Fiber Art Retreat | Weaving in Morocco

Modern Weaving + Fiber Art with Maryanne Moodie

Marrakech, Morocco | February 21 - 28, 2027

Marrakech has long been one of our favorite destinations, a city rich in ancient artistry that still flourishes today, sustained by the craftspeople of the souks and the creative communities around them. Join contemporary weaving artist Maryanne Moodie for a week-long, playful exploration of fiber art inspired by the color, texture, and craft traditions of Morocco.

Maryanne will teach us the core techniques of weaving before guiding us through her own distinctive approach to color theory and composition, and how to use intuition as a creative compass. We'll apply everything we learn to creating our own unique wall hangings, with Maryanne's close guidance every step of the way. We'll round out our skills with an introduction to fiber sculpture, learning to create tassels and wrapped elements to embellish our woven work, as well as custom market basket embellishments. You'll leave the experience with a woven wall hanging, fiber art samples and a hand-embellished Moroccan market basket—along with a deeper understanding of texture, color, and material experimentation.

Immersed in this extraordinary city, we'll follow Maryanne on a journey of artistic discovery, building a rich weaving practice as we explore the many facets of weaving culture in Marrakech together. We begin with a guided visit through the historic souks of the Medina, where shops overflow with rugs stacked from floor to ceiling and merchants share their knowledge of regional weaving traditions such as Beni Ourain, Azilal, and Boujad carpets. We’ll also visit the yarn-dyeing souk, where you’ll have the opportunity to dye your own yarn to use in future fiber projects. With the Atlas Mountains rising in the distance, we’ll travel toward a rural weaving village to learn about large-loom carpet weaving. There, you’ll explore traditional techniques in a hands-on workshop led by a local rug weaver. Beyond the markets and mountain villages, Marrakech is also home to contemporary studios and textile cooperatives. It’s a unique place to discover designers collaborating with traditional weavers to create new interpretations of Moroccan carpets and textiles.

This Ace Camps Travel trip is open to all skill levels. Trip Itinerary, Details and Important Notes below.

DATES

February 21 - 28, 2027
8 Days + 7 Nights

PRICING

Shared Room* - $5,495 USD
Standard Private Room - $6,795 USD
Superior Private Room - $6,995 USD

Full Rooming + Pricing Details Below

BOOKING FOR THIS TRIP STARTS ON
JULY 14, 2026 AT 1:00PM PST

WEAVING RETREAT HIGHLIGHTS

  • Multi-day modern weaving and fiber art workshop with Maryanne Moodie, learning the core fundamentals of weaving, color theory, composition. In this workshop you’ll focus on creating a variety of projects—a sampler where to help you learn the core weaving techniques; an original weaving, based on your own design; and tasseled fiber art.

  • Maryanne Moodie large, custom-designed wooden loom and tool kit, made from sustainable wood, to use during the workshop and for you to take home with you so you can continue creating your own weaving projects.

  • Guided Craft-focused Souks tour with a local guide with a hands-on Wool Dyeing Experience

  • Guided rural Weaving Village Walking Tour with Salam Hello Weaving

  • Hands-on, small loom carpet weaving workshop

  • 7 nights Boutique Riad Accommodation in Marrakech

  • Arrival transfer from Marrakech Airport to our hotel (on specified day)

  • Transport 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 Maryanne Moodie

Maryanne is a fiber-obsessed artist, maker, and author from Melbourne, Australia. She is best known for applying unexpected color combinations to her nostalgic designs. She is inspired by the intricacies of vintage textiles, traditional costuming, modern art, and the natural world.

Maryanne’s work has been featured in New York Magazine, Anthology, O Magazine, Grazia, Interwoven, and online on Design*Sponge and The Design Files. A finalist in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards in both 2014 and 2015, sells her work on Etsy and through online shops and boutiques around the country. Maryanne is also the best-selling author of two best-selling books about modern weaving—On the Loom: A Modern Weaver’s Guide and Modern Weaving: Where Color Meets Loom.

Maryanne divides her time between designing incredible, large-scale woven fiber art pieces for clients and collectors all over the world and teaching sold-out workshops globally. As part of her teaching practice, Maryanne has meticulously developed her own brand of sustainable, hand made looms and carefully curates fiber kits that reflect her love of color and texture.

You can follow Maryanne @maryannemoodie on instagram.

