2024 yokohama quilt festival :: part one

2024 yokohama quilt festival :: part one

ABOVE: Kuu Pua Iris by Etsuko Kobayashi

By Patricia Belyea

YOKOHAMA JP  Do you remember that the corporate organizer of the Tokyo Quilt Festival canceled the event forever in the summer of 2021? That was the biggest quilt show in the world — a bucket-list experience!

2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

Today the Japan Quilt Society (JQS), a volunteer organization formed in 2021, hosts two shows a year. JQS’s Yokohama Quilt Festival, a pint-sized version of the forerunner, brings together exciting quilts and enthusiastic quilters in Japan’s second largest city.

2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

WINNER’S CIRCLE
Okan Arts took a tour group of 16 adventurers to the Festival for a short day. Everyone scattered to roam the show at their own pace. I immediately headed over to the winners.

BEST OF SHOW: Atmospheric Sparkle by Keiko Kimura

Atmospheric Sparkle by Keiko Kimura at 2024 yokohama quilt festivalDetails of Atmospheric Sparkle by Keiko Kimura at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

SECOND PLACE: Surrounded by Flowers by Michie Nii

Blooming Cheerfully by Yuriko Arioka at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of Surrounded by Flowers by Michie Nii at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

THIRD PLACE: Bugaku Ranyo-o, Dance at Dawn by Setsuko Itoga

Bugaku Ranyo-o, Dance at Dawn by Setsuko Itoga at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of Bugaku Ranyo-o, Dance at Dawn by Setsuko Itoga at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

EXCEPTIONAL QUILTS
The Festival includes some show stoppers. Here’s a medley of quilts that caught my eye.

BELOW: I Feel Like a London Girl by Yukiko Maruhama

I Feel Like a London Girl by Yukiko Maruhama at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of I Feel Like a London Girl by Yukiko Maruhama at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Blooming Cheerfully by Yuriko Arioka

Blooming Cheerfully by Yuriko Arioka at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of Blooming Cheerfully by Yuriko Arioka at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Victorian Log Cabin by Michiko Sonobe

Victorian Log Cabin by Michiko Sonobe at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of Victorian Log Cabin by Michiko Sonobe at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Roses Bloomed by Etsuko Ishitobi

Quilt by Etsuko Ishitobi at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of quilt by Etsuko Ishitobi at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Garden by Hiromi Yokota

Garden by Hiromi Yokota at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of Garden by Hiromi Yokota at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Blue Diamond by Lee EunA

Blue Diamond by Lee EunA at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of Blue Diamond by Lee EunA at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Creation by Chizuru Yajima

Quilt by Chizuru Yajima at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of quilt by Chizuru Yajima at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Surrounded by the Scent of Roses by Teruko Ono

Quilt by Teruko Ono at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of quilt by Teruko Ono at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

QUILTCON
I appreciated seeing a selection of quilts from QuiltCon as I was leading a tour in Japan during this year’s gathering.

QuiltCon quilts at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

BELOW: Left Turn by Barbara Danzi

Left Turn by Barbara Danzi at 2024 Yokohama Quilt FestivalDetail of Left Turn by Barbara Danzi at 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

I have split my 2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival report into two.

PART TWO
The second part includes: dimensional quilts from Taiwan, textile collages by English stitcher Anne Kelly, a meet-up with the Japan Contemporary Quilt Association, Miniatures, and a salute to Shizuko Kuroha. +see here

2024 Yokohama Quilt Festival

2025 Festival
Here are the details for next year’s Festival:
THU November 13 to SUN November 15, 2025
Pacifico Yokohama, Hall D
Yokohama Japan

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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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