home, and you may even take home a great deal on your brand new Bernina! So, travel light, and sew in style while you're there. Stop in at www.texasquiltworks.com and check out Bernina's latest machines, then get yourself geared up and ready, because you're going to have some happy quilting days ahead!

Also onboard will be a Handi Quilter machine. This machine is provided by The Quilt Corner of Baton Rouge, LA.

The Teachers

Bobbie Aug

Bobbie Aug is a nationally known quilt historian, teacher, lecturer and appraiser. She has taught and lectured at The International Quilt Festival, The American Quilter's Society Show, The Vermont Quilt Festival, The Columbia River Gorge Annual Quilt Show, The Minnesota State Guild Annual Show, and many others.  Her articles and quilts have appeared in several national quilting magazines. 

Bobbie has co-authored six books, including, "String Quilts With Style", "Vertical Quilts With Style", "Vintage Quilts" and "Quilt Blocks X Nine.  She has also appeared on HGTV’s Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson.

Bobbie is also a Quilt Appraiser, certified by The American Quilter's Society.  She is a member of the Appraisal Certification Committee for AQS, as well as a member of The Colorado Quilting Council, American Quilt Study Group and several other guilds. In addition to being a contemporary quilt maker, Bobbie collects antique quilts and is a full-time quilt historian.

Bobbie Aug's Project:
Shadow Boxes - Finished size = 50" x 55"

This original project by Bobbie was made from antique quilt blocks circa 1890.  Bobbie used reproduction fabrics to create this quilt.  During class you will learn about vertical quilts (or bar quilts as they were commonly known) and receive a copy of the book "Vertical Quilts with Style" by Bobbie Aug and Sharon Newman.

The Sail 'n Sew Fabric Pack will include reproduction fabrics for the blocks, the sashings, borders and binding for a beautiful finished product.  If you are interested in a larger size
(93" x 97") please let us know.

Paula Barnes

As one of three partners in Bonnie Blue Quilts, a company specializing in Civil War, vintage and reproduction fabrics and patterns, Paula is the exclusive designer for the company. Her passion for fabric and quilts of the Civil War era inspires beautiful reproduction quilts, which incorporates today's simplified quilt making tools and techniques.

Using antique quilts as her inspiration, Paula designs traditional timeless quilts. Her designs are reproductions of actual antique quilts or are inspired by them. She also designed the twelve quilt blocks for the Web Sampler Celebration II, featuring Marcus' Civil War Classics collection by Judie Rothermel.

Paula has nearly 20 years of teaching experience in Dallas and Houston quilt shops, and enjoys numerous distinctions and guild affiliations throughout the state of Texas. Paula's workshop and lectures include "Designing a Quilting Studio", "History of the Quilts from Bonnie Blue Quilts ", "Exchange Quilts," and others.

Paula Barne's Project:
LeMoyne House - Finished size = 55" x 63"

This beautiful quilt designed by Paula Barnes was inspired by the LeMoyne House in Washington, Pennsylvania, which is one of the few National historic landmarks of the Underground Railroad.  You will hear about the history of the house and the impact it had during the Civil War while piecing this fun project. 

I f you are interested in a larger size
(approx. 90 x 100) please let us know.

Betsy Chutchian

Betsy fell in love with fabric and quilts as a child learning to sew on both her grandmother's treadle machines. The beds at her grandmother's house in Frisco, Texas, were covered with Depression-era scrap quilts. Her mother would point to each piece fabric and say, "that was my dress, and this was Mother's apron, this was Daddy's shirt, and so forth. In 1969, Betsy received her first sewing machine from her aunt Sissy, a 1940s Singer.

In 1980, Betsy received a B.A. in History from the University of Texas at Arlington. That same year she taught herself to quilt after receiving a quilt top made by a great aunt and great grandmother. This began a passionate journey that would combine the love of fabric, quiltmaking and history. From the time she started to quilt, she wanted her quilts to look like old, 19th Century-era quilts.

Betsy has taught quiltmaking since 1990 for a number of quilt shops in Texas and is a former quilt shop owner. Since 2004, Betsy has traveled across Texas sharing her love of 19th Century reproduction quilts in lectures, trunk shows and workshops. She is a co-founder of the 19th Century Patchwork Divas, a close-knit group of quilters bound by their love of old quilts. Betsy is also the author of "Gone to Texas: Quilts from a Pioneer Woman's Journal".

Betsy Chutchian's Project:
Nine Patch and Crossroads - Finished size = 36" x 48"

You will just love working on this scrappy quilt with Betsy from her popular book "Gone to Texas". During our cruise you will not only have a great class with Betsy but you will be able to hear about her great-great grandmother, Lizzie Carpenter, and the writings in the 800 pages of the journal she wrote between 1857 and 1883.  Page after page of this amazing record of her work and daily life is filled with sewing and quilting references.  You will find that she made many of the same quilts that we love to make today and will find a special connection with her. 

