Tokyo International Quilt Festival 2018 - Part 1

Leaping Hearts by Shizuko Kuroha

Last week was one of those weeks that I will never forget. Attending the Tokyo International Quilt Festival had been a bucket list item for a number of years and I could hardly believe that I was actually there! It is one of the largest quilt shows in the world and showcases 300+ prize winning works from Japan and aboard. The venue - Tokyo Dome - is incredible and the sheer size of the quilt show and market area initially feels overwhelming; attending for just one day is great but it really requires two days to feel like you haven't missed anything. 

It is a seven day show and I spent two whole days there - Friday and Monday and yes, it was crowded but I was always able to move away to an area less crowded. I wandered the aisles at my leisure, looked at quilts and special exhibitions, did some fabric shopping, and wandered some more. The best time of the day was the first hour (between 9.30 am and 10.30) and then again between 4pm and 6pm when the crowd eased off. Taking photos of whole quilts was near impossible and required patience, but I am so glad I did and I am happy to be sharing photos of some of my favorite quilts with you today.

First Prize Quilt 

Tokyo Quilt Festival 眞田雅子＊ Masako Sanada

I didn't really take photos of quilts in their categories or of those in special exhibitions, instead I turned my camera to the quilts that drew in my eye. The workmanship was truly beyond words. Many of the quilts were pieced and quilted entirely by hand; the fabric, thread, and color play was mesmerizing. [There were several special exhibitions including an exhibition celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Lousia May Alcott's Little Women, as well as the World of Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar)].

Talking to Flowers by 山口智恵子＊Chieko Yamaguchi

All the quilts were all labelled in Japanese and I have relied on Google Translate to translate quilt titles and the names of the makers. The labels sometimes included the quilt inspiration, but rarely the technique/s used to make the quilt. It seems my eye was often drawn to the quilts with hexagons ....

Milky Way by Nakano - Encouragement Award

Click on any image for a larger view.

Rolling Hexagons 

Everyone by Yoshiko Fujita

This large asterisks/hexagon quilt was my favorite! I stared at it for ages, returned to it frequently to study the colors, the individual fabrics, the stitches, the finished quilt edge and the unique corners. Unfortunately the Japanese text on the label would not translate and sadly I don't have a quilt title or maker to share with you.

This unique quilt was simply labelled "Tile". 

It was stunning! Incredible piecing (note the tiny red triangles)

 and the hand quilting was inspiring.

Cherry Blossoms in the Moonlight by Sachiko Yoshida

(note the use of beautifully textured fabrics)

It was a whirlwind trip, 5 days, 20 hours in a plane, and a temperature change from a sweltering 40C  in Melbourne to the daily average of around 3C in Tokyo (there was snow on the ground!), but so worth it. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. 

Next up more photos of quilts and of course a few fabric purchases. How could I not.

Thank you for stopping by,

Rita

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