Featured Artist: Jewelry with Miesje Chafer

Join Ace Camps Travel in Puglia, Italy

October 14- 21, 2025

The Art of Contemporary Jewelry with Miesje Chafer

Southern Puglia is home to amazing food, stunning olive fields, captivating coastlines, and quaint historic towns. Historically, Italy has a long tradition of fashion, jewlery design, and woven arts and we invite you to join us in this wonderful region for an in-depth retreat learning about pattern design and contemporary beaded jewelry.

Under Miesje’s expert guidance and instruction, we’ll start by learning the core principles of effective pattern design, including how to think about and work with color on a small-scale. From there, we’ll turn our focus to learning core beading and weaving techniques, which are the foundation for creating beaded jewelry.

We’ll start with learning to bead on on a loom, including how to create clean lines, incorporate pattern, and balance color. Then we’ll move onto the herringbone pattern, which will allow us to create a three-dimensional, cylinder-style necklace with a variety of patterns and colors. Last, we’ll learn about peyote stitching to create intricate, oscillating designs. With all these techniques in hand, you’ll have all the skills you need to design and create your own contemporary beaded jewelry collection.

Staying in a 16th-century palazzo, we’ll be surrounded by art, nature, and history. We’ll dine on regional delicacies, home cooked by locals who focus on typical dishes of the area. We’ll explore the charming town of Ostuni, visit the workshop of local artisans, and tour Lecce the “southern Florence” to learn the history of this famed ancient city. We’ll also have an opportunity to learn about the rich history of olive oil in the region and participate in a tasting at a local family farm.