Textile Tour of the Netherlands & Belgium and the Patchwork & Quiltdagan Quilt Show with Cyndi McChesney

Tour Info

OVERVIEW 

The Textile Tour of the Netherlands and Belgium provides fabric lovers everything they could desire: a major quilt event, quilt shops, fabrics steeped in history, and museums whose stories begin and end with textiles.

Early on the tour, attend the popular Patchwork & Quiltdagen. This quilt show offers quilt exhibits, specialized vendors, and enthusiastic attendees. You will also shop at several quilt shops, each with a unique perspective. The stops include Dutch Quilts, where reproductions of antique Dutch prints by Den Haan & Wagenmakers are the focus. Next door, explore Birdblocks, a shop for modern quilters. Plus, you will find a treasure trove of Dutch wax prints at Vlisco. Founded in 1846, Vlisco has created more than 350,000 original fabric designs inspired by Africa. Plus, throughout the tour you will enjoy visits to museums that display the finest examples of regional fashion and lace.

Much-loved attractions include Amsterdam and its canals, the vast Keukenhof Tulip Park, the Royal Delft Museum, and Rijksmuseum, whose extensive holdings include masterpieces by painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Stops at a village with working windmills and a chocolatier round out this richly designed journey. 

START & FINISH

The tour begins at 6.00 p.m. in the lobby of our hotel in Amsterdam, on Sunday Day 1. The tour concludes after breakfast in our hotel in Brussels, on Tuesday Day 10.

Itinerary

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1   Sun April 7            Arrive Amsterdam

Meet your tour leader in the hotel lobby at 6 p.m. for welcome dinner and the chance to get to know your fellow travelers. (D)

Day 2   Mon April 8           Amsterdam

See Amsterdam in style as you glide through the city's canals aboard a glass-top boat. In the afternoon, 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 here, as is a staggering collection of atworks and artifacts that date from the city's Golden Age all the way to recent creations. (B)

Day 3   Tue April 9           Amsterdam

Enjoy a morning visit to the world’s largest flower park, Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. With 7 million flower bulbs planted every year across 79 acres, Keukenhof Gardens is a colorful sea of 800 varieties of tulips and other spring flowers, attracting visitors from around the globe. Later visit to Petra Prins Patchwork shop, followed by Albert Cuypmarket. The market provides hours of shopping and browsing entertainment, with stands selling everything from shoes and luggage to fresh vegetables and fish. There are plentiful opportunities to find unique textiles from the many fabric vendors. (B)

Day 4   Wed April 10      Amsterdam-Leiden-Rotterdam

After breakfast, we depart for Leiden to cruise on Kaag Lakes.

During the boat cruise, you'll get the chance to sail around the picturesque Kaag Lakes. You'll be able to enjoy the scenic views of shallow lakes, islands, windmills and Dutch villages. You will learn more about the unique islands, known as polders, which are drained by the mills you'll have the chance to observe.

Arrive Rotterdam and check in at the hotel. (B)

Day 5   Thu April 11          Rotterdam

Enjoy a city tour of Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. 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 17^th century. Also visit the quilt store Moni Quilt in beautiful Kethel. (B)

Day 6   Fri April 12           Rotterdam

Today we attend the 2023 Patchwork & Quiltdagen in the Hague. This lively event draws visitors to enjoy quilts created in all styles and a large vendor mall. It is a high point on quilters' calendars, and offers a chance for inspiration and sought-after notions, tools and textiles. Overnight in Rotterdam. (B, D)

Day 7   Sat April 13         Rotterdam-Tilburg

After breakfast, visit Kinderdijk Windmill village where to learn about Dutch Water Management. Here, discover a total of 19 working windmills at the intersection of two 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 where we 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. Overnight in Tilburg. (B)

Day 8   Sun April 14        Tilburg-Helmond-Brussels

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. Next stop is Hasselt Fashion Museum (Modemuseum Hasselt). This museum is one of the few museums in the Low Countries which is dedicated exclusively to dress and fashion. It opened in May 1988. In its atmospheric seventeenth-century architectural settings, it promotes the understanding and relevance of fashion by sharing critical and engaging stories in an innovative and surprising context. (B)

Day 9     Mon April 15     Brussels

Take a morning 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. In the afternoon, see the Fashion & Lace Museum, where themed exhibitions reveal the history of fashion through rare and significant pieces. Time permitting, head to the famed Choco Story Brussels where you’ll learn about Belgian chocolate-making traditions and enjoy some decadent samples. Enjoy a farewell dinner. (B, D)

Day 10     Tue April 16    Depart Brussels

Tour concludes today after breakfast at the hotel. (B)

Tour Leader

CYNDI MCCHESNEY

Cyndi McChesney has been quilting for over 40 years and has enjoyed a wide-ranging and fulfilling career in the quilting industry including as an author,  quilt shop owner, custom quilt maker, and instructor throughout the US and Canada at national shows, guilds and quilt shops. Cyndi achieved the distinguished title of National Quilt Association Certified Teacher of the Year, has won awards in the Hoffman Challenge, the Colorado State Fair, Mancuso Visuals #1 2020, for Best Long-arm Workmanship and the Vermont Quilt Festival 2021 for Exceptional Merit. Her quilts have been exhibited at the Houston International Quilt Festival and AQS Paducah among other local and national shows. Cyndi’s first book, Fun With Panels, C&T Publishing was released in fall 2022. Watch for her second book on panels coming in April 2024! Cyndi’s passion for quilt making is evident in comments from her students and in her never-ending quest to find new techniques and skills to share so that quilting is a fun, enjoyable life-long endeavor.

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 9
• 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

Hotels

HOTELS

Pleae contact us for hotel details.