Creative Retreat | Pattern Design in Sweden
The Art of Patterning: Reimagining Your Visual Landscape through Pattern Design + Contemporary Stitching with Miesje Chafer
Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden | June 4 - 11, 2027
Join artist and print designer Miesje Chafer on an inspiring Scandinavian journey, as we learn to translate graphic folk motifs, urban lines and raw archipelago textures into vibrant, original surface designs.
Our experience opens in dynamic Stockholm—a city rooted in centuries of Nordic craft yet buzzing with contemporary design—before we journey to our peaceful sanctuary set above the Baltic Sea. We'll explore folk tapestries and living traditions in the city, visit the striking architecture of Artipelag on Baggensfjärden and gather organic shapes and natural color harmonies directly from the coastal landscape. Renowned for its windswept pine forests, granite shores, and coastal serenity, the Stockholm Archipelago offers a breathtaking backdrop of forested inlets, mossy trails and quiet coves.
Throughout our retreat, Miesje will deconstruct the core principles behind her layered pattern work. Workshop days blend studio practice with outdoor exploration, where rocky shorelines become our sketchbooks as you train your eye to see the archipelago as an interplay of color, form and pattern. Working alongside Miesje, you’ll move fluidly from observational sketches and paper collages to custom-carved stamps, hand-cut stencils and color theory. You’ll bring together paper work and fiber art as you move from elemental shapes to dynamic compositions. Using ink, thread, and bold color play, you'll translate your surroundings and personal impressions to build a personal pattern toolkit.
Woven into every day are moments of unhurried ease—lingering over worktables as evening light reflects off the bay, savoring seasonal Nordic meals, and enjoying the natural connections that unfold when makers gather to create surrounded by sea and stone. Through daily pattern play and exploration, you’ll develop your own distinctive artistic voice and a life long design perspective.
This Ace Camps Travel trip is open to all skill levels. Trip Itinerary, Details and Important Notes below.
DATES
June 4 - 11, 2027
8 Days + 7 Nights
PRICING
Small Private Room - $0,000 USD
Standard Private Room - $0,000 USD
Superior Private Room - $0,000 USD
Full Rooming + Pricing Details Below
BOOKING FOR THIS TRIP STARTS ON
JANUARY 1, 2025 AT 1:00PM PST
CREATIVE RETREAT HIGHLIGHTS
Multi-day, Pattern Design workshop led by Miesje Chafer focusing on the core principles of pattern structure, advanced color palettes and bold compositions. Through inspiration gathering, mixed media pattern play with paper piecing and hand-crafted stamping, ink stenciling on fabric and stitched overlays you’ll create a personalized pattern toolkit composed of designs that speak to your individual artistic voice.
Folk, Craft and Pattern focused tour in Stockholm
Guided Tour of Artipelag Contemporary Art Space
Stockholm Boutique Hotel Accommodation
Stockholm Archipelago Countryside Retreat Accommodation
Seasonal, chef-prepared Nordic cuisine
Fresh baked pastries for Fika - a coffee and cake break
Transportation during included meals and activities
Dedicated Ace Camps Travel Host, with you throughout your trip
Trip Prep call to meet fellow travelers and talk through schedules, recommendations, and questions
Travel + Learn with Miesje Chafer
Miesje is self-taught maker, designer and artist working predominantly with textiles, paper, and beads. Originally trained as nurse, fifteen years ago she sought to scratch the creative itch by enrolling on a three-day screenprinting course and hasn't looked back. Inspired by mid-century, Scandinavian, and folk design, she soon started to create bold, bright textile designs, which she printed onto fabric and used to produce a range of different accessories and products.
Her practice has developed and broadened over the years to incorporate a range of different techniques, including embroidery, needlepoint, collage, patchwork, appliqué, and, more recently, beading, which has been the perfect way to translate her designs and patterns into jewelry.
