First photos from Japan - Quilt Week Yokohama

Quilt Week Yokohama was just a day and a half for me, as I headed up to Yamagata city on the Friday, to visit friends there.  I managed to pack in a LOT! Yuza Sashiko Guild had a large exhibition and teaching space at the back of the Pacifico Yokohama hall (G8).

The approach to the hall - 

 

The competition quilt displays and some of the invited exhibitions were rather different from the Festival of Quilts.  Exhibits, at least the larger quilts, were lit individually.  There were chain link barriers keeping visitors away from the quilts, so quilts couldn't be accidentally knocked or touched.  The most interesting feature was the strong colours used for the different gallery walls.  This helped give a sense of location within the show but, because of the individual quilt lighting, the colours didn't overpower the quilts.

 

 

 

The big winners were in individually lit bays, which showed off each quilt beautifully. Needless to say, it was very difficult to get close enough for a photo of these!

The hall was almost as large as the NEC halls for Festival of Quilts.  The aisles between the traders seemed wider and, because the trading area wasn't divided up with shell units, it felt less claustrophobic than FoQ.  This is the view from G8.

These giant quilts are hung each year over the entrance point to the hall.

 

The woman in pink is one of the quilt angels for the show.  All of them wore really bright pink jackets, so they were easy to spot.  On the morning of the first day, they were having an introductory talk as we went in.

 

Yuza Sashiko Guild have produced some amazing new work, really showing how the traditional sashiko patterns from the town can be used to amazing effect.  We will have some of these quilts on display at the Loch Lomond Quilt Show in May, and Reiko Domon and other group members are planning to come over to Scotland.

 

 

This new quilt by Reiko is fantastic - very detailed patchwork and the sashiko designs in circles.

 

We had a lot of visitors from other countries, mainly Australia, taking part in the 'make and take' sessions.

 

It was great to meet some of my Australian friends there, including Jane MacDonald from Be Be Bold (below) , and Lisa Walton, who brought a big group of Australian quilters on the second day.

 

Yokohama has a fabulous modern city, but little pockets of nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings and other features remain, like the Nippon Maru ship (now a museum).  The general impression is very futuristic.  The moving walkway was on the way to the station.

 

After the first day - a well earned dinner and drinks!  The show is open from 10a.m. to 6p.m., so it is a long day for everyone.