The following individuals were chosen to teach on the cruise because they are all exceptional instructors who are friendly, fun-loving and warm. All are internationally/nationally known for their excellent teaching skills and the books they have published.

Karen began quilting in 1983, and in April of 1986 won her first quilting award in a J.C.Penney quilt block contest. Karen's block was joined with fifteen others and exhibited at the Great American Quilt Show in New York City. In the fall of 1986 Karen opened her own quilt shop, The Country Quilt Shop in Philadelphia, and it was a huge success. Karen entered her first major quilt competition in 1991. The "Dragon" quilt received many awards and was the start of Karen winning many local and national awards including seven Best of Show awards. She has published five books: From Basics To Binding: A Complete Guide To Making Quilts, Above & Beyond Basics, Love to Quilt...Bears, Bears, Bears, Appliqué Basics: Flower Wreaths, and Earthly Delights: The Perfect Finish. Karen has had thirteen quilts appear on the cover of major magazines. She is very passionate about what she does, loves designing her quilts and sharing tips and tricks with all her students. If you would like more information about Karen and her quilts you can visit her website at: www.karenkaybuckley.com.

Karen is an internationally known quilter, teacher, author and designer who has been nominated by students for Quilt Teacher of the Year in 1995, 2000 & 2005. Teaching since 1989, she is in high demand as a teacher who encourages her students, makes learning fun and makes the complex easy to understand! Karen is fascinated with optical illusions and quilts; this is the subject of many of her workshops. She is the author of 6 books, among them, Optical Illusions for Quilters and Combing Through Your Scraps. Her newest book is Celtic Patchwork Illusions published Fall 2006. She began designing fabrics with Blank Quilting in 2002 and is known for her innovative fabric designs. In 2009, Karen formed a new partnership with Avlyn, Inc. Her fabrics can be seen at www.avlyn.com. Karen lives in the rolling hills of middle Tennessee with her husband, Rick and a cute Shih Tzu Named Cocoa. Visit her web site at: www.karencombs.com.

Cindy is an inspiring and innovative author, teacher, lecturer, and TV personality. You'll recognize Cindy as a regular hostess for the current www.Quilterstv.com, public TV for quilters on the web and the hostess of the former PBS TV show Quilt Central. She is best known as the author of the PRIMEDIA award winning book Snippet Sensations. She has authored 8 additional books, Fine Hand Quilting, Attic Windows, More Snippet Sensations, Snippet Flower Bouquet, Snippet Christmas Celebrations, Basic Applique with 1930 Patterns, Basic Guide to Dyeing & Painting Fabric, and Contemporary Quilting. Her newest (10th) book is Fabric Painting with Cindy Walter published by C&T, 2011. She regularly inspires quilters at large shows such as IQA and AQS in the USA and around the world in exciting places including Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, France and Germany. Her articles and quilts have appeared in many magazines including McCall's Quilting, Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting, Patchwork magazine of Germany, Magic Patch in France, Quilting Today, and Traditional Quilts. Cindy and her husband, former Hawai'i Attorney General Michael Lilly, live in Honolulu, Hawai`i. Visit her website at www.CindyWalter.com.