Tuesday 24 January 2017

The 16th Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2017 (Just Adding a Little)

In my second report from the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2017 I want to add a bit more about Yoko Saito's Swedish house, and just a little about the Partnership quilts.

Yoko Saito's Swedish House
Do you remember this picture from my last report?
Well, look through the open door and there is a bed...
on the bed there is a quilt,
let's zoom in

and go a bit closer

Look at the women dressed in local folk costumes. They are all holding candles in their outstretched hands.
This motif is taken from a very popular wooden  candlestick.

Then by the door there is a wooden Dalecarlian horse.
(You might remember the cushion I made in 2014 where I added such a horse)

Now did you notice such a Dalecarlian horse on Yoko Saito's tea cosy I showed in the last post?
Here is a close up for you:

In the house Yoko Saito also had a 1960s living room:


 Here there is a quilt on the wall and on the floor a hooked rug.
Have you ever seen a quilt show where the organizers have had a garden made with live flowers, had a carpenter build a house, then filled said house with authentic furniture, china, baskets and wooden ornaments shipped from Sweden? Just to display a set of quilts and rugs?
Could you ask for a better setting?


Partnership Quilts
This is the 14th time I have taken part in this charity event, by sending in a small block on the specific theme of the year. (You can see the other blocks in my tab NHK at the top of this blog.)
For 2017 the theme was Gardening, or rather Falling in Love with Garden, and I contributed with this block of a Japanese bonsai (a pruned miniature tree in a pot):
My friends Tanya and Julie have written excellent reports about the 63 quilts compiled this year. DO read them, it's a MUST!

May I just add a few interesting blocks.
 Hydrangeas made from kimono silk.

 Mt Fuji and a Japanese garden.

 A cat made from a sock with a pot of 'cat sallad'; fur ball medicine!

A lucky Mola garden bird harvesting a four clover.

Julie (of My Quilt Diary) also includes a bird in every block she enters. This Ohio cardinal is sowing a seed.

The Hexagon Queen, and dear friend, Pamela, (of Hokkaido Kudasai) with her yellow hexy flowers.

Tanya (of By Taniwa) is so shy she only shows her red gardening boots! By chance her block has been placed near things related to her life:  an active dog,  a set of garden furniture, hydrangeas near her home, and strawberries (THE fruit of her prefecture)... I really wonder WHO guides the placement of the blocks???

I hope you are enjoying the show as much as we all did!

13 comments:

Beatrice said...

Thank you very much, Queenie. If that's OK, I'd like to share a link to your posts on a French quilters forum. Let me know if you don't want me to.

margaret said...

how lovely to see more about the house what a beauty and amazed that the organisers displayed the qts in such a wonderful way certainly no expense spared. Loving the quilts so that so mnay contributed too thank you for sharing so many of the little blocks they are all lovely.

Stitching Lady said...

It is absolutely stunning to see the Swedish hous. I thought at first glance it was a doll's house and couldn't imgine how elaborate the quilt on the bed could have been made, so small. But I know now that it is a fantastic scenery built up by the organisers. How wonderful. How beautiful the tea room with Yoko Saito's teacosy - a beautiful piece. Nice to see the partnership quiltblocks and Julie with her's and Taniwa's little happy quilt.

Queeniepatch said...

Hi Beatrice,
Thank you for asking and I have sent you an email.

Queeniepatch said...

NHK must spend a fortune on the displays. There was also a collection of antique quilts from the University of Nebraska (no photos allowed) and they had build the entrance to that exhibition area like a 'real' museum with pillars and elegant flowers.
Going round and looking at the fantastic ideas and creativity in the small blocks is a great part of visiting the show.

Queeniepatch said...

No the house is real in size, we could move in straight away, but alas no heating, no water, no loo...
you can spend a whole day looking at the various small blocks in the partnership quilts and get lots of ideas.

carorose said...

it is fantastic to look at. What were the crowds like this year?

chitra said...

excellent work. very inspiring too!

crazyQstitcher said...

So much to see here today. The house for exhibiting is perfect. I'd thought it a converted garden shed but it must be larger than that. I had noticed the Dalecarlian horse on the window cill but not the cosy. Today I noticed the wonderful lampshade above.
I can't grow bonsai - yours is great.
Thanks again for sharing with those who can't see the actual show.

Queeniepatch said...

They were not too bad on the days of my visits, but of course there were A LOT of people. If you have the time to stay until near closing time you have a better photo opportunity, and can do some stress free shopping, too, should you be so inclined!

Queeniepatch said...

Seeing others' work is always a great way to get inspiration, learn technique and compare one's own skill!

Queeniepatch said...

Oh, no converted garden shed in Tokyo Dome! They build from scratch these fantastic scenes for the quilts. There are several Dalecarlian horses, of wood and metal and of course fabric. The blue ones in the living room are probably made by my friend Åsa Wettre's brother!!!
It takes ages to master the skill of growing bonsai, but you can buy 'ready' plants of course and then 'only' need to care for them! My family used to have several but as no one any longer can care for them, I had to make mine 'out of my head' - no live pot to 'sketch'!

Pamela said...

My favorite of the partnership quilts was the one your block is in!