Sew Many Places

by Jim West

Quilting under the “Midnight Son”

During the past 20 years, I have sailed on 114 Alaska cruises. For those of you who have visited this area of the world, I’m sure you’ll agree, its God’s Country at its finest. And each time I plan a cruise to go back, I get just as excited as if it was my first time.

So what was it this past September that made our Sew Many Places Alaska Adventure more special than any other time I had been there in the past? Was it because it was our first quilting event in this beautiful part of the world, or was it the people who joined us that made it so wonderful? Was it because we were sailing onboard a first class cruise ship and enjoying all the luxurious amenities, or was it because we were sailing with one of today’s greatest quilt educators, authors and entertainers, Ricky Tims? I think it was a combination of all the above.

We started in Vancouver, British Columbia where a large portion of our group arrived the day before the cruise began. We stayed at a convenient first-class hotel located downtown. The following morning we all participated in a private tour of the city. Vancouver, for anyone who has never been there, is truly one of the most exciting cities in all of North America.

Our tour took us to Stanley Park, where we had an opportunity to see some great looking totem poles. Ricky commented, “These totem poles are a quilt waiting to happen.” And indeed he was right, with their unusual designs and colors, each represented a special style and pattern tracing a family history through its unique carvings.

We continued our tour to the Queen Elizabeth Gardens, Chinatown and to the popular Granville Island. Here we really had an opportunity to relax and enjoy ourselves. From the wonderful indoor food market, to the great art galleries, Granville Island is one of the best places to go to enjoy a special afternoon in Vancouver.

Once we arrived onboard our ship and settled in, we set sail north through the Inside Passage. Our ship offered all the exciting things mega liners offer today.

As I sit here writing this, I realize that Ricky is comparable to the Alaska landscape we saw during our cruise. We sat in awe, like we did when we viewed the magnificent glaciers in Glacier Bay, and watched how Ricky calved off pieces of himself and his talents into the hearts of all those who attended his classes.

He was like the whales we saw, swimming unpredictably into uncharted waters with his one-of-a-kind, improvisational Caveman Quilting method, captivating us with the magic of his Convergence quilt technique, and inspiring us with the elegance of his Rhapsody Quilts.

And I guess the best way to describe Ricky is to compare him to the Northern Lights themselves; colorful, ever evolving into something better than the moment before and fascinating to watch.

Our quilters had plenty of opportunities to do a lot of different things during our cruise. They attended eight lecture/demo sessions complete with live camera, video, and power point presentations. There was also a very funny and informative question/answer time with Ricky, during which Ricky affectionately shared some heartwarming stories about his grandmother, and traced a history of people in the past that made it possible for him to acquire his first sewing machine from his grandmother.

Our quilters also had a complimentary ticket to Ricky’s one-hour concert, and for any of you who have seen Ricky’s performances at some of the quilt shows, you know how special his musical talents are. Picture this, sailing past snowcapped mountains, waterfalls and glaciers and listening to one of the songs played on a grand piano from Ricky’s Christmas CD. I thought I was in the North Pole and Santa was going to glide down that snowy hill any moment. It was magical.

I looked over at Meemaw and Papaw (Ricky’s family names for his mom and dad) and they were both beaming with pride at their son and his talent.

Our quilters also had wonderful opportunities to shop. Our ship stopped in Ketchikan first, where we were invited to the local quilt shop. The owner of the Silver Thimble Quilt Shop ( www.silverthimblealaska.com ) was incredibly charming and very hospitable and offered our group a 10 percent discount on everything in her store.

In Juneau, our quilters visited the Changing Tides Quilt Shop ( www.alaskastitching.com ) , where we received not only a 10 percent discount but also goodie bags made just for our group, filled with an Alaska porcelain thimble, Alaska postcards and other goodies. I really recommend you check out both of these shops if you ever get to go on an Alaska cruise.

Our group also had an opportunity to shop onboard the ship, at the quilt store that Ricky and his partner Justin Shults created for our group. Among the items were hand dyed fabrics that of course, sold out in minutes. Ricky’s hand-dyes are to “dye” for.

We finished our cruise in Anchorage and from there we began a five-night tour to Denali Park. To our surprise, the day we arrived in Anchorage, there was a special Quilt Expo downtown. Many in our group visited the show, and Ricky also stopped by, which of course, gave the local quilters some very exciting things to talk about at their next meeting.

Modest, funny and charismatic, Ricky Tims is undoubtedly one of the quilt industry’s premiere cutting edge educators and without doubt one of the major forces in moving the quilting industry forward.

I am a firm believer when we travel, part of ourselves stays in that place, and when we leave, we take a part of that destination with us. There is a nice wonderful balance that occurs. And in our case with Ricky, we all took home a piece of the “Midnight Son.”

And just when we didn’t think we could top this Alaska cruise, we have lined up a dynamic duo for this coming May 2007. Quilting funny lady and celebrity Charlotte Angotti and the legendary John Flynn will team up for a fantastic “Quilt Journey to the Glaciers.”

For more information and details, check out our Web site. Space is limited, so sign up early.

Jim West is the founder of Sew Many Places and is one of the most sought after travel experts in North America. He has sailed on over 885 cruises during his career as a professional cruise director. Jim has traveled to 76 countries around the world, explored all seven continents (including a three week cruise in Antarctica with Sir Edmund Hillary), is the author of four best-selling travel books, including The Essential Little Cruise Book and Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul. Jim has also starred in the 2004 television show Cruise Ship’s FAQ produced by the Travel Channel. You may contact Jim at Jim@SewManyPlaces.com or call him 1-877-887-1188.