Japanese crafts in Wales

Back in Brymbo over the weekend, we went to Ruthin Craft Centre on Saturday to see the current exhibition, Japanese Style: Sustaining Design. I was mainly interested in Reiko Sudo's textiles for Nuno Corporation and the Hale Collection of Tohoku Ceramics. I'm not involved professionally, although there is a sashiko workshop weekend as part of the exhibition programme. Michelle Griffiths was teaching shibori while we were there, but her workshops were for last weekend only. I'm hoping to be working on something special with Michelle very soon...

Read about Reiko Sudo's textiles here and Nuno's fabrics here. While Nuno fabrics push the boundaries and innovate with high tech approaches, some of the techniques are achievable for smaller scale makers, such as rust dyeing ('Scrapyard'), needle felting (kasane (layers) fabric)and ribbon stitching (paper roll fabric). The textures and effects are amazing. The fabric lengths were about 4 metres long and displayed like long stoles or shawls, draped over clothes hangers suspended in the centre of the gallery. There are handling samples and brief explanations for every technique. Kibiso, woven from the hard outer part of the silk coccoon, was one of my favourites while Glyn was very interested in the metal mesh weaves.

The Hale Collection includes pieces from Hirashimizu, near Yamagata City. I have visited kilns Hirashimizu and taken part in classes there as well. The clay body is very gritty and textured, and their glazes are just gorgeous. The creamy speckled tea pot and cups in this link are all Hirashimizu. I have some wine cups with the same glaze (must go to Hirashimizu next time I'm in Japan). The wood fired kilns are built up the sides of the valley.

The next gallery features work for sale from the Kagure group and ceramics by Takahiro Kondo and Shinsuke Iwami.

Lots to see and there's a nice souvenir catalogue for the first two exhibitions, and a free textile catalogue featuring the naturally dyed fabrics from the Kagure exhibition - dyed with indigo, persimmon and benibana safflower.

Work in Progress

I started this quilt a long time ago. The central Split Nine Patch section was made for Wrexham Quilting Circle's first exhibition challenge - does anyone know which year that was? I think it may have been 2001, because some of those plain fabrics made their way into my Hoffman Challenge entry that year - although that could mean that I made this top first, in 2000.

It's too nice not to finish, and was already layered, tacked and partly quilted. The wadding is Hobbs Polydown in grey, which hasn't been made since about 2005 (a shame, because it was more useful than the black version). I'm quilting it with Stef Francis medium mercerised cottons and still have enough of those to finish it. My target now is to get it done for the National Quilt Championships in June. It would make a nice quilt pattern too.

Bev's Japanese Circles and Squares

Bev Anderson attended the workshop with Region 11 in near Louth in Lincolnshire last October. I like the border she's added very much - it frames the quilt really nicely and gives weight to the design, plus of course it makes the finished 36 x 42in a bit more of a useful size for a throw. The crossed corners remind me a bit of the border I used on my 'Chinese Pavilions' version of this quilt. Aren't the extra circle details in the corners a nice touch?

Bev writes -

Heres a photo of my finished quilt, colours on the photo arent brilliant, it is actually a bit brighter but you get the idea.


This is a photo I took of Bev's blocks in the workshop, so you'll get a better impression of the lovely warm colours she used.

Hmm, that gave me an idea - I've edited the colours in the photo below. Hopefully it gives a better impression of the quilt? The fabrics were very rich. There were several quilts made in that workshop which reflected the autumn colours outside. Perhaps there are seasonal trends colour trends in workshop fabric choices! Thanks very much for the photos Bev!

Pink, Green and Brown Checkerboard quilt

Ferret mentioned yesterday that my quilt is currently on the frame. She's freehand longarm quilting it with a central design inspired by wrought iron swirls in browns, then leaves and flowers in pinks and greens, followed by more brown thread towards the edges and corners. Can't wait to see it. I'm entering it for the National Quilt Championships 'In the Pink' charity challenge at Sandown Park in June. EDIT - I forgot to menion that the fabric range was 'Sultry' (by BasicGrey) for Moda.


The quilt was inspired by one in the V & A's collection, and I made a scaled down 'replica' version of that first, which will be hand quilted (sometime!) -


The main theme category is 'Garden Party' and it would almost have fitted that too, although I have another quilt that I might finish for that - one I started for Wrexham Quilting Circles first theme challenge, 'Split Nine Patch'. That will tell my WQC friends that it's a quilt that's been on the go for a long time. I tacked it and started quilting it a long time ago and it's a quilt that always ends up on the back burner. We got it out of my UFO pile a couple of months ago and I decided it really should be finished asap, as I still really like it. Lots of shaded greens and, surprisingly for me, plains - I don't use a lot of flat colours in my quilts, but these shade from turqouise into purples. I'll have to find my stash of Steph Francis threads to finish this one.

Anna's Japanese Quilt Blocks and Taupes sampler quilt

Anna Kirk sent me some photos of the fabulous sampler quilt she is making from blocks in 'Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match' and 'Japanese Taupe Quilt Blocks'. Isn't it just stunning?

Anna writes -

I have been a quilter for many years and made all kinds of fun quilts. However, I never made one for mine and my husband's own bed because our bed is king size. I always thought it would be a daunting task to make one that huge until now. Instead of a quilt made from hard work this one was a labor of true love. Even though it took me over 6 months just to complete the top, I have enjoyed every moment and making every square.


Attached are a couple of photos so you can see how beautiful mine turned out. Next are a couple of pillows and a pillow cover. I plan to have it professionally quilted.


