“Almost 10 years ago, I got a call from George Schy of A-1 Tours in Clearwater, FL. He was going into the specialty travel business with his son and was wondering if I would be interested in going on a quilting cruise. I’ve always lived in Wisconsin, where the winters can weigh heavily indeed, so the decision was easy. Thus began my quilting life on the high seas.
For those of you who are accustomed to seeing my face in the ads in the quilting magazines, you might be fooled into thinking that I have always lived a life of travel and adventure. Not so. I’m the oldest of six children. David and Doris Punzel created Doreen, Dwight, Dennis, Debbie, Diana and Doug (way too cute) and they had the good sense to not take us all that far from home. This before the era of the minivan so there weren’t enough seats by the window. When they could afford a real vacation (not staying with relatives), they rented a fishing cabin in northern Wisconsin. Though he won’t admit, I’m sure my father called ahead to be sure that there were at least 500 spiders in the outhouse. We tried camping and occasionally had a good time. We had nothing so posh as a camper, and life got distinctly better when we learned not to pitch the tent at the bottom of a hill without a ground cloth or trench. I remember being damp a lot. The fantasy of leaving the state was exciting; visiting another country would have been unimaginable.
So, the thought of going on an international cruise was very exciting indeed. I worried that no one would be interested in going on a quilting cruise. I worried about my inadequate wardrobe. I worried about what I was going to teach and whether anyone would like what I planned when I figured out what that would be. I worried a lot. But everything turned out well in spite of the beginning of the Gulf War during our first cruise. What I discovered was that there were quite a few quilters who were looking for an excuse to go cruising. It is a wonderful vacation for anyone, but especially for women. Someone else cleans your room, serves your food, turns down your bed, and artfully arranged your nightie on the bed, with a chocolate on the pillow. (I always takes the staff a few days to figure out that the Mickey Mouse t-shirt is my negligee.) And of course it is wonder to leave winter behind to frolic in the sun and sea. I mastered the basics of snorkeling and learned how to enjoy the sun without turning as red as a lobster.
One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “When is there time to quilt with so many meals and cruise activities?” We choose cruises that offer at least three days at sea. You can only spend a few hours in the hot tropical sun without inviting a smorgasbord of disasters. And after a round or two of napkin folding and vegetable carving demonstrations, you find that a change to play with fabric and sit at a sewing machine is a welcome relief.
We run our class just like a land-bound conference, from 9 to noon and 1 to 4pm. I don’t do this all by myself. Over the years I have been joined by some of the best teachers in the country, Judi Warren, Gwen Marston, Joe Cunningham, Faye Anderson, Ruth McDowell, Katie Pasquini, Blanche Young, Liz Porter, Judy Dales, Anita Murphy, Mary Stori, Jean Wells and Catherine Anthony. We had an international cruise and were joined by Deirdre Amsden from England and Greta Moe from Norway. My method for choosing a teacher is to think about who I would like to spend a week with and it has worked quite well.
One of our biggest treats in the years that the ship stops in Nassau is attending a quilt show put on by the Stepping Stones Quilt Guild. Maria Chisnall, a Bahamian quilter, was on our first cruise; she arranged to have our group met at the ship and led to their quilt show. It was glorious! We were amazed by the brilliant colors they used with such expertise and that they bothered to make quilts at all. It was so warm, even during their “winter,” that warm bed covers didn’t seem like a priority. It reinforced what I guess we have always known; making quilts has more to do with playing with fabric and enjoying the company of other creative souls than it has to do with keeping warm. We were also able to find a fabric store within blocks of the ship. Maria introduced us to Androsia fabric, batik make on Andros, another Bahamian island, with images of turtles, dolphins, sharks, lobsters and hibiscus.
Going on a cruise is a wonderful luxury and I feel privileged to be able to go. But if cruising isn’t in your plans for the near future, here’s your chance to go on a virtual cruise. Welcome aboard and enjoy the quilts.”
-Doreen Speckmann from Travels with Peaky and Spike 1999
Doreen Speckmann 