Japanese Quilting Piece by Piece: Yoko Saito in English

It is unusual that I am this excited about a book.  I have been waiting for this one in my heart for perhaps more than 10 years. 

Was it worth the wait?  What do you think.

What:  "Japanese Quilting Piece by Piece"

By:  Yoko Saito (my favorite!)

ISBN:  978-1-59668-858-2 published by Interweave press. 


Juicy Details:  This book consists of 29 projects.  Methods used are mostly hand piecing and hand applique although you could at times find a machine handy for some of the bag construction.

I have not seen this book published in Japanese, rather it seems like a collection of 'greatest hits' from some of her Japanese publications.  I like the selection that was chosen.

Many are bags, some are small wall quilts.  There is also an apron, and some smaller items like sewing kits and thread holders.

On the back cover there is mention that she has an exhibit called the Yoko Saito Quilt Exhibition at the Matsuya department store in Ginza.  AAAhhh!!!  How did I not visit this when I was in Tokyo recently!!!   This is on my short list for next time.

It would take a long time to start at the beginning of this book and make all the projects in it.  I am thinking a couple of the bags would be a good place to start. 

Fold out patterns are monster huge.  Some of the designs need to be enlarged by 200%.



How to get it:  I just ordered it online

Ok, end of my book report.  I'll leave you with this:  It's Yoko Saito, it's in English, it's beautiful, inspirational, and your collection of quilt books probably won't be complete without it.




In other news:
I picked up some vintage Libbey Frosted Gold Leaf Glasses on Etsy:  cheap thrill, makes you feel either like you're in the Mad Men TV show, or that you're a kid again if you're old like me.

I've also had enough of my ear buds getting tangled up.  If I can muster the energy, I may knit some eye cord around them as show on Wonderfully Awkward.

Thinking of knitting some supertiny vampire bat toys.  Gosh only a couple more days before Halloween.

Blocking a knit dress for my tiny-niece.  Photos of it as soon as it's dry!  You'll have to let me know if it came out as cute as the one made by Posey Gets Cozy.

Reflections on Japan: through the eyes of a quilter

I have said many good things about Japan already, and of course encourage you to visit there.

A few parting thoughts from my trip there before I turn my eye back to the projects at hand (hand quilting the baby quilt!!), and the current creative irons I have in the fire here in the California bay area....

Japanese Candy: web link

Very close to the famous knife shop Aritsugu (in Nishiki Market, Kyoto), there is a candy shop that sells all sorts of amazing hard sugar candies.  They have the most delicate flavor on earth and are a real treat.  I am not sure what the name of the shop is since all their signs were in Japanese only.  

The flavor is ever so slightly cherry and maybe vanilla too.  Anyhow, if you figure out how to get more of these over the mail, I'd love some.  It's probably likely I'll have to go back and find more on my next trip.  Their sticks are so tiny!  It feels almost civilized to eat one in public as an adult.

Yuzawaya in Kichijoji:

I had been to Yuzawaya here about five years ago, and although the train station is the same, the physical location of the store has been changed.

I didn't realize that initially and I was wandering around inside of the shop wondering if I was it a different, smaller version of the store I had been to before.

I would say it is still worth a visit, but it is closer to the U.S. version of JoAnn's fabrics, vs. a shop dedicated to quilting.  

They had some very unique items though, so certainly worth a look around.

I liked the 'made for Japan only' Liberty of London fabrics with Hello Kitty motifs.  They were so adorable and happy, I got a couple of very small cuts of them.

I also liked the 'tie-dye' looking fabrics meant for Hawaiian quilting.  I have always wanted to play around with those, so I got enough to make two or three blocks.

The Red Thread blog has a great post on how to get to their new location.

Tokyo Tree:  I tried to get tickets in advance so that we could check it out, but it was sold out for many months.  This is on my list of places to visit next time.

 

Quilt Shopping in Tokyo: Quilt Party - Yoko Saito's Shop

Quilt Party is perhaps my favorite shopping stop of the trip.  This should not surprise you if you read my blog regularly, since I'm perhaps Yoko Saito's biggest fan.

Getting there is something like a 40 min train ride from Shinjuku station with a very short walk from where the train stops, only really a block or so.

There is a small sign in front of the shop that will guide you inside.  It looks like this:

It was a big thrill for me to finally see a Yoko Saito quilt in person.  I have seen this quilt in photos many times before but standing in front of it was so much more moving than I was expecting.

The ladies who work at the shop were extremely helpful and although their English was not completely fluent, they were excited that I was visiting there and they put 110% of their efforts into helping me and communicating with me.  It was very special.  I told them I felt like it was my birthday or something because visiting the shop was such a long-time dream of mine.

I was not there to pick up a lot of fabric, but I could not resist a few small pieces.  They have a big area of small cuts where pieces are slightly less than fat quarters in size, but they are arranged by color, and a lot of them I have never seen in the U.S. for sale. 

There was one very small item that caught my eye for several reasons.

