September 3-10, 2010

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Ahoy, Quilters! We are excited to offer an exciting quilting cruise to Alaska! We hope to give you the time of your life while you cruise the seas, and quilt in style aboard Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas.

Please note: To attend quilt classes and participate in the activities, you must book the quilting cruise.

Join us for a 7-Day Cruise featuring Retta Warehime and Nancy Rowland. We will depart from Seattle, Washington on September 3, 2010, then travel to Alaska Inside Passage; Juneau; Skagway; Tracy Arm Fjord; and Victoria, British Columbia. During your days at sea, you'll be 'entertained' with quilting classes, sewing, and the many fun activities aboard the ship. We'll also have a HandiQuilter machine on hand to play with, compliments of Quilt Corner in Baton Rouge, LA!

The Ship & The Cruise

We will sail out of Seattle, Washington on September 3, 2010 for a 7-day, roundtrip cruise through Alaska on board the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas. We'll visit the Alaska Inside Passage; Juneau; Skagway; Tracy Arm Fjord; and Victoria, British Columbia, 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 Rhapsody of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean's Vision class ships. It's a breathtaking experience as you enter Rhapsody of the Seas through the Centrum to a soaring, seven-deck atrium, stunningly decorated, with floors of stately white marble softened by living plants, soft leathers, muted wood tones, kinetic water sculptures. Described as an "Astro-Nautical" theme, the Rhapsody is decorated with a blend of images from the heavens and the seas, and featuring an amazing collection of art.

You'll enjoy Royal Caribbean's energetic, friendly, and accessible staff, whose infectious vitality creates a casual fun counterpoint to the artistic refinement of the ship.

Click here for the detailed itinerary.

Classes & Sewing Time

Classes will be held during our three "at sea" days. Retta Warehime and will each teach a class, and we'll have a mystery quilt, "Mystery on the Rhapsody," designed exclusively for our cruise by Debbie Caffrey, and taught by our very own Sandra!

Kits will be available for each class and the mystery quilt.  We have selected the perfect fabrics for these projects.  If you would like one, just let us know!  We will be sure to get it to you in plenty of time so you can have your cutting done prior to class.  Prior to departure, we will contact you regarding the specific fabric selections available for your kit.

If you do not purchase a kit, please remember that you will need to pack your own fabrics. We will not have fabrics available for purchase aboard the ship.

How can all this get any better? Here's how!

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 Texas Quiltworks' website 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!

The Teachers

Retta Warehime

Retta Warehime has been designing and piecing quilts for over 25 years. She has published several books with Martingale & Company, including On Point Quilts, and patterns through her company, Sew Cherished.

Retta enjoys designing quilts and teaching others to quilt. She has designed three lines of fabric with Quilting Treasures and has been teaching quilting classes on cruises. This has allowed her to do all her favorite things: share quilting, be with friends, make new friends, shop, and drink coffee. You can read Martingale's interview with her here.

Retta's project, Baked Alaska (pictured left), uses a beautiful red batik from Batik Textiles, and comes from her book “On-Point Quilts,” published by Martingale in 2008. Finished blocks measure 15", and the finished quilt measures 65" square.

Click the quilt image for a larger view.

Nancy Rowland

Nancy Rowland loves to express her creativity through quilting & she loves challenge. She enters local, national & international competitions, and attends classes & conferences to improve her professional skills. For the past five years, Nancy’s Hoffman Challenge entries have been chosen for their traveling trunk shows. In 2009 she received Hoffman’s Best Machine Workmanship Award for her entry, Indonesian Echoes.

The legacy of quilting observed & learned (somewhat) from her mother & grandmothers has already been extended to eight of her twelve grandchildren.  Nancy & her husband, Ken, live in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska, where people grow those big cabbages. She & their three children did that—once--& were eating sauerkraut for years!  Nancy lives in a log cabin, sews on the dining room table, & just barely has room in the basement for Klondike, her longarm machine. A retired elementary teacher, she now has unlimited time to devote to her quilting endeavors.

Nancy’s advice for growth:  Join a Guild; Take a class (start with Beginning Techniques—there’s much to learn about what you thought you knew); Step out of your box.

Sandra Coffey

A former Alaskan of 24 years, and one of our most beloved local teachers, Sandra joined our Stitchin' Heaven family in 2006, and is now our Block of the Month manager. In 1976, during the celebration of our country's 200th anniversary, when many people were returning to their quilting heritage, Sandra also rediscovered her love of quilt making. It was a wonderful way to pass those long, Alaskan winters, and she has been eagerly quilting ever since.

Sandra is always open to new techniques and patterns, and loves to share the skills needed to pass on this beautiful tradition. She has made many shop models over the years featuring traditional quilts as well as the latest in the craft. Recently, following the purchase of her new Gammill machine, Sandra has broadened her horizons to include long-arm quilting. She has done beautiful work quilting many of our shop models, several of which, have been featured in magazines.

Activities - Entertainment & Exercise!

Rhapsody of the Seas features some beautiful public rooms where you can sit and enjoy the ship while visiting or just relaxing. The Viking Crown Lounge sits atop the Centrum, and is a great place to watch the ship come in to port. There is also the whimsical Schooner Bar, with actual teak decking, a library, and internet lounge, just to name a few.

There is a "Ship Shape" selection list each night from the regular menu. Breakfast and lunch buffets are served in the Windjammer Cafe, and also an alternate, casual dinner venue, for which no reservations are necessary. There's a hot dog and hamburger grill in the Solarium. Then, there's the round-the-clock room service, which is free from 5am to midnight!

Rhapsody's Broadway Melodies Show Lounge is one of the both functional and beautiful with excellent sight lines from the floor and balcony. Seating is on fixed banquettes and has adequate space to enter and exit rows. You can expect one show featuring a known entertainer, three evenings of variety acts, and a farewell show. You can also enjoy the casino, with slots, dice, and card tables.

Spa & Fitness
The Rhapsody has two large pools and six hot tubs that can be covered by a retractable glass dome for bad weather. There is a sunning area, and a gym with exercise equipment, and an aerobics room. Steiner's of London has the usual spa installation aboard for all your pampering needs after a long day of quilting.

General Information

Cabins
Cabins aboard the Rhapsody are comfortable and practical, and even the smallest feature a small sitting area and generous storage space. Cabins are quiet, and feature televisions, phones, safes, toiletries, and hair dryers.

Dress
Expect two formal nights each cruise. Most men opt for dark suit instead of tuxedo, and women choose cocktail dresses rather than lavish gowns. The remaining nights are casual, with sport shirts and slacks recommended for men, and sundresses and khakis for women.

Gratuities
Royal Caribbean recommends $3.50 per person, per day to the dining room waiter; $3.50 per person, per day to the cabin steward; $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 unless the service was special. 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, use of Bernina sewing machines, parties, and fabulous door prizes. Does not include port charges of $365.08.

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

Early Bird Special! If you register, and pay your $350 deposit by March 1st, 2010, you will receive a $75 credit toward your Sail 'n Sew Fabric Pack that will have all the fabrics you will need for the 3 classes offered while you are on board!

Travel to and from Seattle, Washington
You will be responsible for getting to and from the ship in Seattle.

Contact Information

Contact Stitchin' Heaven with any 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
Sew Much Travel is a division of Stitchin' Heaven, Inc.

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