Sashiko Sampler border auditions

The sashiko sampler all tacked up on the wall... ready to audition borders... 

The pieced blocks were taken from Susan Briscoe's Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match, as were all but four of the sashiko designs.  I loved making this quilt.  I used several pieces of vintage katazome indigo in it.  And "mixing and matching" designs was indeed a lot of fun. 

So - borders.    Probably not this stripe....

Probably not this gorgeous brilliant blue indigo...

I do like how using the same dark indigo used throughout will make the blocks "float":

With that decided.... all that's left is to measure, cut, measure and cut... and sew on these borders... but I can think of 100 ways to productively procrastinate;)... 

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!

More sashiko

Tachibana - orange blossom 

Oh how I enjoy stitching sashiko.... sitting by the fire, while watching TV... in dentist waiting rooms... at book group...

This way I'm slowly working on my sashiko sampler...

I wish the beautiful indigo showed better in these photos.  Perhaps it's time to upgrade to a "real" camera?  I'm using my old iphone - I love the convenience.

Mitsu Ichou three gingko leaves 

 Some of these patterns are from Susan Briscoe's book Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match.  Others I got from my sashiko teacher in Tokyo.

Here is one of my favorites, Tortoiseshell (looks like flowery hexies to me!). You can see where I mistakenly extended the pattern when I was tracing it.  Those lines will wash right out.  I may redo the block - the stitches aren't as uniform as I'd like.  But then again..... when it is pieced into a whole quilt... it won't really matter... and I'm not a perfectionist.

Tsu no kikko - tortoise shell

 I will alternate these blocks with pieced blocks like this:

Little by little.... I love working with this indigo!

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.