threads afarTextiles, culture & travel

threads afar

Textiles, people, and places.

Textiles, culture & personal journeys

Follow
the thread.

Meet the people. Learn the craft.
See the world a little differently.

Explore the tours

Read the blog

Rug-hooking artist Petronila Jorge Zet in Guatemala
Petronila Jorge Zet · Guatemala
Hand-embroidered textile with symbols and a central figure
Embroidery · Nahual symbols

With Norma SchaferSmall, personal journeys.
Connections that last.

Handmade things.
Human connections.

Threads Afar brings together textiles, folk art, and personal journeys with Norma Schafer. A place to meet makers, learn from their work, and follow the stories carried in cloth.

01   Travel with Norma

Travel with
Norma.

All tours

02   From the blog

From Norma’s blog.

All stories

Star-pattern quilt in a Shipshewana shop
Quilts and textile traditions · Shipshewana
Horse-drawn buggy on an Indiana country road
Backroads in Amish country
Textiles · Indiana

Revisiting Amish quilts in Shipshewana

A return to the countryside where Norma's textile and travel story began.

Read the story
Norma Schafer standing in front of textiles
Norma Schafer · Threads Afar
Birds and plants embroidered on indigo cloth

Your host, guide & fellow explorer

Hello.
I’m Norma.

Textiles have taken me around the world. The people behind them have kept me curious. I create personal journeys for travelers who want to meet makers, learn, and make real connections.

Get to know Norma

It starts with a conversation

Curious? Let's talk.

A question about a journey, a textile, or a story? Get in touch with Norma personally.

Talk to Norma