Tour Description – Tour Itinerary – Tour Price – General Info – Reservation Form – Tour Guide – Photos of Past Tours

The director of the tour and your escort for the trip is Susan Ball Faeder, an American quiltmaker who has studied Japanese art and culture for over 35 years. She lived in Japan as an exchange student on two occasions, and is fluent in Japanese.

Susan started her business, Quilters’ Express to Japan, in 1988, with the aim of teaching people about Japan through the vehicle of quilting. Over the last 19 years, she has accomplished this not only through the tours, but also through her lecturing, teaching, vending, designing, and last but not least--her own quilting.

Her first tour to Japan - dedicated to promoting international peace and world friendships through quiltmaking - took place in September 1989. On that first venture, she escorted 33 people to Japan, set up a special quilt exhibit of work by more than half the participants, and arranged for the tour group to meet and exchange 9" blocks with 5 different groups of Japanese quilters. Since then, she has successfully led a total of 17 tours... each with a unique highlight and focus... but ALL to Japan... ALL for quilters!!

Over the years, Susan has become a well-known vendor at about a dozen select quilt festivals across the nation, setting up her beautiful displays and offering Japanese fabrics and treasures for sale. In 1997, Susan started the “Japanese Fabric Club,” a unique mail order club for people who love Japanese textiles. “JFC” members receive specially arranged packets of Japanese fabrics six times per year. The club is now enjoying it's second decade--with no duplicate mailings after 60 bundles !! Susan also travels to teach classes and workshops.

From 1998-2000, Susan designed Japanesque , with 4 separate collections of fabrics: Matsuri, Stone Garden, Fujiwara, and Gion. Using her designs as a kick-off point, she then sponsored the nationwide Hawks and Heroes Quilter's Challenge, awarding as Grand Prize, a FREE trip on the 11th tour to Japan in November 2000. The best 14 quilt entries from the contest were invited to Japan for exhibition at the prestigious Yokohama Quilt Festival.

Susan also designed a line of fabric for the New York based company, Free Spirit, in January 2003. That collection was called “Summer's Almost Over.”

In July 2005, Susan was 1 of 12 non-Japanese artists invited to participate in a special exhibition called "I LOVE JAPAN" held at the Mitsukoshi Department store in Tokyo. Susan created a new series for the show called ARIGATO, using fabric collage and hand-piecing of vintage Japanese cottons.

Quilters Express to Japan welcomed visitors to its downtown Manhattan shop since 1991. After 16 years, in August 2005, Susan relocated to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, located just off Rt. 80 in the central part of the state. She opened a small shop called “The Beckoning Cat” in historic downtown Lewisburg which offers Japanese fabric and Japanese gift items. Occasionally, Susan also welcomes quilting retreats at her home.

Updated March 2008

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Tour Description – Tour Itinerary – Tour Price – General Info – Reservation Form – Tour Guide – Photos of Past Tours