MOROCCO TEXTILES TOUR
with Rachaeldaisy Dodd
3 – 17 May 2025
Sold out!
18 April – 2 May 2026
Limited places available

Marrakech, Atlas Mountains, Sahara, Fes, Chefchaouen, Rabat


Travel with artist Rachaeldaisy Dodd and explore the traditional Amazigh (Berber) crafts of Morocco at a grassroots level where women’s cooperative ventures present a range of textile creations melding age-old skills with new innovations.

In Marrakech we visit the exquisite new Yves Saint Laurent Museum featuring his fashion design as well as the Berber Museum that houses the Moroccan textiles and jewellery that inspired his work.
We then venture into the High Atlas Mountains and follow the ancient trade routes across the Tizi’n’Tichka Pass from Marrakech to the Sahara. Weavers of carpets and cloth, embroiderers and basket weavers are found in remote locations where they still employ their skills and maintain their traditional life style.

Next we make our way north to Fes and the blue city of Chefchaouen for a feast of colour and Islamic culture, finishing in the capital city of Rabat.

The tour includes hands-on experiences and demonstrations with local artisans. On the road in the mountains and Sahara we learn some exquisite embroidery techniques, tie knots to make rugs, explore some eco-dyeing using Rose Madder and Pomegranate.

Guest artist Rachaeldaisy Dodd will share her skills and experience to allow participants to develop their ideas for textile design, drawing inspiration from the sublime landscape and rich cultural environment provided by the art and architecture of Morocco. The tour is not an intensive workshop as there is too much to see and experience in Morocco, but time will be devoted to sharing ideas, discussing colour, pattern, materials and trialling techniques for future development. You will be encouraged to develop a visual diary and to create studies and samplers incorporating your ideas.

WORKSHOP with RACHAELDAISY

Using inspiration from Moroccan symbols, textiles and colour Rachael will guide participants through hand stitched blocks that can be used in a wall hanging or larger quilt, to create a beautiful souvenir of a magical trip.

ABOUT RACHAELDAISY DODD
Rachaeldaisy has always walked a creative path, from delving into all sorts of crafts as a child and then working as a busy creative events florist for more than 20 years.Then the allure of patchwork and quilting captured her heart in the early 2000s, marking the beginning of a passionate journey. Rachael has seamlessly integrated her wealth of floral design experience into her quilts to infuse her work with colour, balance and creative joy.

In regards to style Rachael has been affectionately described as a “kangaroo on a pogo stick” (given the endless possibilities in the realm of patchwork and quilting). However, a consistent thread in her quilts is the exploration of fresh ways and innovative techniques to reinterpret conventional designs. Her work often features lots of colour, pattern on pattern, a variety of 3D elements, including Yo-Yos, Prairie Points, wool felt, appliquéd and pieced denim, doilies, and trims. Words frequently used to characterise the resulting quilts are whimsical, creative, colourful, and happy.

Rachael’s quilts have received many awards internationally, including several Best in Show awards, Best Use Of Colour, Most Innovative and Viewers Choice. They have been exhibited in and won prizes in fine art exhibitions and published in magazines and books both nationally and internationally. Her book, Whizz Bang! Adventures in Folded Fabric published with Quiltmania has inspired quilters around the world to create award winning folded fabric quilts. Rachael delights in teaching and sharing her quilts with fellow enthusiasts, inspiring creativity and proving that patchwork and quilting doesn’t always have rules. Her workshops create a space where participants, whether enthusiastic beginners or advanced sewers, can explore diverse techniques in a fun and relaxed environment.

MORE ABOUT THE TOUR
Accommodation is provided in the most comfortable traditional guesthouses, where we enjoy the extraordinary delights of Amazigh food and hospitality. You will discover the highlights of Morocco and the indigenous Amazigh culture that evolves and continues largely through the extraordinary textile traditions. We also enjoy music and a complete range of traditional cultural experiences and crafts.
Traveling with a small group of like-minded people and an experienced team of co-hosts the program offers an innovative and creative way to explore a new place that is stimulating, supportive and safe.