Sacred Threads

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Luana

PassedThisWay550 

On Sunday I was at the Sacred Threads quilt exhibit in Herndon, VA, near the Washington DC Dulles Airport. eQuilter has sponsored this quilt show for many years, but this was the first time I was able to see it in person.

Sacred Threads features quilts that are about Joy, Inspiration, Spirituality, Healing, Grief, Brotherhood and Peace. The quilts express so much emotion and deep thought that it takes 2 hours to get through the 160+ pieces, which were arranged in groups by theme.

The juried show really ran the gamut – from traditional patchwork to experimental fiber art – and from realistic portraits to abstract textural pieces. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was really pleased to see that all points of view were included.

This show – this project – was introduced to me by Vikki Pignatelli many years ago. Vikki described the show to me, and when she asked me to consider being a sponsor, I had to say yes!

It is obvious that the show is about more than just making pretty quilts. It was an opportunity for the quiltmakers to process and express very intense feelings, and then the viewer was also able to have an experiential interaction with the artist's emotions as the viewer stood in front of each piece.

I spent several hours there Sunday, and enjoyed watching the viewers' reactions, as much as seeing the show!

At the closing of the show, I spoke at their sponsor reception. Quite a few people showed up, including many eQuilter customers! It was great to visit with all of you who came to the show! Jinny Beyer was supposed to speak at the reception as well, but she begged off because of the birth of a grandchild. Well I guess we'll let her off this time… *smile*

July 4th was the final day of the show, but you can experience this show again in two years. If you'd like to send an entry to be considered for the next exhibition, watch the website for a Call for Entries about a year from now!

Here is a quilt from the show (above) called "Passed This Way" – which is inspired by the flowers and colors of the Day of the Dead, and the personal roadside memorials that commemorate someone who has passed away at that place. It is by Candyce Grisham of Washington, MO…in the "Healing" category.

Speaking of Loss and Healing, our 2155 quilts in Japan are going through the final process of clearing the customs paperwork, and our contacts are working to distribute all or most of the quilts at a special event on July 13. We will follow these events closely as they unfold, and report back to you as soon as possible, hopefully with some photos from the distribution.

Our contacts are working with a Buddhist monk who has already been presented with a quilt, and his response was that he couldn't believe the beauty and the quality of the quilts. This has been the response of everyone who has seen these quilts – that the quilts donated were of a very high quality and are obviously a very deep and sincere expression of caring and comfort from the 2000+ quilters who sent their handiwork to strangers on the other side of the world. Bless you!

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NASA Connection – Our Astronaut Friend from EWB

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Luana

Just thought I’d share this NASA moment with you all –

As Atlantis lifted off for the last time, I watched it live, then sent a
congratulatory text to Dr Jack Bacon at NASA (an Intl Space Station
manager – NASA Engineers Without Borders contact for us).

He just replied to me that there is a packet of dried pineapple going up on
the shuttle to EWB astronaut Ron Garan who is now on the space station – the pineapple was dried in the EWB village-sized food dryer that eQuilter
funded – it was built and tested in Houston/Johnson Space Center NASA –
being constructed at an orphanage in Rwanda later this month with eQuilter
financial support. (We’ve also helped to fund a clean water system in Rwanda previous to this)

So there’s a little connection from eQuilter on the way to space at this
moment!

Jack and his wife witnessed the launch at NASA and are teary-eyed… me too!

When I go to Houston for the big quilt festival in late October, I have dinner with Jack and Kathy. Last time I got the VIP tour of the Johnson Space Center, then had dinner with all the self-described rocket scientists
of their EWB chapter, and sat next to Ron who will be eating that dried
pineapple later today perhaps! When Jack calls up to Ron on the station, he tells him about our quilt drive for Japan, etc….. so very cool that
eQuilter and my name is mentioned up on the Space Station.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/08/space.shuttle/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

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Filling the Reservoir

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Luana

Live Music, Art Galleries, Poetry Readings, Dance and Theater… these are some of the Here and Now creative experiences that can rev up our own creativity and charge up our positive-energy batteries.