Miesje has over ten years of experience teaching workshops in person and online, bringing color, pattern—and hopefully joy!—to students all over the world. Learn more about Miesje and follow her on Instagram for inspiration at @miesjechafer.
Day by Day Itinerary
Nota Bene: This is a prospective itinerary. It is subject to modest modifications, dependent on local weather, partner schedules, unexpected opportunities and the needs of the group.
Day 1
Friday, June 4
Welcome to Sweden!
Today we arrive in Stockholm - a city renowned for centuries of Nordic craft, functionalist architecture and clean organic geometry that turns every urban texture into pure pattern inspiration.
After making your way to our city-center hotel, take time to unpack, relax, stroll along the water or wander the neighborhood. Please plan to arrive at our Stockholm hotel no later than 4:30pm so you have time to settle in before dinner.
Tonight, we’ll gather with Miesje and the group for a welcome dinner showcasing Stockholm’s modern culinary scene.
Meals included: Dinner
Day 2
Saturday, June 5
We immerse ourselves in the tactile soul of Swedish design with a day dedicated to folk tradition, surface pattern and living craftsmanship. Throughout the day, you’ll turn to your sketchbook and camera to record the intriguing visual elements that catch your eye—we’ll draw on this inspiration in our upcoming pattern-creation workshops.
Together, we’ll explore centuries of Nordic cultural history, where the rhythmic grids of regional rölakan tapestries, embroidered textiles and carved woodcraft reveal how everyday utility was transformed into timeless visual language. Moving into the afternoon, we’ll take an intimate look at handmade Swedish craft, learning how these historic motifs continue to inform modern surface design. At every stop, we’ll study the colors, textures and repeating motifs that make Scandinavian pattern so enduringly iconic.
Tonight is yours to savor—wander the city and discover the local flavors of Stockholm at your own pace.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3
Sunday, June 6
This morning, we leave the city behind and journey toward our retreat set high on a coastal plateau above the Stockholm Archipelago.
Along the way, we stop at Artipelag for a guided tour. True to its name—a union of the words art and archipelago—this striking cultural venue harmonizes world-class contemporary exhibitions, architecture and Nordic design with the windswept pine forests of Värmdö. Surrounded by nature, we’ll sit down to a seasonal lunch crafted from scratch by Artipelag’s resident chefs and pastry artisans. You’ll have time to wander the scenic wooden boardwalks along the water, collecting more inspiration for our workshops before we continue on our way.
By late afternoon, we will arrive at our sanctuary for the week, giving everyone a leisurely window to unpack, take in the views and unwind before our dinner together overlooking the Baltic Sea.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4
Monday June 6
Today, we dive into the creative process of shape and pattern play alongside artist and designer Miesje Chafer for our first full-day, hands-on workshop.
We begin by sifting through the photos, sketches and visual notes we’ve gathered, isolating our favorite silhouettes and textures to build your own personal pattern toolkits. Miesje will deconstruct the core principles of pattern structure—breaking down how repeats, grids, and motifs are constructed from simple components to create dynamic layouts.
From here, you’ll use paper piecing to create experimental collages, exploring spatial tension and balance, scale, negative space and contrasting form. We’ll see how repeating the same elemental shapes in different arrangements can yield completely new designs, then push our compositions further by layering in delicate line work to add depth and narrative. By the end of the day, you’ll have a deeper grasp of contrast and mixed-media layering, along with the foundational instincts needed to translate everyday visual inspiration into your own distinctive design voice.
We’ll wrap up the day over a shared dinner of seasonal Nordic dishes, viewing the coastal horizon through a designer’s lens as the evening light casts fresh patterns across the landscape.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5
Tuesday, June 7
Our creative focus turns to color and printmaking for our second workshop day. We begin the morning outdoors, gathering inspiration from organic shapes, raw textures and rich tones of the surrounding archipelago landscape.
Back at the studio worktables, Miesje will lead a masterclass on advanced color palettes, unpacking how to pair unexpected hues for maximum visual impact.
