During the past fifteen years, we have organized numerous quilting seminars on board cruise ships, including two cruises sailing around the Hawaiian Islands. We continue to receive many inquires as to when we are going to plan a quilting retreat at a hotel in Hawaii to allow for more time to be spent in quilting classes along with experiencing more of the Hawaiian culture and history.

Thanks to internationally known quilting instructor Cindy Walter, who lives on Oahu, we were able to come up with a wonderful plan to have what we feel is the perfect Hawaiian quilting retreat, occurring April 25 – 30, 2009! During this retreat, there will be three full days of quilting classes, and a full day to relax and sightsee. We’ll offer a variety of instruction from traditional and art quilting, to both machine and traditional appliqué Hawaiian quilting with instructors: Cindy Walter, Stevii Graves, and local Hawaiian teachers, Mary Haunani Cesar and Gussie Bento.

Exclusive conference rooms are being reserved in the luxurious Hilton Prince Kuhio hotel, so we will have a special place for our meetings and classes. Bernina of Hawai’i store near Waikiki will provide Bernina® sewing machines during the retreat for your use. They’ll also host an on-site quilt shop for purchasing last-minute quilting items.

Bring a friend, your spouse or your family – non-quilters are welcome to join us! The beach is only a block away from the hotel, so you can watch the sun set over the ocean every night, or take a dip before breakfast. We are planning many optional tours and activities! Enjoy snorkeling/diving, salt-water fishing, golfing, the museum at Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Culture Center, or a Hawaiian luau! On the last day, we are also planning a special tour to visit the local quilt shops and perhaps a local quilt show that may be scheduled while we are there.

Our goal in planning this retreat is to offer the opportunity to not only have a fun, relaxing vacation on the beautiful island of Oahu, but also to experience the true culture of Hawaii while learning new quilting skills. The diversity of Oahu will give you a true feel for authentic Hawaii.

Space is very limited for this retreat, so you must book early. We have arranged a package price for this retreat that is a great value to afford the opportunity for more quilters to join us, and this trip will sell out fast.

We are really looking forward to returning to Hawaii and hope you will join us for this unique quilting adventure in paradise!

Sincerely,

Cindy Walter, Stevii Graves, Mary Haunani Cesar and Gussie Bento, quilt instructors
Faye Doyle and Lisa Anciaux, retreat coordinators