Activities - Entertainment & Exercise!

Where do we begin? It can be very hard to relax on Voyager of the Seas -- even on sea days -- because of the head-spinning array of activities that run from dawn to dusk and beyond! The ship's entertainment staff offers an intriguing blend of options, and everyone, from the most traditional passenger to the completely contemporary traveler, will find something to do.

During the day, if you don't want to sew, you'll find plenty of activities, such as bingo, dance lessons, horse racing, art auctions, Mr. Sexy Legs contests, rock-climbing wall competitions, bridge play, art and craft workshops and films in the tiny cinema. Poolside, throughout the day, a live band plays a blend of Caribbean and American songs, and parades take over the Promenade's main thoroughfare.

Nighttime sees a similar variety of entertainment options. The gorgeous La Scala Theater is a state-of-the-art show lounge inspired by the legendary one in Milan, Italy. There is an excellent Broadway-style production show with a cast of 16 singers and dancers, and the ice skating show is not to be missed! And, also, for those who want to catch the big game, Scoreboard on the Royal Promenade and the 19th Hole in the Viking Crown Lounge area have satellite TV.

Spa & Fitness
There is everything under the sun here. You can practice your figure eights in the ice skating rink; go in-line skating on the roller blade track; play basketball, volleyball or paddle ball in the full-length sports court; climb to 200 feet over the sea in the rock-climbing wall (if you've never tried it, no worries -- they give you a lesson before you set off); and practice your golf swings at miniature golf and a golf simulator. The ship also has three pools, six whirlpools and a jogging track (five times around equals a mile). One interesting note: One of the pools and a whirlpool have hydraulic lifts for the disabled.

The 15,000-plus-square-foot, Steiner-operated ShipShape Center and Day Spa has 14 massage and treatment rooms; a relaxation area with sea views; full-service beauty salon; oceanview workout area with stereo and TV monitors; 66 Reebok machines including 20 treadmills; free weights; and an aerobics area with wood-suspended floor, mirrored wall, two large-screen TV monitors and wrap-around windows. One of the spa's nicest features is its round hydrotherapy pool.

General Information

Cabins
With so much to do onboard, chances are really good that you will actuallyjust use your cabin for changing and sleeping, but it's nice to know that if you want to spend more time there, you will indeed be comfortable.All standard staterooms are attractively decorated in soft tones with fine light woods and two pieces of artwork on the walls. Each stateroom has two beds that convert to queen-size, a private bath, phone, interactive TV, mini-bar, hair dryers and air conditioning/heat controls. Bathrooms are on the small side, but functional, and showers have those wonderful, half-round sliding doors as opposed to clingy curtains. Soap and shampoo are provided.

Dress
During the day, dress is casual. Evenings are either casual, smart casual or formal. On casual nights, suggested attire is sports shirts and slacks for men and sundresses or pants for women. On smart casual evenings, men should don jackets and tie, with women wearing dresses or pantsuits. On the one or two formal nights per cruise, men can choose from tuxedos or suits and ties, while woman usually wear cocktail dresses.

Gratuities
Gratuities are not included in your reservation costs. Royal Caribbean recommends $3.50 per person, per day to the dining room waiter; $3.50 per person, per day to the cabin steward (or $5.75 if you're in a suite); and $2 per person, per day to the assistant waiter. Royal Caribbean also recommends $0.75 per person, per day to the headwaiter, but we don't necessarily tip him or her unless the service was special. Gratuities can be pre-paid in advance, added to your onboard bill or paid in cash at the end of the cruise. A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to bar tabs.

Costs
Cruise prices includes the Royal Caribbean Cruise, cabin, fine dining, exciting on-board entertainment, all quilting classes, group activities and parties. Port charges, taxes & fees of $239 not included.

Click here to download a Price Sheet and Registration Form.
The form is in .pdf form, and you will need Adobe to view.
If you need the free download, please visit www.adobe.com

There is a $350 per person pre-paid deposit due now that can be paid via our website.
The price and availability are secured by the deposit.

Travel to and from Galveston, Texas
You will be responsible for getting to and from the ship in Galveston.

Contact Information

Please contact Stitchin' Heaven with general questions
or questions concerning classes and kits at:

Stitchin' Heaven 502 E. Goode St. Quitman, TX 75783 800-841-3901 Our Cruise Consultant: Clay Luttrell with Stitchin' Heaven Travel clay@stitchinheaventravel.com Phone: 903-312-8591 Fax: 512-628-3283 Stitchin' Heaven Travel is a division of Stitchin' Heaven, Inc.

Pricing & Registration

Click here to download the pricing and registration sheet.
This is a .pdf file, so will you need the free Adobe Reader download if you do not already have it.

Pay your Registration Fee online now!

A Cruise is always better with friends,
so print the info sheet and distribute it to your friends!