I have been doing things with pieces of fabric for as long as I can remember. I was lucky enough to have a mother who made all our clothes, so there were always scraps of fabric to work with. I was given my first sewing machine – a Singer hand crank – when I was nine and made clothes for my dolls and myself. When I wasn’t sewing, I was knitting, embroidering or spinning. Now it’s impossible for me to imagine a life without fabric and thread in it.

Some of you will know Herma from her wonderful quilt designs that appear in international exhibitions, on Instagram, Pinterest and favourite quilting and patchwork publications. Her online tutorials are much enjoyed and widely shared - anyone who's watched one will know how wonderfully informative and hugely enthusiastic she is and how much she enjoys sharing ideas and techniques. 

Herma will visit you at your hotel on your first evening, bringing some of her designs for you to look at (and feel!) as well as sharing her wide knowledge and passion for quilting and textile art.

When Ansjeline Faber closed her art and embroidery supplies shop a few years ago, she decided it was time to learn another art form. "A friend suggested I find something that combined my painting with my love of embroidery," she says, "so I came up with the idea of embroidery stamps." Designed to enable people to embroider (or crochet) a wide variety of surfaces, from fabric and clothing to paper, in many different types of yarn, each of her stamps is unique. 

Ansjeline loves going to craft and textile fairs and Patchwork & Quiltdays is one of her favourites. "It's not a big show, but it is a great one," she says. "The people who exhibit there are very talented and they show a lot of work. Also, because it's small, you can talk to people. That's what I enjoy most. I sit there at my stall and talk to people about how I work. I live for creativity and I love to talk about it!"

Ansjeline will be at Patchwork & Quiltdays again in 2021 and there are plans afoot for her to add something to the goodie bag that will be given out at Herma de Ruiter's talk. All will be revealed at the show!

Located in the heart of The Hague, the 17th century Mauritshuis House museum is home to the best Dutch paintings from the Golden Age. Among the 841 artworks on display are masterpieces such as Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt and The Goldfinch by Fabritius. 

With a guided tour of this incredible collection wander through the intimate galleries, peering out of windows to catch glimpses of the Hague, marvelling at the ornate silk-lined walls  Find out about Rembrandt’s most notable way of painting  – scumbling, paint on paint thus creating an impasto of pure colour. Peer deep into his self-portrait wondering at the man behind such creative innovation. Be in awe of the technical quality and durablity of Vermeer's wonderous works - small but equisite and utterly enchanting. From the beguiling look of his Girl with a Pearl Earring - to his view of Delft, their aesthetic will linger long with you.

While you are there enjoy their special exhibition: Fleeting – Scents in Colour
An exhibition about the portrayal of smell in seventeenth-century art. Scented flowers and perfumes, foul-smelling canals and unpleasant body odours, smell and well-being, new aromas from far-away lands (spices, tobacco, coffee and tea), the disappearing smells of the bleaching fields, old crafts and more.

Can life in the seventeenth century be captured in smell? How are smell (and scent) portrayed? What significance did people attach to smell? And what aromatic connotations do artworks have? In this exhibition, the Mauritshuis will undertake smell-historical research. In the vicinity of the art, various historic scents will be prepared to bring the paintings in the exhibition to life.

• Make your own way and join us there! 
• 2 nights bed and breakfast accommodation at 4* Best Western Museum Hotel Delft (or similar)
• Services of an experienced ECT Tour manager who will accompany you
• Arrival dinner at a local restaurant - a great way to settle in and meet everyone you are travelling with! 
• Herma de Ruiter's talk A Threadaholic Tells All: everything you always wanted to know about thread but were afraid to ask Lifelong quilter Herma de Ruiter will talk about different threads and show you how they can impact your work. There will be lots of lovely samples to look at and touch. Herma will also try to answer all your questions and give you tips and tricks to use even the most ‘difficult’ threads successfully.
• 1 day entrance to Rijswijk Quilt Festival  (You can look forward to being personally introduced to some of the exhibiting designers!)
• Entrance to Keukenhof Gardens
• Entrance and hour-long tour of The Royal Delftware Pottery. (There will be time for a spot of shopping at their wonderful gift shop too.)
• Entrance and guided tour of Mauritshuis House Museum
• All entry fees and visits as detailed above
• Porterage service per person at the hotel
• Private transfers while you are in The Netherlands
• Travel disruption insurance