Fabrics, Flowers & Fashion in The Netherlands & Belgium with Jude Stuecker

Tour Info

OVERVIEW 

Join the Fabrics, Laces & Fashion tour to explore the Netherlands and Belgium on a trip packed with material pleasures sure to delight a fabric lover abroad.

Enjoy shopping at much-loved quilt shops, including Dutch Quilts, where reproductions of antique Dutch prints by Den Haan & Wagenmakers are the focus, and Birdblocks, a shop for modern quilters. There also is a stop at Vlisco, the treasure trove of Dutch wax prints. Founded in 1846, Vlisco has created more than 350,000 original fabric designs. In Belgium, tour the Fashion and Lace Museum, which houses stunning examples of Belgium lace and clothing, and the Hasselt Fashion Museum, dedicated to dress and fashion. Much-loved cultural attractions include Amsterdam and its canals, the Royal Delft Museum, plus the Rijksmuseum, whose extensive holdings include masterpieces by painters of the Dutch Golden Age. A visit to Kinderdijk Windmill Village with its 19 working windmills gives insight into life in a land largely below sea level.

This tour could not end without a taste of divine Belgium chocolates.

START & FINISH

The tour starts at 6.00pm on Day 1, Friday August 18, in the group's hotel lobby in Amsterdam and finishes after breakfast in the group's hotel in Brussels on Day 10, Sunday August 27.

Itinerary

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1   Fri August 18                 Arrive Amsterdam

The tour commences at the hotel at 6 p.m. Meet your tour leader and fellow travelers in the hotel lobby for drinks.

Day 2   Sat August 19               Amsterdam

After breakfast visit Fabric market Utrecht, where only fabric and haberdashery are sold This market is the biggest and oldest fabric market in Holland. In the afternoon, visit to the Den Haan & Wagenmakers quilt shop Known in English as Dutch Quilts, this company is known for its amazing range of Dutch reproduction fabrics Next door is Birdblocks, a quilt shop that specializes in supplies for modern quilts.  Enjoy a welcome dinner tonight. (B, D)

Day 3   Sun August 20              Amsterdam

This morning see Amsterdam in style as you glide through the city's canals aboard a glass-top boat. Later explore Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, home to a magnificent collection of art and history that spans 800 years. Work by Dutch masters such as Van Gogh and Rembrandt are there, as is a staggering collection of artworks and artifacts that date from the city's Golden Age all the way to recent creations. (B)

Day 4    Mon August 21            Amsterdam

Today explore Amsterdam at your own pace. (B)

Day 5   Tue August 22               Royal Delft Museum and Tilburg

Depart Amsterdam for Rotterdam. Learn about the history and production process of the world-famous Delft pottery and visit the original Royal Delft Museum which dates back to the 17th century. Our next visit is Kinderdijk Windmill village. An impressive 19 windmills are located here at the intersection of 2 rivers. They are the reason why most of the Dutch people were able to live in polders under sea level for many centuries. Continue to Tilburg and overnight in Tilburg. (B)

Day 6   Wed August 23              TextielMuseum and TextielLab

After breakfast, visit the TextielMuseum. It is the only place in the world where textile design, art, fashion, industrial heritage, and innovation come together. The combination of inspiring exhibitions, educational programs and the TextielLab, which specializes in textile research and production, makes the museum unique. Overnight in Tilburg. (B)

Day 7   Thu August 24               Vlisco and Helmond

After breakfast, travel to Brussels, Belgium, with an en route stop in Helmond to visit Vlisco. Vlisco has designed and manufactured distinctive fabrics since 1846. Their varied fabric lines, which include Wax Hollandais, Super-Wax, Grand Super-Wax, and Wax Glitter Glam. are made using time-honored wax-printing techniques. After visit to Vlisco, we travel to Antwerp and will be on a guided walking tour in Antwerp. Arrive in Brussels and check in. (B)

Day 8   Fri August 25                 Brussels

This morning, we tour Royal Manufacturers De Wit (Mechelen),  one of the few places remaining where you can see this craftsmanship at work. Not only are they creating modern works of art and brokering sales, but they’re able to clean, examine, restore and repair antique tapestries and textiles from all over the world, preserving history one thread at time. Later head to the famed Choco Story Brussels where you’ll learn about Belgian chocolate-making traditions and enjoy some decadent samples. Enjoy a walking tour of Brussels to experience the many sights of Belgium's wonder-filled capital city. Explore art deco taverns, unique Flemish art, towering Gothic cathedrals, and quaint guild houses. (B)

Day 9   Sat August 26               Brussels

After breakfast, visit the Fashion & Lace Museum and see extraordinary laces from the museum's remarkable archive collection where themed exhibitions reveal the history of fashion through rare and significant pieces. Farewell dinner tonight. (B D)

Day 10   Sun August 27            Depart Brussels

The tour concludes after breakfast at the hotel. (B)

Tour Leader

JUDE STUECKER

Jude Stuecker is a studio artist who has created art quilts for over 20 years and also has a successful line of art clothing. She grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, where at age 9 she learned to sew from a traveling puppeteer. Later she moved to Asheville, North Carolina, to study Biology and English at Warren Wilson College, sewing all the while. Extensive traveling inspired her as did classes at Penland School of Craft and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Focused on surface design, her projects start as white fabric before dyeing, printing, cutting, and sewing. She lives and works in Asheville with her husband and two daughters.

View Bio and Upcoming Tours

Inclusions

TOUR INCLUSIONS

What is included in the tour price?

• 9 nights twin-share accommodation at well-appointed hotels with private bath or shower
• Private group coach from Day 2 to Day 8
• Daily breakfast, other meals as stated in the itinerary
• Visits and admission fees as stated in the itinerary
• English-speaking guides throughout the trip

What is not included in the tour price?

• International airfares
• Arrival & departure transfer
• Travel insurance
• Gratuities & porterage
• Personal expenses and anything not mentioned

Due to the constant changes in the COVID restrictions worldwide, we highly recommend that passengers wait to purchase air tickets until the following:

1. The tour reaches the minimum number to travel.
2. Prior to the due date of their final payment (three months before departure), we will notify passengers the travel status and the requirements for travel to their destination. At that time they may choose to proceed with the tour or not. If they choose to cancel they may apply their non-refundable deposit to any other Opulent Quilt Journeys Tour within 18 months.

Please note: If passengers purchase tickets and the tour is cancelled or moved to a new date, we are not responsible for any loss regarding their ticket purchase.

Hotels

HOTELS

Please contact our office for more information

Opulent Quilt Journeys
Phone: 877 235 3767
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