Merging our outdoor observations, yesterday’s collage foundations and our newfound color confidence we’ll evolve our pattern making into print form. You’ll design and carve custom stamping shapes to experiment with geometric and organic motifs. Working with pigment ink pads, you’ll test how alternating pressures, ink densities, and stamp rotations build surprising secondary patterns across the page. From here we’ll challenge ourselves to move beyond plain paper to incorporate working on gridded sheets, patterned backgrounds, overprinting and layering in additional textures that bring nuance and visual interest to your work.
Tonight, we’ll come together for dinner, our creative eyes attuned to the patterns, colors, and subtle details that surround us.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6
Wednesday, June 8
Today, we draw on our pattern toolkits and the techniques honed throughout our time together to build the foundation for our final project. Combining fabric, hand-printed ink and textured stitching, you’ll synthesize your creative work into a distinctive, multi-layered textile design.
We’ll start by solidifying your favorite design elements into a definitive composition, pulling from your collages, repeat experiments, inspiration shots and color studies. Then, Miesje will guide the technical transition from paper concepts to a fiber art statement piece, sharing her methods for sharp stencil cuts, crisp printing impressions and balanced ink coverage. Working with durable stencil film, you’ll draft and hand-cut custom stencils to apply bold pigment inks directly onto fabric, establishing the structural base of your pattern.
In the afternoon, Miesje introduces the tactile art of hand embroidery, demonstrating a repertoire of essential stitches designed to embellish your printed motifs. Much like the delicate linework layered over your paper collages in the first workshop, these thread accents will bring dimension, contour and textural contrast to the printed cloth.
We’ll leave our pinned-up textiles to dry overnight and head in for dinner, enjoying a meal showcasing regional dishes and fresh local fare.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7
Thursday, June 7
In our final session, we bring our textile pieces across the finish line. The morning is dedicated to slow stitch-work as you add the final embroidery details to your piece. Miesje will offer additional guidance on thread weight, stitch tension and color interplay. She will also discuss finishing and mounting methods to showcase your piece at home.
This afternoon, we’ll explore practical ways to advance your practice beyond the archipelago—from expanding single motifs into commercial repeats to adapting your pattern toolkit for future prints, home textiles, and garments. We’ll crown the workshop with an intimate studio gallery show, displaying everyone’s finished textiles alongside their original sketches and paper collages. Stepping back together, we’ll celebrate the striking diversity of colors, patterns, and personal design voices that emerged from a single shared landscape.
We’ll cap off the journey with a celebratory farewell dinner, raising a glass to a week of shared creativity, new techniques, and the lasting friendships formed around the worktables.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8
Friday, June 8
This morning, we pack our bags, say our warm farewells, and transfer back to Stockholm for your onward travels— filled with fresh inspiration and a renewed creative perspective. Thank you for joining Miesje and our creative community for an unforgettable week of color, craft, and pattern design in the Stockholm Archipelago!
Meals included: Breakfast
Where We’re Staying
Stockholm: Our centrally located boutique hotel is perfectly situated in Stockholm's Östermalm district, known for its French-inspired design and intimate atmosphere.
Archipelago: Our rustic retreat property is a charming waterfront hotel on Värmdö Island, rooms are located in the 18th-century officers' residences of a former Swedish fortress. It offers a tranquil, historic atmosphere with peaceful rustic gardens, onsite restaurant, and stunning sea views of the Stockholm Archipelago.
Rooming Options
Please read below carefully and make your rooming selection on the Booking Request form.
The style and layout of every room is unique and may not be exactly as pictured.
Note: If you are two guests traveling together and would like to share one bed, please contact us for details about a shared bed option.
Group Size: Minimum 8 guests, Maximum 12 guests.
All prices are in USD.
