"Treasures of Yamagata" quilts arrived for Quilts UK

Peaceful Heart Quilt Group from Yuza-machi, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, have sent their challenge quilts to be shown at Quilts UK, Malvern, in a couple of weeks. These will be in a separate section rather than with the main competitive quilts, as they aren't part of the competition. Some have been in the UK before - at Quiltfest (click the link to see them).

When I visited Yuza (the town where I used to teach) in 2006, I took challenge fabric bundles for all the quilters and set the theme of "Yamagata". You can see some of them as work in progress in this Youtube clip - there's a set of screeenshots and description here.

The fabrics included a Kona Bay gold print with cranes and pines, a tone on tone with a blue forest trees design and a semi-ombre fabric shading from purple to tuquoise in bands (made for a Quilters' Guild challenge). Here I am in Reiko Domon's studio in July 2006, on a very hot and humid evening, folding up the fabric packs (thanks to Mags Ramsay for the first two photos!) - I folded and ribboned the bundles once I'd arrived, so they wouldn't get squashed in my luggage.


Look out for the new quilts in the Yamagata set at Quilts UK, Malvern! All the show visitor details are available on the Grosvenor Shows website.

Messages from Japan

A message has been sent out from Quilts Tsushin magazine - re quilts for Japanese tsunami victims -

Naomi Ichikawa, editor of Patchwork Quilt Tsushin Magazine is asking for comfort quilts to be sent to Japan. She says:

It is still bad situation now in Japan.

We are still nervous about shaking and radiation,but no way to escape.

I start to announce to the quilters to send us comfort quilts for the

people who are suffered.I would like to do it to the world quilters.

We will deliver the comfort quilts to the people who are very difficult

situation.Could you please help to announce it to the quilters in your country?

We accept any size of quilts(baby to adult).new or unused.

The deadline would be the end of May or later.

★Send the quilts to:

（after the end of April）

Naomi Ichikawa

Patchwork Tsushin Co.,Ltd

2-21-2,Yushima,Bunkyo-ku,Tokyo,Japan zip:113-0034

I will appreciate if you help me.

Naomi

Right now we are hearing a lot of news reports about difficulties getting the basics to people in the affected areas, never mind handing out quilts. I also read this, posted on Facebook by June O. Underwood (I am sure she won't mind me posting it here) -

Francoise on the SAQA list said that she had just heard from Naomi to hold off unti "after the end of l Apri"l because there was too much confusion at the moment. I don't know Francoise personally but it seems a legit posting.

This sounds like a good idea to me. From the TV reports we are seeing here in Australia, with whole communities sheltering in school gyms, unable to wash properly for lack of water etc., flooding the offices of Quilts Tsushin with quilts that they are unable to send on for the moment is probably not a good idea.

If quilters want to help more immediately, perhaps having a quickly organised table sale at your group meeting and sending a donation will be the most effective way to help right now.

****

From the quilters in Yuza-machi, Yamagata-prefecture (the west of Yamagata prefecture has not been so badly affected by the quake as Sendai and the east coast) - two messages (from e mails). Reiko and Chie came to the UK in September.

From Reiko Domon, leader of Peaceful Heart Quilt Group -

Dear Susan
I am all right
YUZA-MACHI is all right, too
But it was a terrible earthquake.
It was hard only that electricity stopped.
It becomes hard when I think of a suffering person.
I worry about future in the future in Japan.

From Chie Ikeda, my sashiko teacher -

Thank you for being afraid of the earthquake and tsunami.
It was very much surprised at the earthquake on 11 by the shake of the place that it has never been experienced until now.

......There is still little damage in Shonai, and I am safe, too.
There was a blackout.
When the image of the stricken area on television is seen, it can't think of this under the very cruel conditions as for the actual thing.

There was a news report on the BBC a few days ago which included a piece by the current JET English teacher in Sagae-shi, Yamagata Prefecture (much closer to Sendai than Yuza-machi). Having been a JET teacher, I can empathise when she says 'My problem would be that if we were advised to leave I've got no way of getting to Tokyo or to the airport to leave as I don't have access to a car or petrol.'

Quiltfest - Japanese Quilts Update!

This beautiful wallhanging arrived today. It is called "Sennin no ki" (1000 year old tree) and is an original design by Aiko Sakuraba, a member of Peaceful Heart Quilt Group from Yuza-machi, Yamagata, Japan. The hand quilting is very subtle, with a simple cross hatching over the centre background (the cranes panel) contrasting with very densely quilted lines in the righthand section, which suggest the shapes of the mountains (mid blue section, second from top) rising out of a sea of mist. There is a beech forest on Mt Chokai where the hot spring rises and this is one of the ancient beech trees. It is one of seven quilts from the group that will be featured as part of Quiltfest (please click link for all the exhibtion info).

This quilt is one of the challenge quilts made on the theme of "Yamagata". Other quilts explore themes of traditional festivals like Yamagata City's Hanagasa Matsuri (flower hat festival), famous Yamagata products such as the delicious cherries, sites of historic interest such as the old Sankyo Rice Warehouses in Sakata, or features of the natural landscape including Mt Chokai (the fifth highest mountain in Japan) and the beautiful scenery of the coastal Shonai Plain. On my trip to Yuza in 2006, I took fabric bundles for all the quilters and set the challenge. Aiko's quilt shows these fabrics as whole pieces in the background to her marvellously textured tree (she used Japanese taupe woven quilt fabrics for the bark texture).

I'll have to make my quilt, although I still can't decide which aspects of Yamagata I'll feature! I will post photos of the other quilts soon - at the moment, they are with the other exhibits, waiting to be hung in the gallery. Do visit the exhibition if you have a chance! I'm going to be demonstrating sashiko every Tuesday and will be at Trading Day with my vintage Japanese fabrics for sale.