It was a coin purse:

I could not figure out how you could cross stitch on top of quilt fabric.  The shop manager introduced me to some plastic cross stitch mesh that you lay over any quilting fabric, make your stitches, and then remove later with tweezers.  Brilliant!  This stuff allows you to basically cross stitch a small motif or an initial pretty much anywhere.  I used to love cross stitch, and doing a small bit of it to personalize something sounded like a lot of fun to me.

Here's a view of the inside.  There is a zipper that goes all the way around, and there are plastic 'button' pieces inside both of the clamshells.  I got supplies to make a couple.  

I have been collecting books of Yoko Saito's student works for years and was still missing several of them.  I found the ones I was missing while I was here, so that was a big treat.

You can see the latest released book third from the right in the book stacks on the shelf below:

More on the works of Yoko Saito in previous posts I have done here (including info on her books).  

If you end up in Tokyo, it won't be a waste of your time to visit her shop, that's for sure!

Contact info here.  

Address:  272-0034 Active Ichikawa 2F, 1-23-2 Ichikawa, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture

Walking directions from Ichikawa Station in comments on Quincy's Big Adventure blog post here.

Quilt Shopping in Tokyo: Blue and White

If you are in Tokyo, and you love textiles or quilting, you probably already have Blue and White on your short list of places to visit.  This is the first time I have been to this magical place, and I was over the moon for it.  

By the end of this post you might be green (or blue?) with envy that you weren't there with me.

The shop has been around for ages, and there is even a book about Japan and these colors written by owner Amy Katoh called Blue and White Japan.  It is located in the Roppongi area of Tokyo, official web site here includes address and hours.

I was inspired by several design elements found in the garments and bags for sale.  
 
My favorite technique was the running stitch in thick thread, sashiko weight, mostly using either white or indigo dyed hues.   

Below is the sleeve of a jacket that was completely covered in this stitch.  The designer used the thread to make 3D cone shapes coming out of the garment.  It was just incredible.

Here is a full view:  Amazing, right?

You can see this stitch in handles of bags and a vest in the photo below.  I loved the blue bag here.  Inside of it the lining was made of antique kimono fabric.  I have never seen handles like this for sale (natural twig, split in half with holes drilled for fabric handles).  I would love to make a bag like this:

Pockets were also embellished this way (below):

Just looking in the window is a beautiful sight:

 

I hesitate to put this last photo in of me standing in the middle of the shop complete with hairdo courtesy of 90% humidity and 85 degrees F, but still having a ball anyhow:

Blue and White is on the radar for my next trip.  It might be a while, so in the meantime, post some photos if you end up stopping by there!

Kyoto Flea Market: Chionji Temple

Once a month, there is a flea market bazaar at the University of Kyoto, Chionji Temple.

You can find information on it here and here.

Wouldn't you know that I was there on the day that it was happening (15th of every month).  Lucky us that my DH discovered this gem.  

There are all sorts of goodies there that are hand made by local artists.  It is a craft extravaganza really.  My biggest issue was that most of the items for sale are tough to travel with.  

Some of the ceramics were incredible, but didn't look like I could make it home easily with them.  

My favorite storefront was Conasyuu & Ribbon where small sewing items along with decorative pin toppers were sold.  Soooo super cute!  "Kawaii" in Japanese.  Below:

There were hand spun yarn balls.  They all looked like single ply yarns, so I didn't pick up any but they were beautiful and the proprietor was spinning yarn there in the booth.  Below:

I could not visualize a way to fit one of these adorable chairs into my luggage, so I didn't purchase one, but there are many teddy bears in my home that would shed a tear over this.  Below:

After we left Kyoto, we took a bullet train to Tokyo and the rest of our adventure was there.  Many super cool quilty hang outs there as well.  I'll cover those in an upcoming post.  As I depart from the topic of Kyoto, all can really say is - how soon do I get to go back?

A parting snapshot my husband took of me in the gardens on Heian Shrine, Kyoto.  I think this was my favorite spot on the trip.

Quilt Shopping in Kyoto: Pins and Needles at Misuyabari

Misuyabari is the kind of tiny shop that you want to live in, if you're me.  It was a big highlight of my trip to Kyoto and I was thrilled to be there in person.  

The owner mentioned to me that he has a web site, but that they don't ship their products outside of Japan.  I told him I knew that already, and that is why I was standing in his store.  It was well worth the trip.

 It is not the easiest place to find, but I have some additional photos to guide you there if you like, let me know.  There is also a great post on the Just Hungry blog that will help you get there probably better than I could.  I cannot help but throw a few extra photos in for you of the shop, so enjoy.

The shop itself has existed since the time of the royal court, and has been making needles for over 350 years.  They don't sell any fabrics but specialize in needles, tools like thread clippers, and sewing boxes.   

Some of the tools they carry below:

The sewing boxes they sell are hand made and the lids only go on in one orientation.  There is a small mark on the side of both the top and bottom to help you get them back on.  They are made of kiri wood and although it feels a bit like balsa wood, it is a different wood.  The boxes close super tightly in order to keep air out and prevent rust on the needles.  

The pin cushions that come in the mini sewing boxes are stuffed with wool not cotton.  It feels really nice to put your needle in.  My days of making cotton-filled pin cushions are over!

