I originally hadn’t planned on going to the show this year. I KNOW, don’t hate me, but I much prefer the Yokohama quilt show – nowhere near as big a crowds, but still the same level of inspiring quilts! And thus more space to enjoy them fully. And as I’m headed to QuiltCon next month anyway, it felt a little silly to spend $50+ on transport, food, ticket, etc when I could just save the for shopping… But then my husband essentially ordered me to go. He said it’s an International Quilt Show right near us, with no flights necessary, and there’s only one more after this one before we go. Well, ok then! I’ll admit that I still only spent less than 90 minutes on the floor (not THAT many quilts, so many people!) but it was still pretty inspiring. You can see all my photos on Flickr, but here’s some of my favourites. For those who follow me on Instagram (@blossomheartquilts), you’ll have seen snippets of these ones already, but now you can see the whole thing!
One of the very first quilts I saw was this pretty quilt. The colours were what attracted me first, as they’re unique for a Japanese quilt. I took a photo and then realised that I recognised that stamp print…
Yep. Cotton and Steel at the Tokyo Quilt Show! That just about made my day right there, go girls!!
This quilt was a huge hit on Instagram, and I totally get why. It rendered me speechless! Such amazing piecing, and those colours!! Reminded me a lot of Horizon by Kate Spain, actually. I mean… wow.
When I’m walking the floor at these shows, I’ll often see a quilt that reminds me of a quilty friend, and this one brought Jess and Janice to mind – both have a way with piecing and fabric placement to bring out different shapes in the quilt.
Finally, this Ohio Star quilt… Now, I LOVE star quilt blocks. They’re my absolute favouritest design to play with, whether machine or foundation pieced. Except the Ohio Star block. I don’t know why, but it’s just one star block that I just can’t connect with. Until I saw this quilt. Yet again more of that fabric placement play, and beautifully so. Plus the colours and contrast… yum!
Other Highlights
I made my way through the quilts towards the Juki stand to drool over the machines. I then noticed that there was a foreigner presenting (we foreigners stand out noticeably in the sea of black hair!) – Victoria Findlay Wolfe! She had just finished a mini class and was just about to give a quick talk about her quilting journey, her quilting and her book. So I hung around and listened and enjoyed checking our her work.
One of the main special exhibits was about Laura Ingalls Wilder – her handcrafts, quilts from that era, and 3 special displays by modern Japanese quilters in the style of those days. There was a quilt-covered wagon…
A log cabin decked out in full quilted-glory by Yoko Saito…
And my favourite, the Oleson Mercantile display by Suzuko Koseki. From the little details like bundles of fabric on the shelves.
To the fabric candy on the counter.
And the tiny, tiny piecing minis on the wall.
Or, you know, it could have been spotting Koseki-san herself right in front of her booth (!!!!!!!).
You can find a lot more photos in my Flickr album!
If you’re coming to Japan yourself to one of these shows, be sure to check out my fabric shopping in Tokyo posts, including some language tips to help you order that fabric.
Previous quilt show posts:
Mary says
Your husband is a smart man! Sew glad you went. Seeing Victoria is a bonus. Took a class with her last year. Really fun. Thanks for the pictures. The Tokyo show is on my bucket list for sure.
Carla says
Don’t tell your husband that I think he was right to make you go. They get big heads when they hear that, right?
Barb N says
I looked through all your photos on Flickr, and felt like I was at the show with you. Some amazing quilts! Glad you got the chance to go.
Kathleen says
Love the pictures, especially the covered wagon and the cabin.
Wendy says
I loved those Little House on the Prairie books when I was growing up. I’ve even considered reading them again now they were so good. It looks like it was a great show. The Japanese people put so much detail into everything they do. I’m sure the quilts were gorgeous.
Mary says
Thanks for the pictures. I’ve been looking through your Flickr photos and am really appreciating them. That covered wagon is pretty amazing. I’d love to be able to climb in, the cabin, too. lol I can never be satisfied with just looking…..I want to touch!
DeborahGun says
sounds like a wonderful time – I love your pick of favourite quilts!