Photo by Salam Hello
Marrakech Rug Photo by Salam Hello

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

Sunday, February 21

Welcome to Marrakech! Arrive at the Marrakech International Airport where you will be met and driven to the edge of the Medina, from here you’ll be guided by the riad staff to our riad. The drive from the airport is approximately 25 minutes, depending on traffic. Specific riad access details will be provided to guests closer to your arrival.

Tonight we’ll gather together for a welcome dinner on the rooftop of our riad where you’ll have a chance to get to know Maryanne and your group.

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2

Monday, February 22

We begin our weaving retreat with a full-day, hands-on workshop with Maryanne, where we'll learn the fundamental techniques of weaving. We'll start by learning how to warp our loom, including how to achieve the right tension, and cover the main tools we'll be using—shuttles, needles, forks and combs, and swords.

From there, we'll move on to a variety of weaving stitches, including Soumak, Twining, Tabby, Looped Tabby, Bubbling, Piecing the yarn, and Rya Knots. We'll also cover finishing techniques, including how to weave in ends and tails and how to remove your weaving from the loom.

At the end of the day, you’ll have a sampler piece that showcases the main techniques you need to start creating your own custom weaving.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3

Tuesday, February 23

We'll begin our day with a session on color theory—one of the defining elements of Maryanne's work. Through hands-on exercises and prompts, she'll cover the basics: primary, secondary, and tertiary colors; how to use a color wheel to build complementary, analogous, and triadic palettes; and how to use color to evoke emotion in the viewer.

Maryanne will then share insights into her design process and how it's evolved since becoming a full-time artist, guiding us through exercises on effective composition—how to channel memory and emotion into our work, use a focal point to draw in the viewer, and use intuition to create movement. By the end of the workshop, you'll have a series of color palettes and compositions to serve as the direction for your personal woven creation.

We’ll have lunch at the riad and then venture into the Medina with our guide. This guided walking tour centers on Marrakech’s traditional crafts, introducing you to the work of artisans across textiles, leatherwork, basketry, ceramics, woodwork and more. The experience highlights the art of yarn dyeing, culminating in a hands-on workshop where you’ll dye fibers to use in your future weaving projects.
Photo by Salam Hello

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4

Wednesday, February 24

Today we'll build on the basic stitches from our first workshop to create shapes and texture in our own work. Maryanne will demonstrate advanced techniques, including how to create circles, squares, and triangles, as well as dovetail joins, negative space, and windows.

This afternoon we head toward Marrakech’s modern industrial district. After lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, we’ll explore a selection of concept stores, textile and home boutiques, and contemporary craft shops.

We conclude our day with a visit the studio and showroom of Salam Hello, a contemporary rug collective, where we’ll meet founder Mallory Solomon and learn more about their collaborative rug design and production process.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5

Thursday, February 25

This morning we leave the city and head into the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, where we'll meet our guide, a local weaving artist. She'll lead us on a short hike through the countryside to her village, where we'll visit a rug weaving cooperative for a hands-on introduction to traditional carpet weaving techniques.

After a home-cooked lunch, we'll meet our weaving instructor for an afternoon workshop, learning the basics of rug weaving with a local artisan as our guide. Working on a small loom, we'll learn the structure behind each row and begin our own mini woven piece to take home.

We return to Marrakech in the early evening for a relaxed dinner together at the riad.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6

Friday, February 26

Today we continue with a full-day weaving workshop with Maryanne, bringing together all the techniques we've learned so far. Taking the color palettes and compositions we've developed this week, we'll continue working under Maryanne's guidance to create our own woven wall hanging.

Maryanne will open the day by sharing her techniques for translating a design from paper to loom—and for striking the balance between staying true to your original vision and allowing intuition to guide you as the work evolves. As always, she'll be on hand to offer support and encouragement as your custom wall hanging takes shape.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7

Saturday, February 27

Today is our final workshop day with Maryanne where we’ll continue to add new skills to our repertoire. We’ll turn our attention to fiber sculpture, exploring a variety of techniques for creating tassels, wrapped elements and garlands. The resulting pieces can be incorporated into your weavings or used to embellish local market baskets. 

By the end of the day, you will have created multiple woven pieces and a custom embellished market basket. We will conclude our retreat with a mini gallery showcase — a chance to share, reflect on, and celebrate everything we've created over the past week together.

This evening, we gather for a special farewell dinner on the rooftop of our riad to toast our creative journey together!

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8

Sunday, February 28

Departure day: After breakfast, we say our final goodbyes and head on our way. Our riad can help you book airport transfers.

Thank you for joining us on this curious and creative journey of Marrakech and it’s weaving magic!