Their selection of needles below:  each one is made by hand and has a circular shaped eye so you can thread it very easily.  If you explain what sort of sewing you want to do, they will guide you in finding the right needle.  I got the shortest quilting needles they had for hand quilting and hand piecing.  They also carry needles for sashiko and applique.

The small decorative pin toppers they have are basically worth the trip there just to see.  Each is hand made, unique, and they have a small magnifying glass you can use to take a better look.  Incredible.  Choosing which ones to purchase will be a good challenge for you.

They also offer fabric-covered thread holders and thread clipper keepers in all colors.  Again, how to choose?

You can tell I had fun at this shop and want to return someday.  I promise to photograph the sewing box I got in an upcoming post.  I am currently using it for my next applique house block!

Quilt Shopping in Kyoto: Aizenkobo

On my recent trip to Japan I visited Kyoto for the first time.

I have always wanted to go there, and was not disappointed once I finally arrived.

We stayed at the Three Sister's Inn Annex which is a traditional Japanese Inn where you sleep on futon-like mats on the floor.  Our toilet had a place above the tank where you could wash your hands in the water as it was filling the tank for the toilet.  Efficiency!  We could not have found a better place to stay and already we are wondering how soon we can stay there again.  Highly recommend this Inn if you are in Kyoto and want to stay where the staff speaks good English.

There were many highlights in Kyoto that had nothing to do with quilting, but my favorite shop for fabric there was an easy choice:

Aizenkobo!

What:  Aizenkobo - traditional indigo dye workshop.  For sale are fabrics, indigo dyed garments, threads, and household goods


Where:  Nakasuji Omiya-nishi, Kamikyo-ku,
Kyoto 602-8449, Japan
Tel. 81(0) 785 441 0533

When:  Open weekdays 10am - 5:30 pm, (please telephone first for Saturday and Sunday visits), note I did not try to visit on a weekend.


How to get there:  We took a bus line from the Three Sister's Inn, and walked from the bus stop.  They have a really nice map on their web site.


Shopping:  I was after fabric by the yard, of course, to use in quilting projects. 

A lot of the fabric they have is available for sale by the entire bolt only, for the purpose of making a kimono.  

They will allow you to purchase yardage from a limited number of fabric bolts they have.  Minimum cut is 50cm and fabric is not very wide (14" or so).

The fabrics are something you'll have to save up for since they are around $85 USD / yd.  I got a couple of half yard pieces, because I could not resist their beauty.

I found their fabrics to be the highest quality indigo dyed fabrics that I have ever run into and cannot wait to do something special with them.

They also had some hand dyed indigo sashiko thread, so I picked up some of that.  It was pretty affordable.

If you go there, it is slightly cheaper if you can pay in cash (Japanese Yen of course).

A couple of other posts out there have more about the owners, history of the shop and the indigo dye process itself.  Read more here and here.   


A photo of the inside of the shop below as well as a snapshot of the outside along with the beautiful owner who allowed us to photograph her and was a very helpful and warm shop owner/hostess.

When in Kyoto, add Aizenkobo to your short list of places to stop.

 

Simons thimbles

Simons has been making thimbles since the 1800's or earlier? Not sure of the history of this amazing company.

Anyhow, this is an antique thimble that I scored off ebay (yes, I'm an addict, no I don't plan to stop using ebay).

Their thimbles are the most beautiful I have come across. Perhaps you have some recommendations of others, but personally I think, their simplicity and craftmanship take the cake.

It looks like they even have a rimmed quilter which is my favorite style of thimble. How pretty, in sterling silver. Mmmm...

On a different note, I also ran into this pretty comprehensive guide of shopping in Japan. I appreciated the effort the author put into it, and thought others might enjoy reading it.

Quilt shopping in Japan

This is a photo of the "small cuts" section in Yuzawaya. This is my MOST favorite place to shop. It's in Tokyo, in the Kichijoji stop. 7 floors of crafty bliss.

2 floors have pretty much only quilting stuff. 1 floor has small cuts, which are very small pieces, smaller than fat quarters, but each piece is marked with its size and priced according. Heaven to scrapy quilters. The other floor requires you to get at least a 1 meter cut of all the fabrics, but I had no problem doing that either. If you have their frequent buyer card, and pay in cash, they give you 10% off. If you're in the station looking for it, follow the signs of a red little knitting ram, that is shown at the link above, and you'll find it.

The other place I stopped was Cottonfield. This is more pricey, but has a better selection or a more funky smaller selection I guess I should say. It's cute, and much much smaller but I found some very nice fabrics there also.

Some kind soul make this map of the area, and both of these shops are listed here. It's old, but these 2 are still in existance. Don't get too excited about the Yama quilt house listed here, it's not in business anymore, so don't look for it.

As for books, don't forget to visit Kinokuniya book shop in Shinjuku station - selection is dangerously amazing.

This other shop - Blue and White - which is owned by Amy Katoh, an American, is somewhere on my list of places to stop next time, but I haven't been there yet. If you have...let me know what you think!

Happy shopping, and LEAVE A LOT OF ROOM IN YOUR BAGS FOR FABRIC!!!!!