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ABOVE: Quilt sensei (teacher) Sachiko Yoshida
PART TWO: Invitational Flower Story Exhibit, Bag Category, Partnership Quilts
By Patricia Belyea
TOKYO JP An important exhibit at Tokyo Quilt Festival every year is an invitational show of major Japanese quilt artists. The theme for the new works was The Season Flower Story. Regretfully the backdrop for this section was covered in a botanically patterned black-and-white wallpaper that did not look great with most of the quilts.
ABOVE: Field Sketch “Cornflower” by Norika Nozawa
ABOVE: Yellow Roses by Keiko Miyauchi
ABOVE: Underwater Flower by Yoneko Maruya
ABOVE: Flowers for Everyone’s Heart by Keiko Goke
ABOVE: Inspiration — Blooming In The Woods by Noriko Inafune
ABOVE: Plumeria by Yoshiko Kurihara
I bumped into Sachiko Yoshida who I know from the biennial Japanese quilt shows at La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum. Sachiko led me across the Festival floor to present her incredible quilt made with vintage and antique kimono silks. Her theme was morning glories, hence the title Good Morning! Sachiko used a traditional morning glory shape for the appliquéd flowers and leaves.
ABOVE: Good Morning! by Sachiko Yoshida
Japanese quilters LOVE to make bags. The number of vendors selling patterns and purse hardware is endless at this Festival. The Bag Category exhibit is a competition of handmade bags. The entries incorporate a full range of creative designs and innovative finishes. Here are just a few that caught my eye.
For the Partnership Quilts, hung on bright green walls throughout the Festival, viewers of a Japanese arts and crafts TV show submitted 8,910 quilt blocks created with the theme Falling in Love With Garden. Quilt artist Eiko Okano directed the production of the 63 quilts which are being raffled off for charity. Raffle tickets are ¥500, about $5 USD.
Note the keys posted beside each quilt. These signs include the name of each block maker. Participants receive a brochure that shows them where they can see their contributions to the community quilts.
To see PART ONE: Traditional Category, Original Design Category, Wa Category +click here
To see PART THREE: Special Exhibits, Historic Textiles +click here
To see PART FOUR: Yoko Saito Retrospective, Grand Prix Winners +click here
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ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.
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