Hiking in Nature, watching a sunset, spending time next to the ocean or a lake, visiting a botanical garden, traveling cross country, seeing the Grand Canyon at sunrise or sunset, or watching a hawk soar overhead…these are some of the things that free our spirit so we can put colors and ideas on paper, or express our feelings through fabric and design.

Some artists will talk about "feeding the muse", and you don't have to be an 'artiste' to nourish your creative reservoir. Your inner creative source is like a flowering tree that grows and changes over time as your fertilize it with visual ideas, emotional passions, ideals and goals. There may be times when it is dormant, like an oak in the winter, but you have the ability to bring Springtime and melt the ice on the surface of your creative pool.

Modern life can be hard on our creative wellspring. We all know that cold hard fact. So taking the time to regularly remove yourself from the siren song of the computer, the TV, the cell phone and daily obligations is the only way to build a clear and safe space to explore your Creative Self. It is great to research "eye candy" online, but set a timer, and go to your studio or sewing machine when the buzzer rings!

Our Creative Self is simply one aspect of an energy that flows through us all the time. Call it Positive Thinking, Creating Your Own Reality, Passion or Obsession… it all flows from the same source.

If you feed this source with disturbing images, negative ideas, and pessimistic thoughts ("I have no talent" – "Other people are so creative" – etc) then that is what you will create. If you feed this source with music, art, beauty, joy, and positive goals…you will create beautiful art, gorgeous quilts, or other creative expressions that are an extension of that inner fire.

For myself, I have an inner image of my creative self as constantly erupting molten glowing lava that explodes, drips, glows and flows in a fiery river through everything I do. It can't be controlled, but it is always there. I even do a visualization of walking across an expanse of black volcanic rock to access a liquid red-orange-gold flow of creative fire. I feed the heart of the volcano lots of beautiful images, live arts, poetry and music…and then wait for the magic to happen.

How do you see your own inspirational reservoir? A crystalline mountain pool? A blooming rosebush? A dewdrop in the morning sun? A lion that wakes, stretches, and roars? Perhaps a multi-faceted diamond that flashes a rainbow of colors within?

How do you feed your muse, and express your own creative genius? All you have to do is open the door so the child can come out and play.

Last night I went to hear Eileen Ivers play her Celtic fiddle at Chautauqua here in Boulder, and it got me so excited about my Ireland Tour next year. They brought in 4 young ladies in gorgeous Irish step-dancing costumes, (velvet, satin, beads and sequins) and they did their Celtic version of tap-dancing with linked elbows and bouncing curls, up on stage next to Eileen's backup band. By the end of the evening we were all on our feet singing, tapping, clapping to the beat, and dancing….and this is a small historic auditorium! Eileen and her Celtic band "Immigrant Soul" shared the gift of their creative passion, and we all took a big glowing chunk home at the end. Also…I think I need to learn how to play the accordion! Ha!

Macaws4A_W 

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A Visual Feast

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Luana

MauiSophie1_W 
Can you believe – our daughter Sophie just turned 9 yesterday?! In case you have not read our online adoption story yet – she was born in China and was adopted by us when she was 8 months old. Now she makes quilts for orphans and advocates for children still without families, who are still living in institutions around the world.

Sophie has a birthday request – if you've considered making a donation to an organization funding Chinese orphanages – would you consider making a donation this week for her birthday? That's what she really would like for her birthday. If you'd like to send her a message, we'll make sure it is passed on to her.
[email protected]

Here are 4 organizations that do great work in China:

Altrusa International
(part of eQuilter's Charity program)

Half the Sky Foundation
(eQuilter recently was a sponsor of their Denver fundraiser)

Chinese Children Adoption International
(this is the adoption agency we used)

Love Without Boundaries

This week I am thinking about the power of the Image in our brain. I am a very visual person and I remember images, designs and colors for years and even decades. I don't know if it is a photographic memory, but it is something like that.

