Talk and Workshop with Shipton Quilters

Yesterday I taught a workshop for Shipton Quilters, near Cheltenham, based on two blocks from 'Japanese Taupe Quilt Blocks', with my new talk 'My Japanese Quilt Inspirations' the evening before. This is the first time I've taught a workshop based on the taupes book and it was the group's suggestion. It worked so well, I'm going to add it to my workshop list - just got to decide on a title first.

In the morning, we made a patchwork block and, in the afternoon, an applique block. I chose a variation on the igeta (well-curb) motif, komochi kume igeta (grouped well-curb whirlpool), for the patchwork block and mitsu kasane jigami (three layered fan papers) for the applique. The patchwork block is a good introduction to the part-sewn seam technique I use to make a lot of my blocks (and frequently use for the woven effect sashing effect on sampler quilts) and the fan papers are a way of introducing needle turn applique, with a layered motif but without too many pieces. It is also a block which is achievable in an afternoon.


More patchwork blocks - the one at the bottom left is Irori, a block from 'Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match' which also features in 'Japanese Quilt Inspirations'. It uses the same part-sewn seam technique as the other blocks, but is an easier option (although several quilters made this as a companion to their first block!)


There was also the option to work on a different block, for those who were up for the challenge or were already into needleturn applique.


I rarely have any photos from my talks, but asked my host Sue if she would take a few pictures for me, as some of these quilts haven't been seen on my blog before. 'Yume de mita - Chokai-san to Shonai no heiya' (Seen in a dream - Mt Chokai and the Shonai Plain) is my second quilt (not counting the unquilted patchwork coverlet made second). It is the first of my kimono quilts.


This is another Mt Chokai quilt, started around 2001, but I included it to prove that I do have plenty of UFOs (UnFinished Objects) too. The 'grid' is not quilting - it's the tacking stitches! I must finish this quilt sometime soon. The sheer amount of hitomezashi sashiko I planned for it seemed daunting at the time (there are only a few rows stitched across the rice fields!) but now I've done 'The Denman Kannon', this doesn't seem such a big project. The 'Delectable Mountains' blocks across the bottom represent Dewa Sanzan, the three mountains of Dewa, the other holy mountains surrounding Shonai. The view of Mt Chokai is, of course, from Yuza-machi.


'Butterfly Dance', winner of the Kona Bay Challenge 2009, is a slightly more complicated piece but returning to the kimono theme.


I need help holding up the larger quilts but the smaller ones, like 'Zen - Garden from the tea house', aren't a problem.


The Kamon Sampler from 'Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match' uses the woven effect sashing I mentioned earlier, most effective done with either an ombre shaded fabric or a stripe.