Handmade Quilts from Japan (2)

Quilts that are entirely handmade are rare these days. We marvel at the technical excellence, precision, and patience it must have taken to create these works of art! All were made in Japan by groups of friends, turning hard work into companionship and fun.

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Quilt Village by Kimi Sakamaki with five friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan).  

Quilts are hanging everywhere in this tiny village! Made entirely by hand piecing, hand applique, and hand quilting, it was designed by Kathy Nakajima. Teensy quilts even hang on the clothsline, shown below:

 Regarding the quilt's name, the makers say: "If there is a village where people who love quilts live, we would name it Quilt Village. What kind of scenery would that village have? We created this work while talking about these thoughts."

 

Olive Groves in Italy by Sachiko Miyagawa with 12 friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

Made entirely with hand piecing, hand applique, and hand quilting, this quilt too was designed by Kathy Nakajima. The pieced pattern is known as Burgoyne Surrounded, which has a long tradition in American history dating back centuries, uses tiny squares to create a pixelated effects. 

The extensive applique work softens the geometric pattern. Olive Groves in Italy was made by friends who have been growing together for a long time, with olives that bring happiness.

Spring Milky Way by Mutsuko Shindo with 6 friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan) 

The Winding Ways quilt pattern is beautifully overlaid with applique. The star of the show is the appliqued mimosa which sways in the gentle breeze of a spring day.  For the base, we used pieced work with beautifully coordinated colors.  The quilting was carefully hand-stitched to express the softness of the entire piece. We enjoyed the hand quilting (and fun fabrics) which you can see in this closeup photo:

 Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.

 

Handmade Quilts from Japan

Quilts that are entirely handmade are so rare these days. As you can see, Japanese quilters excel at hand applique, piecing, and quilting!  We marvel at the technical excellence, precision, and patience it must have taken to create these works of art.

p.s. Check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on designer jewelry and collectibles!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please follow us on X (Twitter)!    

Peacock by Naomi Ootomo (Toda-shi, Saitama, Japan)

Notice the gorgeous colors, the appliqued peacock feathers in the upper and lower borders of this quilt, and the pieced blocks resembling tail feathers! Hand piecing, applique, and quilting, and trapunto were used to create this original design.  

Naomi Ootomo says, "I can't forget the beauty of a peacock feather I saw at my grandfather's house as a child.  I loved the color of the peacock's feathers. This quilt was created with the image of a peacock spreading its wings.  The quilting designs were also created with the image of its feathers.  While I was making this quilt, beautiful colored fabrics made me happy." 

In the Quiet Forest by Setsuko Sofue and 6 friends (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

 Such a calming effect is achieved by the soft colors and the echo quilting of In the Quiet Forest. This beautiful piece is entirely hand appliqued and hand quilted over an ombre background.

The design, by Kathy Nakajima, was carried out by Setsuko Sofue with 6 friends.  The quilt was inspired by a plumeria tree growing wild in the forest, with the petals quietly drifting away. 

The Shimmering Blue Rose by Yachiyo Katsuno (Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

This original design quilt also was made entirely by hand (!) including the piecing, applique, and quilting.  Yachiyo says, "It has been over 20 years since I created the piece titled Sunshine Rose Garden. I spent about three years re-creating a quilt inspired by that original image, and now it is finally complete."  Imagine hand piecing all those spiky points!

 The shades of blue in the patchwork and the colors of the appliqued roses harmonize beautifully, just as she had envisioned.  "I would be so happy if many people could see and enjoy this work."  YES, Yachiyo: We and thousands of others admired your stunning work of art.

Image credits: Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2025 Houston International Quilt Festival.

 

Quilts of the The Animal Kingdom

Here's a tribute to some of the wondrous forms of our animal friends who share the earth with us. We're always amazed by the beautiful and various ways that quilt artists are able to use fabric to capture the species of the animal kingdom !

p.s. check out our E-Bay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and vintage jewelry!
For continuous free quilt patterns, please visit us on Twitter.  

Melman - The Vulnerable Giraffe by Jane Haworth (California)

Jane writes, "After watching a documentary about giraffes by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), I realized that giraffes are on the Vulnerable list, and their numbers are falling.  I want to bring awareness of their current plight, and I will donate half of the sale of this quilt to the GCF."

