Travel to Costa-Rica & Australia

One of the benefits of being in the quilt profession is the wonderful places I get to travel to.  Next up for me is a trip with Jim West and Sew Many Places to Costa Rica. While I’ve visited there a couple of times for pure relaxation, I have not seen a lot of the country. I’m particularly excited to go with the group to the village of Sarchi.

Sarchi is a key artisan town in Costa Rica best known for its vibrant and lavishly decorated oxcarts. These oxcarts were first used in the mid-nineteenth century to transport coffee and other goods to port cities for export overseas. The addition of painting and carving to what had begun as simply utilitarian transportation started in the early twentieth century. Don’t you just love the many compass designs?

I’ve always loved  mariners compass-type designs and when I look at these amazing oxcart wheels I see endless quilt inspiration. What a design eye opener for all of us. We’ll definitely be talking about quilt possibilities!

The trip had been sold out but we have just had two last minute cancellations. Are you looking for reprieve from this winter? Why not come join me and my small band of fellow travelers in visiting Sarchi plus the jungle and gorgeous tropical waters? If you are interested, simply contact Sew Many Places for the details.

If Costa Rica is a little too soon for you, Jim has also just announced our last minute decision to go on an Austrailian expedition in April.

I’ve been to Australia so many times and am really looking forward to sharing my love of the country with participants on the tour. We’ll be visiting the Australian Quilt Convention, Sydney and the countryside. There is also an optional tour of New Zealand. The Australian trip is limited to only 16 people so it should be a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other. Because while one benefit of my quilting life may be the travel, the best benefit truly is the wonderful people I meet along the way.