So as a result, I have to be careful about the images I put in my brain. Occasionally in my life I have accidentally put in destructive or haunting images that are still with me. For instance, once my roommate in New York took me to see "Blue Velvet" ( I thought to myself – hey that is a nice sounding name for a movie!) and those disturbing images are still stuck in my brain.

On the other hand I have found that collecting, viewing, and seeking out beautiful images can overwrite any disturbing images, and they are there for me to draw upon at any time in the future. My head is full of so many beautiful images – from museums to gardens – from nature to architecture – that I can draw upon an almost limitless library of personal visual inspiration at any time.

How do you load up your own personal image repertoire? Have you done this in the last week? I know that so many of you write to say that Sunday mornings are your weekly viewing of "Eye Candy" that inspires you for the week, and I am so delighted that eQuilter can help you in that creative process!

I'll be writing about this again on Tuesday night, so watch for my midweek Creative Nudge. If you'd like to review last week's essay on Nerds, or if you'd like to comment on your Visual Database, head on over to my blog.

I'll be at the closing of the Sacred Threads exhibit July 3 from 1-4 pm, at the Long Beach Quilt Festival on Sat July 30, and I'll be giving an award at the Quilt Festival in Birmingham UK on August 11. Hope to see some of you at one of these shows!

********************************************

The Emerald Isle Tour – June 5 – 15, 2012
Travel with Luana Rubin on this 11-day tour of Ireland visiting Galway, Dublin, Cobh, Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula, Adare, and we will be spending 3-days in the Galway area for the festivities that surround the very first International Quilt Festival of Ireland!

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Nerds in Paradise

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Luana

I've just spent 4 hours with a theater packed with LOTR nerds – at the "one night only" screening of Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers – Extended Version. The delight in the room was palpable, as if we were all boarding the same rocketship that would take us on a 3.9 hour tour… (Hey wait! Wasn't that Gilligan's Isle?)

People were taking photos of each other and uploading to Facebook, shouting out the answers to the pre-show LOTR trivia flashing on the screen, and happily trundling up to their seats with extra-large bags of popcorn.

They earnestly discussed the fact that we were all nerds, and I started thinking about how the word "Nerd" has changed over the decades.

If you look up Nerd in the dictionary, it says:
1. a stupid, irritating, ineffectual, or unattractive person.
2. an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: a computer nerd.

However I think we need to come up with a third description of the word:

3. a brilliant but socially quirky person, totally obsessed with an eccentric or obscure hobby, who delights in gathering with like-minded individuals. Often has an offbeat sense of style and could care less what anyone else thinks.

Think "Big Bang Theory", Comic-Con in San Diego, Star Trek conventions…. and Quilt Festivals!

I mean – really – we make our own tiaras and then get together to parade our creations through the aisles of quilt shows. We make matching patchwork outfits and go on quilting bus tours together. We see a quilt made out of a certain group of fabrics, and can't sleep until we have every single exact fabric in our sweaty little hands.

Nerds used to have thick glasses, pocket protectors and slide rules. Now nerds are cool – maybe still with thick glasses but they are tiger striped or studded with rhinestones. Nerds ride scooters, driver Mini-Coopers, hunch over their iPads in coffee houses, collect "stuff" from the various decades of the last century, and have secret intellectual online pursuits.

Nerds also cluster together and get absolutely giddy and hilariously frenzied when discussing their hobby of choice.

I also found this in the Thesaurus:
"A geek is any smart person with an obsessive interest, a nerd is the same but also lacks social grace, and a dweeb is a mega-nerd."

So I admit it. I am a quilting dweeb, a fabric fool, a needle-turn nerd, a design dork, and an embellishment geek.

