Month: June 2024

Linen Luxuries

I went shopping and brought home some linen treasures.  They are all glorious to look at.  I can’t wait to stitch on them, piece with them, and maybe dip one in the dye pot.  The textures, the colors, the glorious weaves inspire me.  

Yesterday’s haul included four linen tea towels from India, a vintage French tea towel (the checked fabric in the photo), a white on white woven towel, and a pristine square linen tablecloth.

I can’t know all their stories.  But I can imagine…

Some have memories of India in those huge indigo vats where they dip linen to get this rich vibrant color.  These textiles are new.  Woven and dyed to sell to someone.  How many middle men shared in my money before I got them home? I don’t know, but I know I love all the hands that brought them to me.  And I can’t wait to stitch on them.

Those indigo tea towels were so gorgeous, I bought all four that the store had to offer. I hung three of them in the kitchen so that I can just enjoy their beauty before cutting and sewing with them…I might even use them as tea towels…

One has memories of France.  In whose kitchen did this towel do its work?  I can imagine it hanging on a wire hook against a stone wall in a kitchen with a brick floor and copper pots all about.  This is the kind of textile that inspires the French General collection of fabrics from Moda.  I’ve loved making things with those reproduction fabrics, but there’s nothing like the real thing to stir my soul.

I couldn’t resist pairing the “new to me” French towel with some other things already in my stash…awaiting the right companion.
This bit of wool applique (from a Maggie Bonanomi pattern) is waiting for more companions to make a new quilt…it’s coming together with this new acquisition.

And a woven textile of white on white – I’m not sure of its origin.  It has stains to show it’s been a worker, but the beauty of the weave caught my eye.  I might have been hesitant at the price until I saw the “S” monogram.  Yep, it came home with me.  This one might get a bath in a dye pot.  The stains would disappear, and the weave would become more pronounced.

I love imagining the places these fibers have been.  And I love imagining the possibilities of what they may become in my hands.  I’m not certain of those outcomes yet, but I do know that when I see them, or parts of them, I will remember a glorious day of strolling, shopping, browsing, antiquing, lunching, languishing over coffee with my soulmate.  There’s nothing more beautiful than that.

Is it a coincidence that the fabrics I bought yesterday are red, white, and blue?  I think so…but it’s certainly a good time to share them.  Another red/white/blue story is here…and some of the Moda French General fabrics are in the quilt here.  The blue and tan quilt in the background of some photos is described in more detail here.

Japanese Quilts

I’ve long been in awe of Japanese quilts and quiltmakers.  I’ve marveled at their precise execution of the tiniest detail in piecing and applique; having seen their work in magazines, at quilt shows and having friends who quilt.  

I own quite a few Japanese publications, and some Japanese fabric as well.  Part of my appreciation for some of the work I see comes from sewing with that woven Japanese fabric they use.  It is a delightful texture, but when it comes time to turn under a tiny edge for applique, it is sometimes tricky.   The success I see in the quilts with this fabric is all the more amazing considering the tiny scale of some pieces. 

My collection of Japanese quilt books.
No, I don’t read Japanese…but I follow graphics pretty well.

I recently went to see an exhibit of some quilts from the Quilt Japan show of 2019 that’s on tour in the U. S.  I wasn’t disappointed.  The Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum in Carrollton, Ga, has fifty quilts from this show on display.  I studied them all!  

I was expecting to see beautiful hand quilting using traditional American patchwork and applique patterns.  The Baltimore Album style of quilts is a favorite among Japanese prizewinners.  I did see this.  But, oh, so much more.  Details are in the captions of each photo.

Flower Spinning by Hana Tsumugu. This is a perfect example of what I expected to see….
This detail shows intricate appliqué, hand quilting and embroidery.
The gallery with a loom from an old cotton mill in Carrollton has several contemporary quilts.
Tomorrow by Sanae Munaraka. The detail in this is very intriguing…
I couldn’t help but wonder…did she plan to use hexagons to make the whale? Or did she just piece together a bunch of hexagons and triangles, then decide that would be good for the whale she needed?
La La La Scribbles was made by Hisako Yamamura whose five-year-old grandson Itsuki had just learned these alphanumeric characters. She loved the mirrored C’s, F’s, and J’s and collected more artwork from him to include in the quilt.
Sumiko Aoki’s Hydrangea, ever-changing was a fabulous example of a contemporary subject.
detail to savor….
Sky in the Dawn by Reiko Saito was an abstract piece that kept me coming back…
and here’s why…

The show is on display through June 22.  If you are a quilter, it’s worth your time to go see these beauties.  And there are some interesting restaurants and shops in Carrollton, too.

Here’s a quilt I made using the Japanese woven fabrics.  The story of this quilt is here.

My friend Toshi gave me some delicious fabrics a few years ago…I shared them here.

And if you type “japanese” in the search bar, you’ll find more evidence of my fascination with this culture and its quilting.

I have many more photos of these beauties…but if you are going to read this in time to visit the exhibit, I have to stop editing for now…Go! I’ll share more later.

Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum…open Tuesdays – Saturdays. This exhibit ends June 22. Their website: https://www.sqtmuseum.org.