Close-up,  Melman

Jane's technique for this quilt is raw-edge collage applique, and her materials are upholstery fabrics, damask, burlap, commercial cottons, hand-dyes, batiks, linen, cotton batting, and cotton thread. Her design source was Pixabay, where all images are copyright-free. We think that Jane did an excellent job at capturing Melman's face and beautiful markings.

When The Aspens Turn by Cindy Seitz-Krug

Close-up,  When The Aspens Turn

Cindy notes, "Every September, my husband and I spend most of the month in the state of Colorado. We usually arrive early,  the aspens are still green, and the bulls are quiet - not bugling yet. But, when the aspens start to turn yellow, the rut kicks in, and the bulls get pretty vocal. It's a magical time to be in the Rocky Mountains !"

Cindy's techniques include fused applique, thread painting, and machine quilting. She's done a lovely job of making the aspen leaves really "pop" against the autumn sky which we imagine to be swirling with clouds.

Llama Drama by Barb Neiwert (Idaho)

Barb exclaims, "I'm a firm believer that quilts should be fun ! And, what is more fun than not one, but two posing llamas? I love everything about this quilt, from picking out the fabric to piecing it, and finally quilting it."  (This is the Lloyd and Lola quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman)

Close-up  Llama Drama

Barb continues, "The free-motion squarish swirls add a playful touch. And as the final touch, the binding displays the same colors as the llamas' serapes. Llamas just want to have fun!"  Barb's choice of teal, aqua, and burgundy really enhance this delightful quilt.

Old Timer by Suzan Engler (Texas)

Susan quotes American activist Maggie Kuhn as saying, "[Old age] is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kind of vicissitudes, and disappointments, trials, and excesses."  For her impressive and meaningful portrayal of this wizened old-timer, Susan used digital and professional fabric printing and digital manipulation of the photo, on digitally printed cotton. Her design source was a photo from Graphicstock/Storyblocks, with purchased commercial reproduction rights.

The Bonds by Takashi Kusaka and 7 Friends (Japan)

Takashi notes, "This quilt is made through two different techniques: crazy quilt for the elephant and reverse applique for the zebra."

Close-up, The Bonds

We admire Takashi and friends' use of stunning colors, with soft pastels in the background, enhancing the vibrant, high-contrast hues of the foreground.  This technique for this work is all hand-applique.


Image Credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival (Melman, The Bonds, Old Timer); the 2016 Arizona Quilters Society QuiltWeek (Phoenix); and the 2017 5Bee Quilters' Guild show (Idaho).

Highlights of the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival - part 4

The Houston International Quilt Festival is an awe-inspiring event, with more than 1,600 quilts on display, and over 60,000 visitors!! It's hard to describe the scale and visual impact of this event. Here are more highlights of this fantastic show.

Note: We've listed lots of lovely items at very low prices at Quilt Inspiration's E-Bay store !

Sawyer by Gail E. Thomas (British Columbia, Canada)

Gail Thomas says, "Grandchildren are glorious gifts... I hand-painted [Sawyer's] portrait and the stenciled border on cotton batik fabric. Free-motion quilting and hand embroidery add a bit of depth. I used antique buttons on the jeans to bring the quilt to life."

Cum et Iris by Sandra Ruano Navarro (Madrid, Spain)

The Latin phrase "cum et iris" translates to "when a rainbow." This dramatic, original design uses a combination of geometric forms and optical effects to simulate the swirling motion of a twister, with rainbow color flashes, as seen through a window. The quilting extends the swirled lines to the very edge of the quilt. Machine applique was used to create the swirls.

Lichen by Betty Busby (New Mexico, USA)

Betty Busby says, "I was inspired by the endless variety of lichen a tough little family of plants that can grow even on bare rocks in the desert." Inspired by macro-scale images, she created Lichen with machine applique, fusing, and painting, using silk and non-woven materials.

Victorian Jungle by Barbara McCraw (Texas, USA)

This beautiful quilt won the Ina Stentiford Memorial Floral Quilt award. It was hand appliqued, embroidered and embellished, machine quilted, and hand beaded.

