5 Reasons to Choose
Quilters’ Express to Japan

Japan is Best with Quilters’ Express!

1. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Quilters’ Express to Japan is highly flattered. Susan Ball Faeder founded Quilters’ Express in 1988 and she was the first person to take quilters to Japan to meet their counterparts. Since 1989, Susan has personally escorted and translated for all 18 of her tours–all to Japan and all for quilters. But don’t take our word for it. Read what our loyal customers have to say about Quilters’ Express.

2. A quilter for over 25 years, Susan is a teacher and known vendor around the United States, and has a broad view of the quilting community. She also lived and studied in Japan for two years and speaks Japanese fluently. This allows her to communicate with quilters from both sides of the Pacific, so nothing gets lost in translation. Click here to read more about Susan‘s life and experiences.

3. Through Susan’s long study of Japan (more than 40 years now), she can count the top Japanese quilting Sensei (teachers) among her friends. Throughout the tour you will have the benefit of her personal contacts and her unique knowledge of the history and development of Japanese quilting and textiles. Susan asks for assistance when needed, but she creates the itineraries and does all her own research on site in Japan.

4. A passionate collector of Japanese textiles, Susan often lectures on this topic and shares her collection of fabrics with quilt guilds and community groups around the USA. She will guide you beyond the typical tourist destinations and open doors, allowing participants to experience Japanese culture through textiles. This makes the Quilters’ Express to Japan tour a “trip for the soul,” as proclaimed by tour veterans in their own words.

5. Quilters’ Express to Japan tours include many special events and surprise guests, which are never advertised or listed in the itinerary in order to protect our sources. For example, on the last three tours, participants enjoyed:

• Studio visits and talks given by world-class Japanese artisans "sensei" whose special talents include indigo dyeing, silk weaving, pottery, quilting, and historically relevant Japanese textiles.
• Meeting Japan's "Nigen Kokuho" of Weaving (this is an honorific title that means "living national treasure," awarded by the Japanese government for a lifetime of cultural achievements in a particular field.
• Private walk throughs and lectures by top museum directors.
• A Japanese tea ceremony.
• An outdoor parade of Japanese kimono and costumes dating back 400 years.