BOOKING FOR THIS TRIP STARTS ON JANUARY 1, 2025 AT 1:00PM PST
OPTION 1 - SMALL PRIVATE ROOM
with ensuite bathroom
$XXXX per person, paid in two separate installments.
Rooming Details:
In Stockholm you’ll have a Standard room with a double bed and ensuite bathroom. At our retreat property you’ll have a small sized private room with small double size bed, garden view and ensuite bathroom with shower.
Room Access: Rooms are located on the second floor of a walk up building (no elevator).
Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495
Final Payment due December 4, 2026: $XXXX
OPTION 2 - STANDARD PRIVATE ROOM
with ensuite bathroom
$XXXX per person, paid in two separate installments.
Rooming Details:
In Stockholm you’ll have a Standard room with a double bed and ensuite bathroom. At our retreat property you’ll have a private room with queen size bed, ensuite bathroom with shower. Sea or Garden view.
Room Access: Most rooms are located on the second and third floor of a walk up building (no elevator). Some rooms are located on the attic level and have a sloped ceiling similar to the white bedroom photo above.
Bed Note: in Europe larger beds are often made up of two beds joined together.
Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495
Final Payment due December 4, 2026: $XXXX
OPTION 3 - SUPERIOR PRIVATE ROOM
with ensuite bathroom
$XXXXX per person, paid in two separate installments.
Rooming Details:
In Stockholm you’ll have a Superior room with ensuite bathroom. At our retreat property you’ll have a spacious room with king size bed, ensuite bathroom with shower and archipelago sea and garden views.
Room Access: Most rooms are located on the second floor of a walk up building (no elevator).
Bed Note: in Europe larger beds are often made up of two beds joined together.
Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495
Final Payment due December 4, 2026: $XXXX
Important Trip Details
Culinary Notes
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free requirements as well as some specific allergies or intolerances on this trip.
Fish and seafood have been staples of Swedish cuisine for centuries and play a central role in the traditional Swedish dining we’ll experience. Guests who do not to eat fish will have limited menu options throughout the trip.
This trip is best suited for those open and eager to enjoy and experience a variety of regional ingredients and flavors
If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, you will need to submit those on your booking request form. We cannot accommodate any allergies or dietary restrictions if you do not advise us when you submit your initial booking request.
Please contact us before booking if you have any questions.
Accessibility
Please note this trip includes several walking tours where the ground may be uneven such as cobblestones, trails, hills, and stairs. You may be on your feet for several of hours at a time and should be comfortable walking 2 - 5kms.
Our property, hotel rooms and workshop space are reached via several sets of stairs and no elevator. You should be comfortable going up and down two flights of stairs unassisted.
Who is this Trip for?
This trip is for the open minded and patient traveler. You should be eager to learn and work hands-on during your workshop session and be curious about regional culture and cuisine.
This is an immersive adventure and best suited for those who enjoy traveling as a part of a small group.
Travel Health
We recommend consulting a doctor, nurse, health care provider, or travel health clinic once we confirm your booking on this Ace Camps Travel trip so you know what may be required based on your individual circumstances and based on the locations you’ll be traveling to. If you have any health concerns, contact your health care provider for advice prior to booking this Ace Camps Travel trip.
Trip Start + End Locations
This trip starts and ends in Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the main international airport serving Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It is located in Sigtuna Municipality, 37 km north of Stockholm.
The Arlanda Express journey from Stockholm-Arlanda Airport to Stockholm Central Station takes just 18 minutes. This high-speed train is the fastest and most direct way to travel between the two points, with no stops between the airport and the city's central hub.
Weather
In early June, Stockholm typically experiences pleasant, warm weather, with average daytime temperatures around 15-20°C (59-68°F) and lows around 10-12°C (50-54°F), though it can feel warmer with plenty of sunshine and cooler when the clouds come in. You can expect long daylight hours, with the sun rising very early and setting late. While generally one of the drier months, you should be prepared for occasional rain showers, making layers advisable for clothing.
