| Testimonials from Past Travelers | |
| From: Eleanor: | |
| "In my search for a high quality, affordable, and small group size quilting related travel experience I came across Deb Roberts. I have traveled with other quilting tour companies before and was looking for a different experience. I was looking for a smaller group size with a hands on tour company. I found this AND MORE with Deb. The personalized and friendly help was outstanding! The trip was well planned - offering people on the tour maximum time to enjoy the cultural experience and not worry about where to stay or driving directions. She had quality guides/drivers in Bali who made the trip full of special memories! Deb and her tour company are definitely the way to go if you are looking for a personalized, exceptional, and outstanding travel experience!! | |
| From: Sarah Rosen (personal note) | |
| "Deb, I can't thank you enough for the great cruise around the British Isles. I wish it would have never ended. I appreciate so much your personal touches, your patience with the various issues and your willingness to continually go the extra mile to keep everyone happy. I have been on six other quilt cruises, this was my first with you. Can honestly say your's was the best. THANKS AGAIN ". | |
| From: Ruth Mendel | |
| "I was a member of Deb Roberts' 2010 Bali group. Because Deb deliberately limits the group size we had the opportunity to have a warm and intimate experience- something I have found rare in tours. I was traveling alone and didn’t expect to bond strongly with the other travelers. But that’s the beauty of Deb’s carefully crafted trips. They appeal to specific interests and everyone already has a lot to share. It makes for a lively and fun group and you never are on your own if you don’t want to be. Deb made it possible for us to see several batik and weaving operations and craftsmen working up close. Her selection of these places was varied and of the highest quality. Both she and the Balinese tour guide that accompanied us, patiently and thoroughly answered our endless questions. As even more specific interests within the group were discovered, she tailored the day’s activities to embrace them fluidly. I expected to enjoy the batiks but was thrilled with my entire experience of Bali. It is a magical place filled with welcoming, lovely people and visual inspiration everywhere you look. The Bali trip was a very special experience for me and I can't thank Deb enough for planning it so perfectly. ". | |
| From: Mary Beth Schroder | |
| "Dear Deb, I have traveled with several 'quilt tour' companies over the years and thought my quilt traveling days were over....always the same old thing, same old groups. Then, I stumbled upon one of your tours and it sure opened my eyes to what travel should be like! Your extra touches and first class service were nothing like I have ever experienced; and I think I have given everyone out there a shot at my business. What fun you have provided, and at a great price. You can always count on me for more. Thank you so much, MB | |
| From: Pat (Patty) Holly | |
| "My husband and I were excited to join Deb Roberts’ Chintz & Christmas Market tour in December 2008. The trip was everything promised and even more. I have traveled on several tours before this one and have to say Deb’s was one of the best. From her selection of places to visit to little travel details, everything was top notch. As a quilter, it was amazing to see the special exhibits and behind the scenes of the many museums on the tour. As a non-quilter, my husband was able to keep himself entertained with other attractions in the various cities. He discovered a grand train museum in Mulhouse, France – a highlight for him! I was completely thrilled with the Museum of Printed Textiles in the same city. Our schedule was well thought out with adequate free time. The accommodations were lovely and help was cheerfully given if needed for meal suggestions, transportation or ideas for things to do. I eagerly await an opportunity to join one of Deb’s tours in the future – and I think that is the best thing I can say about my experience!" | |
| From: Mary Mashuta | |
| "What fun to take a tour where all the other folks are interested in the same things you are! No side trips to car museums or sport meccas." | |
| From: Roberta Horton | |
| "I have always arranged my own trips and make them as fabric/quilt oriented as possible. What a treat to have someone else do all the work to create a wonderful textile tour. My only job was to sit back and enjoy" | |
| From: Nancy Lesko | |
| "I happened upon the Textile Tours website during a search for a quilting cruise. When I subsequently signed up for, and participated in, this particular “quilting cruise,” I was pleased with the extensive planning Deb Roberts had done when organizing our on-and off-ship experiences….off-ship we visited museums that delved into the history of textile production in several parts of the Mediterranean, and on-ship we learned an old French method of quilting (boutis) from a French quilting instructor who accompanied us on the cruise and side-trips. I came away with an education about the production of textiles I had not expected, and an experience that has given me a new appreciation of my modern quilting fabrics. Plus, there were plenty of cruise stops that allowed us time to visit off-shore on our own, at our own pace. I look forward to joining a Deb Roberts tour at a future time, perhaps to Bali, or in the UK. I know now that it will be a very special experience." | |
