I’m writing this while sitting in a Tokyo hotel, but I have so much more to tell you about this trip. Since leaving Tokyo Dome I took a train up to Takayama, another train down to Osaka, flew to Hirosaki in Aomori prefecture, then back to Tokyo again. Three weeks on the road and I’m almost ready to head back to California.

For the first two days of the Quilt Festival I kept my hands busy demonstrating the kit I designed for Tulip Co. and didn’t really get out of the booth much except during lunch breaks. I had a lot of fun working with the kits, as I’d only worked on design prototypes before the show.

The designs are based on traditional American quilt blocks from the 19th century and each kit includes fabric, thread, and a needle, which makes them a nice gift or starter set for yourself. We’re working on the English instructions right now and the kits will be available in the US as soon as they are ready.

Back to the quilts…

This was one of the first to catch my eye. From a distance the geometry is amazing. Up close it’s a statement. Papaver Fauriei by Chiyo Hosokawa.

Seasonal Transition by Etsuko Misaka. Vintage indigo katazome cottons layered in shades of blue and white.

You might recognize this beauty by Kumiko Nakayama-Geraets from the 2017 Quilt Festival poster.

I got a closer look at it, but not too close. There was something of a crowd…

This was another beauty on a larger scale. All wholecloth trapunto.

We see a lot of these fine lines in modern quilts, and they make a fabulous effect. But wait, are those lines hand stitched?

Oh yes, they are.

I can’t even.

And then there were these three. I’m such a sucker for anything indigo.

See the dragonflies on the left side? Those are from yukata fabric, in case you were wondering what to do with those pieces you’ve been saving for a special project. There’s a lot of dark yukata cotton in this one, used to great effect.

The other two winners show a great deal of complexity in their designs, and plenty of motion.

More to come. I’ve got a flight to catch soon, homeward bound.

Part 1 – click here