UPDATE - Reiko sent me a photo of her Yamagata quilt, showing the waterfall and steps at Mt Haguro, but I don't know if she is going to send it yet. I like the way she has linked the two images with the appliqued cherry blossom swirl.

The Japanese quilts at Sandown Park

 

Reiko Domon, leader of Peaceful Heart Quilt Group and one of the founders of Yuza Sashiko Guild, organised a special exhibit of quilts for the Grosvenor Quilt Shows this year.  So far, the quilts have been shown at Quilts UK (Malvern) and the National Quilt Championships (Sandown Park).  They will be shown at the Great Northern Quilt Show (Harrogate), the Scottish Quilt Championships (Edinburgh), the Kent Autumn Quilt Festival (Maidstone), and the Autumn Quilt Festival near Chilford (please note, there is a change of venue for this show).

I managed to get some good photos of the quilts on Sunday morning at Sandown Park - I'm told they were very popular during the show and it was difficult to get close!

The quilts were in two main groups - challenge quilts made by the members of Yuza Sashiko Guild who came to the Great Northern Quilt Show two years ago and some of Reiko's highly detailed wallhangings and other pieces.  All have virtuoso stitching with traditional Yuza sashiko stitch patterns, most in the traditional white thread on very dark indigo, while some of Reiko's quilts are more experimental, using hand dyed embroidery threads for different effects.

 

First, the 'Dream of Shonai' (Shonai no Yume) challenge.  I found some printed landscape panels at the Harrogate show two years ago, which reminded me of the landscape in Shonai, the district in Yamagata Prefecture where the quilters live.  There is one quilt (far left above) from the other challenge I set - 'Japanese Culture' (Nippon no Bunka) - which uses a Kona Bay panel with a gold print of the Kinkakuji (Golden Temple) in Kyoto. I need to get my challenge quilts made for when these go back to Japan.  These are all 50cm x 75cm (20in x 30in approx.)  Click on the photos to see the quilts larger size - click on each photo individually and select 'view' to see it even larger.

 

Reiko's quilts are stunning and much bigger.  'Goddess of the Spring' (top of this post) has a sashiko border similar to the style I used for the Denman Kannon, but Reiko uses more difficult stitch patterns ;-)  The shaded background was made with a Bali Batik Pop - I think she may  have bought it at Harrogate in 2010, as there were some lovely colourways on sale opposite our demo stand.

 

 

Her 'Genji Monogatari' (The Tale of Genji) quilt has been to the UK three times now.  It was made for an international quilt exhibition at the Shipley Gallery several years ago and it won second place in the theme category at Harrogate two years ago.  The fabrics include her mother's and grandmother's kimono, and the border is an antique maru obi sash.

  

More quilts by Reiko.  The first two show traditional dances - the Hanagasamai at Fukuro town in Yuza, danced at the beginning of May, and 'Fuji Musume' (Wisteria Girl), a classical Japanese dance.

  

This exquisite quilt features an Emperor and Empress -

  

Reiko also makes wearable art pieces using Yuza sashiko, like this waistcoat -

She has also made two gorgeous quilts with miniature sorihikihappi (sledge hauling waistcoats) as quilt blocks.  Each waistcoast showcases a different Yuza sashiko pattern.

 

The detail photo above shows the same pattern I was teaching in the one hour workshop at Sandown Park - gazashi (moth stitch) - although I made it easier for the students by only stitching one line of moths.  With repeated rows like Reiko has done, it requires a lot of practice to stitch it well.

The asanoha (hemp leaf) sashiko pattern added to the border makes it more interesting.  Here is the the first quilt as 'work in progress' in 2006.

 

It is behind Reiko in this photo -

  

I am so happy Reiko was able to send work over to these exhibitions this year, because she has also had a big exhibition to organise in Japan.

BTW, this is the first post where I have tried using the XL photo display.  What do you think? EDIT - I changed the photo display to L, because at XL, parts of the photos were missing i.e. the pictures were too wide.

Magic of Yuza Sashiko - screenshots & information

Some screenshots & explanations re the Yuza sashiko video follow, not necessarily in the order they appear in the video though (see previous post for video link).

0.29 - these patchworks made with Yuza sashiko samples are based on my "New Year's Eve in Yamagata City" quilt layout.


Stitching Yuza sashiko -


Yuza Sashiko school session at Reiko's studio -


View of Yuza town and Mt Chokai -


Reiko Domon, leader of Peaceful Heart Quilt Group, stitching at home -


Mid Showa era (mid C20th) sashiko workclothes -


Keiko Hori, Yuza sashiko expert and the person who taught me Kogin sashiko on my last visit -


Chie Ikeda, my first sashiko teacher -

It looks like Chie and Reiko are collaborating on this fantastic piece -


- using the same method to get an overview of the work in progress that we all know so well - standing on a chair! I can't wait to see this piece. Looking at the fabrics included, I think it is going to be one of the new Yamgata quilts that will be exhibited at Quilts UK this year.


Reiko has made several works combining stained glass applique with Yuza sashiko, including this one, inspired by a traditional kite painting.


A little clip from the "Magic of Sashiko" at the Festival of Quilts 2003 - some shots of quilters trying sashiko are included, so you might spot yourself!

This is one of the Yamagata quilts that are coming to the UK for the Grosvenor Quilt Shows this year - Reiko's depiction of the waterfall and steps at Mt Haguro.

Yamagata quilts at Quiltfest

As promised, here are the Yamagata quilts, at Quiltfest today. I'll add info about them tomorrow - just photos for now! Click the photos to see a bigger image.

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.