Quilt by Patricia Belyea
48" x 67"
Off the beaten path, you can encounter many strange attractions in Japan. How about a Parasite Museum, an island inhabited by cats, a town with more life-size dolls than residents, and a nightclub made totally of ice?
The Genji wheel and pine needle yukata cottons are woven with a micro grid of indigo and gray threads, and then hand-dyed with the patterns. I could not resist these fabrics for Hidden Wonders! Keeping the quilt design simple, I added two colors of skinny inserted stripes and a bold floral yukata cotton. The quilt sandwich is secured with stitching-in-the ditch along the seams and minimal hand-stitching around the colorful florals.
A spin-off quilt, Pine Needles (24” x 36”) was made with the same fabrics and blue inserted stripes. Pine Needles is included with Hidden Wonders.
Hidden Wonders and Pine Needles were featured in Patricia’s book, East-Meets-West Quilts, as projects with instructions. Made with vintage yukata cottons, sourced in Japan by Patricia, plus contemporary solids.
The quilts, signed with Patricia’s applique´signature, come 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.