The photo below is from the Pan-Asian festival parade last week, which took 3 hours to snake down the main drag in Waikiki, and had lots of hometown Hawaiian parade moments like ladies strolling in ornate kimonos, young men demonstrating judo on the street, hula girls and Tahitian dancers, and in this image we have Miss Hawaii International with her own lovely tiara, waving from the back seat of a vintage Mustang convertible.

Feel free to share your own profound thoughts about Nerds!

Happy Summer Solstice – and may all your nerdy pursuits bring you Fat Quarters of happiness.

MissHawaii1_W 

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Summer Solstice – Home from Hawaii

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Luana

Tuesday June 21st is the Summer Solstice – the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. We know that our friends Down Under will be happy to get through their Winter Solstice on the same day!

It is hard to believe that June 21st is the first official day of Summer, and even harder to explain to our daughter who is turning 9 in a week. (Can you believe it?! – Nine years old!) School gets out in late May here, and starts up August 15th which personally I think is a crime. At least this year the school system finally had the great wisdom to have the high schools start at 8 am instead of 7 or 7:30 am. Teenagers catching the bus at 6:20 am? What were they thinking? Anyway, I digress….

I am actually writing this in the Los Angeles airport on a layover coming home from Hawaii. This year it was just Sophie and I…we tried to do all the "girlie" things that the boys never want to do. We went to Queen Emma's Summer Palace, the Botanical Gardens, and walked through about 25 art galleries in the last week. In particular I really enjoyed seeing the historic handmade Hawaiian applique quilts in the Summer Palace museum. We took the tour and learned about Emma's friendship with Queen Victoria of England, and the sad story of how Emma lost her young son, and then her husband.

Of course I always have my eye open for any quilts that I encounter in my travels. I snapped photos on my iPhone and posted on Facebook in some cases – like the Hawaiian quilt with several big blocks (all different) at the entrance of the Maui Ocean Center.

We went to a luau on our last night there, and I just spent the whole time enjoying all the fabric designs! Literally everyone who came to the luau had on a printed tropical fabric, and the variety was astonishing. Young and old, large families in matching flower prints, newlyweds in skimpy dresses and Midwest tourists in XL Aloha shirts…. it was all there. Toward the end they sang the classic Hawaiian wedding song and all the newlyweds, about-to-be-weds, and those celebrating anniversaries went up front to have a special couples dance. Very sweet.

Two of our suppliers specialize in Hawaiian and tropical designs – Kona Bay and Trans-Pacific Fabrics. (They also specialize in Asian theme fabrics) In case you didn't notice, we've put our "Island" category on sale this week so you could enjoy a little Hawaiiana while I was traveling.

I'll be at the closing of the Sacred Threads exhibit July 3, at the Long Beach Quilt Festival on Sat July 30, and I'll be giving an award at the Quilt Festival in Birmingham UK on August 11. Hope to see some of you at one of these shows! Aloha!

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The Golden Hour

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Luana

MauiSunset1_W 
The first and last hour of the day, when the sun hangs low and washes the landscape with soft glowing light, is known as The Golden Hour. Artists and photographers wait for this moment, to capture an image full of long cool shadows, and warm diffused light. When the sky is full of colors from the sunrise or the sunset, then you have a full chromatic range of hues. Reflect all of that across water and you have… Magic.

Here in the islands, in the hour before sunset people quietly come out and find a spot to watch the sun go down. Everyone is very peaceful, and you see people holding hands or sitting with arms around each other. It is as if everyone is holding their breath, waiting to see what magic will spread across the sea and up into the sky tonight. It is like a whole congregation of people silently walking in to a church to meditate on one perfect rose.

As the sun drops lower the golden light begins to sparkle across the tops of the waves, and it reflects off the wet rocks at water's edge. Even the children know it is The Golden Hour, and they quietly look for shells and rocks while the adults gaze out across the water. The waves dance upon the shore as they have every night – for millions and billions of sunsets – but somehow you know this one's just for you.