Meals included: Breakfast

Where We’re Staying

Tucked inside the ancient walls of the Marrakech Medina, we’ll stay in our own private riad—a hidden sanctuary where elegance meets authenticity and every detail is designed to awaken the senses. Envisioned by Italian architect Mattia Siviero and interior designer Corinne Dressler, the riad blends timeless Moroccan tradition with contemporary refinement. From intimate guest rooms and candlelit patios to rooftop plunge pools and a tranquil spa with hammam, each space invites you to slow down, reconnect, and feel inspired.

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 JULY 14, 2026 AT 1:00PM PST

OPTION 1 - SHARED ROOM*
with ensuite bathroom


$
5,495 per person, paid in two separate installments.

Rooming Details:

*Shared Rooms are available to book for two guests already travelling together.

You will share a room with one other guest for the duration of the trip.

Shared rooms can be arranged with two twin beds or one large double bed. It’s important to note that the shower and sink area is not fully private as there is no closing door. This architectural choice is intentional, as it allows more light, depth, and a greater sense of space, creating a refined and contemporary atmosphere throughout the room. The toilet is in a private room with a door.

Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495

Final Payment due August 25, 2026: $3,000

OPTION 2 - STANDARD PRIVATE ROOM
with ensuite bathroom


$
6,795 per person, paid in two separate installments.

Rooming Details:

You will have a standard private room and ensuite bathroom for the duration of the trip. Rooms bring together refined Moroccan touches and natural materials such as walnut wood and woven cane—for an interior designed to feel calm, grounded, and restorative.

Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495

Final Payment due August 25, 2026: $4300

OPTION 3 - SUPERIOR PRIVATE ROOM
with ensuite bathroom


$
6,995 per person, paid in two separate installments.

Rooming Details:

You will have a Superior private room and ensuite bathroom for the duration of the trip. Superior rooms are more spacious than our smaller standard rooms. Rooms bring together refined Moroccan touches and natural materials such as walnut wood and woven cane—for an interior designed to feel calm, grounded, and restorative.

Initial Payment due immediately: $2,495

Final Payment due August 25, 2026: $4500

Important Trip Details

Included in this Trip

  • Four-day modern weaving and fiber art workshop with Maryanne Moodie, learning the core fundamentals of weaving, color theory, composition. In this workshop you’ll focus on creating a variety of projects—a sampler where to help you learn the core weaving techniques; an original weaving, based on your own design; and tasseled fiber art.

  • Maryanne Moodie large, custom-designed wooden loom and tool kit, made from sustainable wood, to use during the workshop and for you to take home with you so you can continue creating your own weaving projects.

  • Guided Craft-focused Souks tour with a local guide

  • Hands-on Wool Dyeing Experience in the souks

  • Guided Rural Weaving Village Walking Tour with Salam Hello

  • Hands-on small loom carpet weaving workshop

  • 7 nights Boutique Riad Accommodation in Marrakech

  • Arrival transfer from Marrakech Airport to our hotel (on specified day)

  • Transport during included meals and activities

  • 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 4 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

Most supplies for the workshop will be provided, including a large, custom-designed Maryanne Moodie wooden loom, wooden tool kit, and a selection of custom yarns and fibers. You may need to bring a sketchbook and pencils or pens for drawing and taking notes. Closer to your departure date, we’ll send a reminder and additional details for what you need to bring with you.

Culinary Notes

Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate vegan, gluten-free, dairy- free, egg-free, garlic-free, soy-free or onion-free requirements, as well as some specific allergies on this trip.

This trip is best suited for those open and eager to enjoy and experience a variety of regional ingredients and flavors. We will be served the majority of our meals plated or family style and not always able to remove specific ingredients that are rooted in local cuisine such as—tomatoes, peppers, onions, pumpkin, olive oil, grains, legumes, eggs, honey, herbs, spices, and fragrant waters.

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 gravel trails, stairs, cobblestones, uneven sidewalks etc. You may be on your feet for several of hours at a time and should be comfortable walking 2 - 5kms. Our property and workshop space have several sets of stairs and no elevator.

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 finishes in Marrakech, Morocco. The closest airport is Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK), which is serviced by international + domestic airlines.

Weather

Marrakech in February features mild, pleasant daytime weather with average high temperatures ranging from 19°C to 22°C (67°F to 72°F) and cooler nights dipping to around 10°C (50°F). You can typically expect sunny days with approximately 7 to 8 hours of sunshine and only occasional light rain.

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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