I used cotton and Japanese fabrics along with silks. Threads were cotton and silk (mostly silk). Embroidery thread was DMC, metallics and Cotton Perle., I plan to use a few buttons for centers of a few of the floral squares and Swarovski crystal beads on the 2 snowflake squares once the top has been quilted.


I want to enter this in a few local quilt shows and hope it will win a couple of ribbons.

Thank you for writing your books!


Aren't the sashiko details great on the flags?

I think this must be one of the biggest sampler quilts I've ever seen made with my blocks and it was obviously quite a task to get all those blocks done. But the end result is worth it. There's no less than 64 blocks in the quilt alone. I hope the longarming is up to the standard of Anna's patchwork and applique. This is a quilt that really needs bespoke longarming to compliment the beauty of the patchwork. The colours are lovely too, with those golden yellows and russet reds keeping the blocks lively. When I see reader quilts like this, I want to have the time to revisit the blocks in both those books and make myself a quilt or two in an alternative colourway (I'd like to do a green and brown sampler quilt featuring blocks from those books, perhaps with touches of other colours - with olives, chartreuse and limes among those greens).

If it doesn't win some ribbons or rosettes at quilt shows, I'd be surprised! I hope Anna can send me a photo of it hanging at a show, and maybe some extra block photos, as I'd love to see the effect of it hanging square so I could see the blocks at the top end of the quilt just as well as those at the bottom.

Time and Time Again quilt update

Daphne Ford sent me some photos of her Time and Time Again quilt from the workshops at The Royal, Bridlington, in February. There were several quilts being made from this Jelly Roll -'Meadow Friends (Boy)' by Deb Strain for Moda - and the prints, many with shared solid backgrounds (which 'read' as one in the same column) worked very well for the design. It doesn't only work in batiks!

Daphne wrote -

I thoroughly enjoyed my three days with you at the Royal Hotel learning new skills. I have completed my Time and Time again, but as you will see from the attached photos, I have altered it. I stitched it with the strips at the bottom, but did not like it so I took the bottom strips off and put them along the sides. I also added two extra columns so I now have a beautiful 55" square quilt. Having completed the Spinning Squares I only have the Super Strips to get to grips with. I think I could not get my head round it on Thursday as I was so tired, but I will get there. I ordered your Compendium of Quilting Techniques online so I am looking forward to finding out how to finish everything off.

Thank you so much for your help and inspiration.


Daphne's adaptation of the original top and bottom border layout is interesting and similar to some of the versions made in Melbourne earlier this year. Daphne's first version of the quilt is shown above and her finished version at the start of this blogpost. This design certainly lends itself to rearranging as a shorter, wider quilt, or even a proper square as here. I'm planning to complete my next workshop samples with similar borders to these.

Thanks very much for the photos!

Japanese Taupe Quilt Blocks eye candy

When I saw Liz Dukes at the Edinburgh Spring Quilt Festival in February, she mentioned that her class have been making the shoulder bag project from my 'Japanese Taupe Quilt Blocks' book. The bag can use any of the blocks in the book, so every one will be unique. She sent me these super photos showing finished bags and blocks in progress. Sorry it has taken me a while to catch up on my blog postings, but I hope the ladies in the class enjoy seeing their work up here.


Liz wrote -

As promised, here are some photos from our class project.

This is from the Patchwork class at Carrickvale Community Centre in Edinburgh. I am their tutor.

Most of the blocks are not sewn yet so more progress next week. Also some want to make the bag larger than given in the instructions but we should cope with that.

The ladies found it exciting that I was sending photos to you.



Some of the class are making wall hangings, so I hope to be able to show pics of those soon as well. Lovely work and I look forward to seeing more!

Spinning Squares workshop updates

Charlotte Cogbill sent me some photos of quilts and the bags she made at the workshops we had at The Royal, Bridlington back in February 2012. Spinning Squares is at the top.

Charlotte wrote -

Many thanks for another excellent series of workshops at Bridlington.

I have spent the last couple of days finishing off the second bag and completing the quilt tops - this took longer than anticipated, as having completed all the blocks for 'Time and Again', I decided that the fabric in the centre of each block was too dominating so I removed every central square and basically re-made all the blocks! (That will teach me to be in such a rush!)


(This is 'Time and Time Again' as Charlotte made it in the workshop. I think the remade version - above - does look better, but I don't think I'd have had the patience to remake all the blocks myself!)




I am hopefully attaching photos of work from this workshop along with a photo of the second Sahiko quilt that I made following the previous workshop.
None of the tops are quilted yet but that is the next long term project!

I'm hoping to be able to come to your next workshops in Bridlington later this year.


I'll look forward to having Charlotte on my next course and seeing more of her lovely work. She has a great eye for colour and I enjoy seeing my designs through her interpretations very much (note the extra details added to the two bottom corner kamon crests in her quilt below).

Spinning Squares with Village Quilters, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough

Last Friday, Village Quilters started their Spinning Squares blocks. Lots of lovely fabric combinations, including black and white; black, white and bright green; Quilt Gate Japanese metallics; taupes; pinks and browns; calm blues; and Christmas fabrics (I think you need to start anything for Christmas about now!)



This friendly group aren't just good at getting started with new projects, they are also good finishers and I've already seen a lot of completed quilts from our previous Super Strips workshop. Here's another one. Don't your think the dark borders set off the paler blues nicely? The bold contrast frames the quilt top in a new and interesting way.


One of the quilters brought her version of my long workbag from '21 Terrific Patchwork Bags'. She kept the seaside theme simple but a bit more colourful than the original bag and I love her rope tie detail - it adds a very nautical touch!