Included in this Trip
Workshops 1
Workshops 2, 3, etc
Food 1
Food 2, 3, etc
Activities 1
Activities 2, 3, etc
Accommodations 1
Accommodations 2, 3, etc
1 night, boutique accommodation in Stockholm
6 nights accommodation in the Stockholm Archipelago
Transport during included meals and activities
# breakfasts, # lunches, # dinners
Dedicated Ace Camps Travel Host, with you throughout your trip
Trip Prep call to meet fellow travelers and talk through schedules, recommendations, and questions
Ace Camps Travel Host
An Ace Camps Travel Host will be with you through your trip, dedicated to ensuring you have the best possible experience. Your Host is there for any questions or concerns, to look out for the health and safety of the group and to help resolve any issues that might arise. This Host is not a local guide but will work with our local partners to insure the right combination of pace, information, and duration. Our local partners are deeply knowledgable in the culture and customs of the area and will be there to share their knowledge and passion with the group.
Not Included in this Trip
International roundtrip airfare; required Travel Insurance; alcoholic drinks; activities and food and beverages not included in the trip itinerary; hotel incidentals including but not limited to room service, laundry service and hotel bar tabs; and all expenses during free time.
Travel Arrangements
Ace Camps Travel will send you detailed Trip Planning information when it’s time to make your travel arrangements. We usually send this information once we’ve reached the minimum number of guests required to run the trip. We’ll also send you an Ace Camps Travel “Preparing for your Journey” document prior to your trip, which will include arrival and departure information, a suggested packing list, useful country information, and more.
Supplies
All essential supplies for your workshops will be provided when you arrive in Sweden. Closer to your departure date, we’ll send more information about optional supplies you may want to bring with you.
Travel Insurance
As stated in our Terms and Conditions, we require all guests to have Travel Insurance that at minimum covers both medical emergencies and trip cancellations. Cancellations 180 days or fewer prior to the trip start date will incur a cancellation fee equal to 100% of the price for the trip. There are no exceptions to this cancellation policy which is one of the many reasons we require all guests to have Travel Insurance.
For full details on our Travel Insurance requirements, visit our FAQ’s and review our Terms and Conditions.
Health + Safety
Our goal is for each of our guests to enjoy the amazing trip we’ve put together. To ensure that happens, we put the health and safety of the group as our top priority. Individual guests are responsible for ensuring they meet all destination and layover country requirements and laws.
During the trip, if you feel unwell, exhibit signs of, or test positive for an illness, you should be prepared to follow the advice of local health authorities as well as the Ace Camps Travel Host to ensure the health and safety of the entire group. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and/or viral nature of your illness the Ace Camps Travel Host may determine you need to mask, distance, self- isolate, or depart the trip early. You are responsible for any expenses incurred from an illness, injury, or early departure including testing, treatment, isolation, accommodation, transportation, etc. and you will not be issued a refund for any unused portion of the trip. This is one of the many reasons we require all guests to have Travel Insurance, as outlined in our Terms and Conditions.
For full details on our Health and Safety Policies, visit our FAQ’s and review our Terms and Conditions.
Cancellation Policy
If you choose to cancel your trip for any reason, you must do so via email to hello@acecampstravel.com. If we receive written notice 181 or more days prior to the Trip start date, we will refund your initial payment, less a $1,000 cancellation fee. If we receive written notice 180 days or fewer prior to the Trip start date you will incur a cancellation fee equal to 100% of the price for the Trip. There are no exceptions to this cancellation policy, including for reasons related to weather, terrorism, civil strife, pandemics, illness, personal, family or medical emergencies, or any other circumstances beyond our control. For this and other reasons, we require you to purchase Travel Insurance.
Be sure to read our Terms and Conditions for full details on Booking and Payment, Cancellation by You and Trip Changes and Cancellations.
Questions + FAQs
If you have any questions about this Ace Camps travel Trip, please feel free to contact us.
You can also read our FAQs here.
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