Shibori Workshop with Carol Anne Grotrian

Last Saturday I attended a day-long shibori indigo dyeing workshop taught by indigo master Carol Anne Grotrian at the New England Quilt Museum.  Wow, what a productive and inspiring day, exhausting in that great way when you are learning and absorbing so much with ten or so fellow students and one organized, excellent teacher.  The whole experience was such a treat!


Indigo stew!

Carol Anne taught us the artful and efficient method of creating shibori using "arashi" - pole wrapping:

Into the vats go the poles with the fabric wound and scrunched:

Another method using folded fabric and clamps of various sizes:

Resting in between dips in the indigo vats:

This would end up creating that fan-like pattern in the first photo:

To finish off, we unfolded our pieces and boiled them in a soapy bath for about 15 minutes.

Then, voila:

So interesting how the indigo is green in the water, and for a few moments while the fabric is still wet.  It all turns to blue soon enough:

What a great learning experience!

Once my pieces dried at home, I pinned them up (with now indigo hued clothespins!) to survey my results:

This reminds me of a city street in the nighttime after a rain:

Pole wrapping created these:

How cool is this?  I can see cutting out folk arty animal shapes from this:

I love this fan - wish I'd dipped it once more for a deeper indigo:

I have definitely fallen under indigo's spell - and am thinking of the ways I might use fabric with looser weave to create my own indigo dyed pieces for sashiko.  I see an indigo vat in my future...

Linking up here with the Slow Blogger's Linky at Knotted Cotton.  It's a manageable rewarding linky!

Quilts Japan 2012 at NEQM - part two

Here are a few more quilts from the show at NEQM - it's there til mid April - if you are local, be sure to see it!  There are many more, and they are all so interesting and special.

First, Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii (what a title!).  A reminder that many of these quilts must have been created around the time of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  

Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

 The indigo and white combination - so classic:

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

 Even in a classic two color quilt, bits of other color are used to great effect:

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

Another beautiful border here:

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita: 

Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita

I know I have seen this quilt in person before.  It is famous, I believe.  The blocks are simple; the placement is genius.

Quilted (or perhaps, as the description implies, embroidered before sandwiching) in bright concentric circles, with sashiko-style stitches:

detail from Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita

detail from Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita

And on the other end of the emotional spectrum, Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito: 

Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito

Vintage indigo:

detail from Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito

I just love these varied light indigo pieces, and the organic sashiko stitches:

detail from Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito

As I mentioned earlier, the competition is open internationally.  Here's a quilt from the USA (imagine landing in Lowell MA, via Japan!).  It is At the Circus by Marianne Burr - just stunning!  

At the Circus by Marianne Burr

detail from At the Circus by Marianne Burr

 Beautiful stitching, glowy silks.

detail from At the Circus by Marianne Burr

detail from At the Circus by Marianne Burr

Lastly a stunning example of beauty, balance, attention to detail using vintage fabrics.   Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi:

Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

Notice the reverse applique:

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

That's it from me, a little Japan fix in the middle of winter!  It's a small show, but so worth seeing.  There are many more that I did not photograph.  I may go see it again before it closes April 12. 

Quilts Japan 2012 at NEQM - part one

Yesterday my friend Alyson and I ventured to Lowell to see the New England Quilt Museum's exhibit of quilts from the 2012 Quilts Japan competition.

detail from Streamline by Yoko Komatsuno 

What a treat to see a beautiful and varied selection without crowds, and with information in English.  Taking photos was A-OK too.

Here are a few, starting with Streamline by Yoko Komatsuno:

Streamline by Yoko Komatsuno 

detail from Streamline by Yoko Komatsuno

This one  - Forever More - House - Forever More by Sashiko Nishiyama -  knocked my socks off and I can't believe I neglected to get a photo of the whole quilt.  Scrappy at its very best, and the details were amazing: 

detail from Forever More - House - Forever More by Sashiko Nishiyama 

 Look at this exquisite binding:

detail from Forever More - House - Forever More by Sashiko Nishiyama 

detail from Forever More - House - Forever More by Sashiko Nishiyama 

detail from Forever More - House - Forever More by Sashiko Nishiyama

Here's a superb example of a Japanese "taupe" quilt - The World of Flying Geese by Yoko Suzuki:  

The closer you get, the more color and detail you see. The borders were just stunning!

 I can't even imagine the levels of patience and precision necessary for making this quilt.

The competition is open internationally.  Here is a shimmering, beautiful piece from an Italian quilter:  

Tile Lines by Teresa Gai 

detail from Tile Lines by Teresa Gai 

And this one from Switzerland: 

Vibrato by Marianne Haeni 

detail from Vibrato by Marianne Haeni 

detail from Vibrato by Marianne Haeni 

At first I glossed over this next one, because the color scheme isn't my favorite really.  But... upon closer look, wowsa, what a masterful quilt, all hand pieced, appliqued, and quilted, just beautiful. Surrounded by Lily Bouquets by Mitsuko Kazama:

Surrounded by Lily Bouquets by Mitsuko Kazama

detail from Surrounded by Lily Bouquets by Mitsuko Kazama

detail from Surrounded by Lily Bouquets by Mitsuko Kazama

I have photos of a few more to share in my next post... 

For now I am enjoying the last night of a week's worth of no one asking me "what's for dinner?" ... but I am ready for "the boys" to get home!  They have been in Japan for the week - David for business mostly, and Tommy to see friends, visit his old school, explore his old haunts, etc.  

Back here on the ranch, there's been this outside: 

And this inside: 

Soooo ready for spring!