The sun drops below the horizon, and the water quickly turns an inky-purple. In the twilight you might see a sea turtle in the shallow water, or in the winter perhaps the silhouette of a whale breaching the surface. Several years ago, standing in this same spot where I took this photo tonight, there were 2 mother whales and 2 babies just off the shore…the babies playing and jumping out of the water over and over again. Pure Magic.

How do we capture those perfectly magical moments and bring it back into our lives, to inspire us in our creative endeavors, and to comfort us when things seem dark? We do it with colors, with images, and stitch it into a pattern that somehow whispers to us of the Magic Hour. When we have our quiet moments, we can listen to the rhythm of the waves in our hearts, as we look for that inner sparkle of reflected Golden Light.

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Summertime…and the Livin’ is Easy…..

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Luana

This weekend I packed up my camera and took off for another photo-friendly location. I hate to leave my mounds of peonies that are in full bloom now, but I'm hoping for some more colorful photo subjects over the next week…stay tuned for my midweek Creative Nudge!

I am also nailing down the details for brief visits to 3 quilt shows this summer – the Long Beach Quilt Festival in California – Sacred Threads in Washington DC – and the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK. eQuilter is a sponsor for all of these shows, and I am going to pop in to each of these shows for a day. Hope you can get out to some of the fantastic quilt shows going on around the country, and around the world this summer! Unfortunately I can't do it all – so I won't be making it to the Australian show end June – maybe next year?

If you've been on the fence about Facebook, I have to tell you that I've been having a great time meeting quilters from all over the world through my own Facebook page, and our eQuilter page. I've even had some new Facebook friends who chose me as their very first Friend! How cool is that?

So if you are thinking about hopping on Facebook, I will tell you that part of the way I stay on top of trends is to voraciously read everything I can get my hands and eyeballs on, and then I figure I might as well share it with you all! On our eQuilter page we post sneak peeks at new collections, and we are starting to post links to free patterns that match up with new collections. Watch for more fun inspiration and info on our 2 Facebook pages!

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Quilts for Japan

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Luana

I love when things come Full Circle.

I love when the punchline finally hits, after a joke has gone on for months or even years. I really love when the second half of a story clicks into place, and if I’m paying attention, I say “Aha! So THAT’S why that happened a year ago…”

This image is, you might say, the final page of a story I’ve been reading for a couple years. I went on a beautiful river cruise in France 2 years ago, with a small group of quilters and Jim West. (from Sew Many Places – who are organizing my June 2012 tour of Ireland) One of our days on the Seine included a day trip to Claude Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny.

It was a very magical day, as we saw the irises and lily ponds that Monet so famously painted. To tour his home and see the bright blues and yellows used in the house, was a revelation. His huge studio where he painted the monumental lily pond paintings, was just profound. I had studied and admired those paintings since I was a girl, in books, and eventually in museums, and to stand where he had painted those pieces was like visiting a great cathedral or sacred spot.

So two years later (last month) I was walking through the galleries in the Metropolitan Art Museum, when I stopped dead in my tracks. There before me was one of the large lily pond paintings. I took a photo of the whole thing, then I came up close, and took this photo of his painted signature. I thought about the moment that he completed the piece, and then carefully added the script in the lower right hand corner. The grand golden frame lifted his work to a higher realm, but still his signature captured a single and very personal moment in his life. I could literally hear a small “Click” in my head, as I felt the story coming full circle, and I was able to imagine him standing in the cavernous studio as he picked up a very small brush to make his mark.

***********
Tonight another story came full circle. For years, actually for decades, I’ve enjoyed the wisdom shared by Deepak Chopra, and tonight he spoke here in Boulder with his son Gotham, who co-authored a new book “7 Spiritual Secrets of Superheroes.” It is kind of like Star Wars – taking the archetypal heroes and super beings from different cultures and beliefs – and telling a story of inspiration and creative energy. Deepak spoke a lot about creativity tonight, which I found very interesting. He has written 55 books, many of which have been on the NY Times bestseller list. Talk about prolific creativity!