Barbara McCraw says, “My favorite old movies always showed women draped in beautiful fabrics, gathered, ruched and pleated. Fabric covered the walls, and urns were filled with opulent flowers and feathers. I used that inspiration to design my quilt and then used animal prints and African batiks to create the flowers.”

Gossiping Ducks and Hungry Tiger by Linda Anderson (Texas, USA)

This dramatic, photo-inspired quilt was entered in the Painted Surface category. Linda Anderson says, "I saw a Tang Dynasty percussion performance on a trip to China. These three men wear the clothing of that period. The background reflects the title, referring to conversations between “gossiping” ducks, while the large drum speaks of the hungry tiger waiting for his meal." This piece was machine appliqued and painted using cotton fabrics.

Pua Haka (Anthurium flower) by Misa Murofushi and friends (Tokyo, Japan)

The anthurium is also called “pua haka” in the Hawaiian language. This quilt was entirely hand pieced and hand appliqued by Misa Murofushi and friends.  The block design is by Kathy Nakajima,  who has authored many Hawaiian quilt books. You can see another Kathy Nakajima-inspired quilt on our 2015 post, Hawaiian quilts by Japanese Masters.

The dark applique shapes really stand out on the bright floral blocks, pieced from floral and Kaffe Fassett fabrics, making the flowers and baskets appear to be lit from behind.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration.

Hawaiian quilts by Japanese masters

We admire Hawaiian quilts with their symmetrical designs that bring to mind the tropical flowers of the islands. Hawaii is 3,850 miles from Japan, and the Japanese people have a long history of living in and traveling to the Hawaiian islands.  The famous Japanese quilt designer, Kathy Nakajima, was born on the island of Maui.  She designed several of these quilts, which are all painstakingly hand appliqued and hand quilted by Japanese artists.

Tiare Tiare Moorea E by Yachiyo Katsuno (Setagaya, Tokyo Japan)

 Japanese quilters excel in carrying out the large-scale applique work of Hawaiian designs. Yachiyo Katsuno says, “As soon as I saw this fabric, the bell rang in my head as Tahiti! Tiare! Moorea Island!!! Tiare Tahiti is a kind of gardenia that graces the hair of the lovely Tahitian women."

This original design quilt was hand appliqued and hand quilted. The hand-dyed ombre fabric gives the quilt a lovely soft appearance, with the appliqued design blending into the background and enhanced by echo quilting.

Remembering the Island of Hawaii by Fumiyo Sano (Gotemba, Shizouka, Japan)

This lovely quilt reminds us of a fern grotto.  Fumiyo Sano says, "Fern shapes are so interesting that I used one of them to make this quilt as a gift to the future generations." The design is by Kathy Nakajima. This lovely quilt was hand appliqued and quilted with echo quilting.

Lokelani by Mikiko Sakurada (Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan)

Mikiko Sakurada says, "The rose was introduced into Hawaii long ago by immigrants. The rose blooms beautifully at any time, no matter where it is grown." This beautiful and unique design is also by Kathy Nakajima.   The gorgeous center design is embellished with an extra layer of appliqued roses in slightly different shades of rose pink,  as shown below.

A Bumper Crop of Mangoes by Akiko Sato (Takasaki, Gunma, Japan

The mango fruit is revered in many cultures as a symbol of attainment.  This quilt has special meaning for Akiko Sato, who says, "I made a wish that my son would have a successful life, as represented by the branches heavily laden with mangoes." Akiko hand appliqued and quilted this design by Kathy Nakajima. Akiko's precise echo quilting can be seen in the closeup photo below.

Queen Emma's Flower Vase by Toshiko Kurihara (Suginami, Tokyo, Japan)

Toshiko Kurihara says, "This traditional Hawaiian quilt is simple, but I enjoyed seeing the motifs clearly coming to life." We think that this quilt is anything but simple! See the intricate Anthurium and Ginger (Alpinia purpurata) shapes in the closeup photo below, and the perforated cutouts in the vase.  The design is by Kathy Nakajima.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.  For more inspiration and photos, see our 2010 post on Hawaiian Quilts.