threads afarTextiles, culture & travel

threads afar

Textiles, people, and places.

Textiles, culture & personal journeys

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the thread.

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

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Rug-hooking artist Petronila Jorge Zet in Guatemala
Petronila Jorge Zet · Guatemala
Hand-embroidered textile with symbols and a central figure
Embroidery · Nahual symbols
Guatemalan artisan wearing a traditional headdress
Textiles & people · Guatemala

Stories, people & handmade things

From Norma's blog

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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.

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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.

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