***********
The latest news on our Quilts for Japan project:

The 2155 quilts and disaster relief supplies are now in Japan! The paperwork is being worked on right now and the shipment will be released for delivery shortly. It is being sent to a devastated area that has not received hardly any aid so far, so I am very excited about this development. We have requested photos from the distribution, so you can be sure we will share those photos as soon as they come back to us. So many thanks to Kathy at Mission of Love, and the military base commander who agreed to take on our project and help us with the shipping and distribution.

In the meantime Mission of Love is taking donations of quilts, and funds for relief supplies, to help the victims of recent flooding and tornadoes in the US. You can ship quilts directly to Mission of Love in Ohio, or drop off *IN PERSON* at the eQuilter warehouse.

Claude550_W

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The Emerald Isle – My Irish Tour!

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Luana

The Emerald Isle
June 5 – 15, 2012

http://sewmanyplaces.com/tours/iqfoi_luana_0612.html

Top_ireland06 

Travel with owner of eQuilter.com, Luana Rubin on this 11-day tour of Ireland visiting Galway, Dublin, Cobh, Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula, Adare, and we will be spending 3-days in the Galway area for the festivities that surround the very first International Quilt Festival of Ireland!

Package Includes:

  • Round-trip airfare from Newark
  • Deluxe hotel accommodations
  • Private motor coach & driver
  • All taxes and transfers
  • Most Meals
  • 3-Day Pass to the International Quilt Festival of Ireland
  • Special Events and Gifts
  • Sightseeing as listed in the itinerary

Itinerary:

Tuesday, June 5th

We begin our 11-day tour of the Emerald Isle with an overnight flight from NEWARK to IRELAND. Dinner will be served onboard the plane. D

Wednesday, June 6th

This morning before our arrival, we will be served a breakfast snack onboard the airplane. Upon our arrival at the Shannon Airport, we will be met by our driver/guide and brought to our private coach. As we drive to GALWAY, we will make a few stops along the way. Our first stop is one of the most photographed areas of Ireland, the spectacular Cliffs of Moher. There will be time for photographs and to visit the museum before we continue our drive north, through the remarkable BURREN. As we arrive into the city, we will stop at the Irish Crystal Factory for a brief tour and shopping. Following this, we will check into our hotel and relax for the afternoon. Tonight, we will all gather for a special ?welcome dinner,? and learn more about the exciting tour that lies ahead. B, D

Thursday, June 7th

Following breakfast this morning, for those who might be interested, we are offering an ?optional tour? to a Connemara Marble Factory and a visit to the KYLEMORE ABBEY & GARDENS. Otherwise, your day is free in Galway to enjoy at your leisure. Tonight, for those who have signed up to participate, the INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL OF IRELAND launches with a very special Grand Reception. This special event consists of a Champaign reception, a welcome presentation by festival director and Sew Many Places founder, Jim West, a keynote address by quilt legend Jinny Beyer, followed by a delicious formal dinner, and a one-hour Riverdance review show by Trad on the Prom! Space is limited for this Grand Reception and cost is 125 Euros per person. Reserving your space early is highly recommended as this will sell out with no uncertainty! B

Friday, June 8th

This morning after a delicious breakfast, you will have an opportunity to enjoy the first annual INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL OF IRELAND, located at the Quilter?s Village in Galway. Admission into the festival is included with your tour. Tonight, for those who are interested, we are offering an ?optional? dinner to BUNRATTY CASTLE for a medieval banquet and show. B

Saturday, June 9th

This morning after a delicious breakfast, you will have another opportunity to enjoy the festival (admission cost included) You may opt to visit the Galway City Museum, and enjoy an exhibit on Antique Quilts of Ireland. Or you can participate in dozens of on-location workshops or tours that will enhance your day. Whatever you decide to do, you will undoubtedly have a very special day! B