| From: A lady in Arizona who gives permission to post, but wishes to remain anonymous | |
| "I did not know what to expect when we all met up in Barcelona but it was so nice that we could "join-in" with your group. The professionalism you showed in the arrangements and extra touches was different from any other quilt cruise I have taken and yet I felt so special as if you had done it all just for me. You went well beyond what was necessary to include everyone in all of your activities even though we originally had signed on to this cruise with someone else. I had the best time. If you do not mind please put me on your mailing list, thank you so much Deb I enjoyed every minute of it." | |
| From: Phyllis deVries | |
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"The textile study trip to France was one of those travel experiences that
holds some treasured memories for me. Deb Roberts' tour was very
well organized and had some additional surprise events that made the
experience very rich. I loved being able to see some textiles that I
never would have seen had I been traveling alone, and this included some
special archives. This opportunity, in itself, made the trip worthy
and invaluable. It was important to be able to visualize these
designs in the cultural and historical context in which they had been
created. Our tour guide, provided us with the history of each area
as well as anecdotes along the way, and this added another dimension to
the entire experience that I had not anticipated, but found worthy and
delightful.
One of the highlights was being able to meet and learn from Kathryn Berenson, a truly knowledgeable and expert textile historian. Last, but not least, I met some wonderful women along the way, some that I have maintained contact with and will visit in the years to come. I definitely would partake in one of these tours again. I believe it was time and money well invested." |
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| From: Dawn Hunt | |
| "A tremendous opportunity of a lifetime! I was treated to the superbly organized 2005 Vintage Textile Tour of France tour that gave me the opportunity to see first hand many of the textile and quilting treasures of France that would not normally be accessible to a lone traveler. The camaraderie of sharing this experience with 36 other textile and quilt enthusiasts from North America and the South Pacific certainly added to my overall enjoyment of the trip. Without reservation, I have and will continue to recommend this trip and other trips offered by Deb Roberts to anyone interested in the European influences on our North American quilting heritage." | |
| From: Xenia Cord, president American Quilt Study Group | |
"I went on this trip last summer, and it was
**wonderful**! We stayed in very nice hotels, had a luxury coach for
travel, with room to spread out, and were personally escorted by a French
guide who was the most delightful and diversely educated young man. At each of the sites we
visited we were treated like visiting experts and were given informative
lectures and guided tours of the exhibits, and also time to linger on our
own. |
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| From: Beverly Dunivent | |
| "Thank you Deb for all you have done to organize this incredible trip. I did not know what to expect, but I have been completely overwhelmed. I appreciate so much the extra touches you provided and your special care toward each of us. I did not think I would ever have an opportunity to travel like this. It was my first time out of the country, and I cannot wait to go with you again." | |
| From: Dawn Heefner, | |
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"The trip provided me with an
invaluable wealth of knowledge for my work in quilt history and appraisals.
Organized well - structured enough to keep us all busy and learning, yet
flexible enough to change when special needs and interests arose. It was
fabulous beyond my expectations. It was a perspective-altering experience. I
see fabric, history, and culture in a new light - not just Anglo-American, but
European-American. Personally, there isn't a day goes by in which I don't remember some experience - the rich history, the fabric techniques, the sights, the food, and most of all, my fellow travelers, as well as the people. It's worth taking more than once." |
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| From: Vivien Sayre | |
| "The two weeks on Deb's tour have been worth more than 100 times the price in terms of what it has contributed to my study of and knowledge of quiltmaking in other countries as well as quilt and textile history….I didn’t want to leave and I cannot wait to go back. The inspirations for quiltmaking are endless." | |
