Quilt by Patricia Belyea
56" x 56"
The towering heads of sunflowers turn to meet the sun, making them a symbol of spiritual attainment in Japan. Also an emblem of good fortune, sunflowers are often given to someone working towards a goal or as a house-warming gift to welcome new opportunities.
My idea was to make the sunflower yukata cotton the superstar in this quilt design, with all the other fabrics as supporting actors. The palette is simple—red, yellow, indigo, and white—with red as the dominant color and yellow as the Unexpected Visitor. For quilting, I hand-stitched a gigantic mandala with orange perle cotton to mimic the floret spiral in the middle of sunflowers.
Good Fortune was featured in Patricia’s book, East-Meets-West Quilts, on the cover and inside as a project with instructions. Made with vintage yukata cottons, sourced in Japan by Patricia, plus contemporary solids.
The quilt, signed with Patricia’s applique´signature, comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a custom linen bag. Shipping and insurance are free to a domestic US address.
Patricia founded Okan Arts—a family business that imports vintage Japanese textiles. Inspired by these found fabrics, Patricia incorporates hand-dyed yukata cottons into her quilt designs. An award-winning quilter, Patricia’s quilts have been exhibited at quilt museums across the country.