Sunday, June 10th

Today is your final day to enjoy the festival (admission is included) and all it has to offer. Later this afternoon, we will say goodbye to Galway and drive south to beautiful KILLARNEY. Along the way, we will stop in one of Ireland?s prettiest villages, ADARE, famous for its thatched roof boutique shops. Following our visit, we will continue onto KILLARNEY and check into our hotel where we will settle in and enjoy dinner at our hotel. B, D

Monday, June 11th

This morning, after our full Irish breakfast, we depart on a tour of the rugged DINGLE PENINSULA. Film goers will be reminded of scenes from the movie, ?Ryan?s Daughter,? which was shot in this area, as we drive past little harbors and wide stretches of sandy beach, leading southward to Slea Head. This is the most westerly point in Europe, also known as ?the next parish to America.? Vistas of the Blasket Islands and Dingle Bay delight the eye and Gallarus Oratory, a little beehive stone structure, more than 1,000 years old, conjures up visions of monks in early Christian times in this ?land of saints and scholars. We will return to Killarney later in the afternoon and the evening is free to enjoy at your leisure. B

Tuesday, June 12th

This morning following breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and drive northeast drive to the 
nearby port town of COBH. One of the major transatlantic Irish ports, Cobh was the departure point for 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. On April 11, 1912, Cobh was the final port of call for the RMS Titanic as she set out across the Atlantic Ocean. We will continue our drive north until we reach our next stop, the ROCK OF CASHEL. There will be time for photographs and restroom break before continuing onto our hotel in GLENDALOUGH. We will check in and enjoy the remainder of the evening on our own to relax. B

Wednesday, June 13th

This morning following breakfast, we will visit the little village of AVOCA, where we will have an opporutnity to see a textile mill and a weaving demonstration. There will be time for lunch on our own and some shopping before we travel to St. Kevin?s Monastic Settlement. Here we will see a video of ancient Irish times and take a guided tour of the grounds. We will arrive at our hotel in the later part of the afternoon and relax for rest of the evening. B

Thursday, June 14th

Today, following breakfast, we will drive to DUBLIN, where we will enjoy a PANORAMIC TOUR of the city. Although Dublin has blossomed into a modern, bustling city, it still retains the graceful, charmed atmosphere of an earlier time. The Georgian squares, terraces, and the walk along River Liffey are evidence of this. There will be plenty of time to enjoy the city of Dublin on our own. There will be time to enjoy Dublin all day at our leisure. You may opt to visit St. Patrick?s Cathedral and marvel at the beautiful quilt patterned floors. Maybe you will visit the famous Trinity College to view the Book of Kells. The Guinness Brewery will be calling some of you, as will the special boutique shops, art galleries and restaurants. It is a wonderful city that will provide all kinds of entertainment and fun. Our coach will drive everyone back to our hotel later in the day where we will enjoy a special ?farewell dinner? as we bring our time in Ireland to a close. B, D

Friday, June 15th

This morning, following breakfast, we will say goodbye to the enchanting Emerald Isle and drive to the DUBLIN AIRPORT for our flight back to NEWARK. Lunch and a snack will be served onboard the airplane. B, L, Snack

*Please note that depending on weather conditions and circumstances beyond our control, the itinerary, pricing and escorts are subject to change. We will make every attempt to adhere to the program, but we ask that you be flexible if alternative choices are made to enhance the schedule. Space is limited to 40 people and on a first come-first served basis. Terms and Conditions apply once first deposit is made and can be found on our website www.SewManyPlaces.com. Gratuities, optional tour costs, on location workshops, hands on quilting classes, grand reception on Thursday evening are not included in this price and must be paid with final payment. Insurance is available and highly recommended. Single rates are available upon request and not as expensive as you may think. We are also very available to helping single travelers find a roommate, so please let us know if we can assist with that request.
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