Cherry Blossom and Maple Leaves

The Oriental Fabrics Competition at Chilford was for a quilt of minimum 24" square and maximum 84" square and include at least 60% Oriental fabrics.  Such a wide brief led to a variety of quilts but I was surprised with how few there were on display.  Here they are:

Secret Rendezvous 

by Elisabeth Green of Worcestershire. 

I took a couple of close up pictures to show the detail of all the applique blossoms and leaves and those wonderful koi.

Kimono

by Christine Davey of Norfolk

This quilt included both hand and machine quilting and I liked the fabrics Christine chose to use.

Madam Butterfly

by Megan Bradfield of Carmarthenshire

This lovely quilt was an "idea" for eighteen months so none of us need to give up on those projects on our to do list.  Megan combined hand applique and quilting in her design which was inspired by books by Suzanne Marshall and Kumiko Sudo.

The Last Samurai

by Susan Briscoe of North Wales

A strong combination of Oriental prints with a Japanese craft panel depicting Samurai armour and quotations from 'The Art of War'.  The design was inspired by narrow Boys' Day banners and the blossoms and leaves contrast with the armour to show the fragility of the warrior's life.  You can read more about the making of this quilt on Susan's blog (at the end of the post).

Geisha Dreams

by Margaret Brett, Kent

This calming quilt is the result of many hours of fussy cutting,  hand applique and hand quilting to create a fantasy maple tree bearing cherry blossom.  Again I took a close up to show the detail.

Of course I had to have a little retail therapy after admiring all the quilts and being inspired.
Euro Japan Links just happened to have a stand at the exhibition and this is what tempted me:

This gorgeous length of fabric.  I bought 2m and am planning ...

A couple of half metre pieces of Japanese cotton fabric that I haven't got in my stash.  Those are hares on the indigo piece.

These folded flowers are going to be appearing everywhere when I get the hang of them.  I bought two as I was thinking "Secret Santa", I wonder who would appreciate them the most?
That wasn't too extravagant was it?  I feel one has to make the most of these opportunities (and there were one or two other purchases on the day which I have put on Online Quilting.)

Treasures of Yamagata

I have been to the Autumn Quilt Show at Chilford, Cambridgeshire, today and particularly enjoyed two collections of quilts on display.  First, the Treasures of Yamagata and secondly, the Oriental Fabric Competition entries on the theme of Cherry Blossom and Maple Leaves.  Today I'll share the Treasures of Yamagata, the notes come from the exhibition labels.

Treasures of Yamagata was a collection of quilts created by the Peaceful Heart Quilt Group in Yamagata Prefecture in north-east Japan.  They were set a challenge by Susan Briscoe who also provided three challenge fabrics.  All the quilts illustrate the natural beauty of the area where the quilters live.  It is a major rice producing region with both coast and mountains to inspire.

Sankyo Soko (Rice Warehouses) by Sato Seiko.

I love the cranes, individually appliqued, flying along the river.

Sennen Noki (A Thousand Year Old Tree) by Sakuraba Aiko

This ancient tree stands on Mount Chokai, the fifth highest mountain in Japan.

HaguroZan (Haguro Mountain) by Domon Reiko

I love the movement the three-dimensional applique cherry blossom gives to this quilt.  2446 stone steps lead to the top of this mountain, passing shrines, this waterfall and other holy sites.

Map of Yamagata by Ishikawa Keiko

I had seen this quilt in magazines but didn't realise until seeing it today, in the flesh as it were, that the pieces making up the map are all created with sashiko stitches.  This style is Yuza sashiko on the traditional very dark indigo blue background.  Here's a close-up:

Isn't it wonderful?

Yamadera (Mountain Temple) by Domon Koto

This quilt also included Yuza sashiko, on the paths and the mountain peaks.

Shonai Obako (Shonai Maiden) by Ikeda Chie

The maiden is dressed using the actual fabrics of the working clothes of farmer's wives.  The face mask (hankotanna) and the hand covers (tebukuro) protect the skin from the harsh weather and maintain the beauty of the maiden.  This quilt also included Yuza sashiko:

Later this week I'll post my photographs of the Oriental Fabric competition entries.