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Yoko Sugisawa with Eternal Garden                                       Hiromi Yokota with Wrapped in Tenderness

Quilts Bring Creative Opportunity and Comfort
by Lilo Bowman

Every fall, at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, I try to meet and interview as many of the lesser-known award-winning quilt artists as I can. In the past, however, I have been unsuccessful in catching up with the Japanese quilters, who seem to charm everyone--including the judges--with their amazing needlework skills.

As chance would have it, this year my mother and I arrived at the A World of Beauty Award Ceremony too late to sit in the center section as usual, so we sat in the front row of the far-right section instead. Little did I know that this seat selection would offer me the best opportunity for a meeting with this special group of quilters. 

As each Japanese award winner returned to her seat, I made a mental note of where she was sitting. (Luckily, they all sat together!) Toward the end of the ceremony, I leaned over to my mother with a plan. Once the event ended, she would go over to a winning Japanese quilt to see if she could meet the quilter. Meantime, I would move directly to the area where the group sat during the ceremony. Our intention was to meet each winner and to set up a time for an interview later in the week. (Keep in mind that my mother speaks no Japanese, and mine is very limited.) To our good fortune, there was one lady in the group I approached who spoke English. As I chatted with her about a possible interview, who should approach but my mother...with another small group of Japanese ladies!

After much laughing, and with my broken Japanese and many hand signals, we agreed to meet the next day over coffee. My interview was to be with Yoko Sugisawa (winner of the Robert S. Cohan Master Award for Traditional Artistry) and Hiromi Yokota (2nd Place, Merit Quilting, Hand). Their quilt stories brought out much more than I ever expected.

Yoko Sugisawa, the mother of four sons (including triplets), began quilting 13 years ago under the tutelage of master quilter Yoko Saito.  Inspired by her tutor, Yoko very much enjoys precise handwork that maintains an overall feel of softness. 

Eternal Garden.  Photo courtesy of IQA

Her Robert S. Cohan award-winning quilt, Eternal Garden (shown above), required three years to complete, with one year alone dedicated to the detailed handwork required for the top. The exquisite medallion-style quilt features a variety of baskets, and encompasses many of the techniques Yoko especially enjoys: trapunto, needle-turn applique, hand embroidery, and hand quilting. The baskets were made in various shapes and sizes; many were composed of strips interwoven from a variety of fabrics. Yoko does not prewash her fabrics as she likes the crispness of the unlaundered fabric for her handwork. Her batting of choice is a Japanese polyester. She says that it is fluffy, but not bulky, and that the needle just glides right through. She also likes Mettler 100% polyester thread for hand quilting, as it does not kink.

 
Yoko said that she wanted to create tenderness and softness with this quilt. While life has not always been easy for her, she found that working on Eternal Garden gave her a great sense of comfort. With a husband who suffered a massive stroke two years ago, and a sister fighting cancer, Yoko found that quilting allowed her to focus on the joy of creating something beautiful. While working on the quilt's various elements, she was able to deal with many of life's troubles. At that moment in our interview, this quiet and elegant woman broke into tears, explaining that one of her sons had died in an automobile accident just two weeks before she traveled to Houston to receive her award. 

Yet, as she continued to speak about Eternal Garden, Yoko's eyes brightened and she went on to say proudly that she wanted to finish this special quilt, which had brought her so much comfort, to enter in the Houston Quilt Show. With friends supporting her efforts, she was able to meet her goal. 

What would we do without our quilting friends to support us along the way? Quilting friends not only share talk about fabrics and patterns, but are a comfort in times of sadness and our best cheerleaders in times of joy. Hiromi Yokota is one of those quilting buddies who will be there in the best and worst of times.

Hiromi Yokota has been quilting for 25 years. As a young girl, she improved her needleworking skills by making doll clothes from scraps of her mother's clothing.  Her mother's quilting skills and love of teaching were passed to Hiromi, who today--as an artist and teacher--provides three class locations in the Yokohama area for her quilting students.  Classes are held twice a month for two hours, with lessons ranging from basic to the more advanced. All manner of quilt-related subjects are covered: pattern design and construction, as well as hand quilting and machine quilting.

Quilting, however, isn't the only reason that many of her students attend her classes year after year. Hiromi's classes provide students the opportunity, if for only a brief time, to forget the burdens they carry from day to day. Many have aging parents, health problems, or other troubles that  they can discuss with each other when they gather for class.The students share and support each other as they enjoying creative time together. It is this sharing and supporting that Hiromi finds the most fulfilling. (Of course, receiving recognition for her excellent work is also nice.)

Hiromi said that she was pleased that her quilt, Wrapped in Gentleness (shown above), received a 2nd Place merit award for hand quilting at the Houston show. Her love of nature is evident in the quilt's design, which she conceived one day while walking through the park as gentle breezes ruffled through the leaves. Her intention was to convey comfort, warmth, and love to the viewer...much like a big hug. 

When walking by this sublty beautiful quilt, it is not readily apparent how much work was involved. A bit of a shimmer catches the eye, beckoning you for a closer inspection. As you draw closer, you notice that each of the hundreds of leaves is surrounded by hand-sewn beads. In fact, there are over 70,000(!) green and clear seed beads and sequins stitched to the quilt surface. Perhaps the most astonishing thing, however, is that the entire quilt was designed and executed--by hand--in just one year!

Like Yoko, Hiromi uses polyester batting and Mettler 100% polyester thread; however, unlike Yoko, Hiromi washes her fabrics before using them, and loves to discover what happens if and when the colors run. She often finds that new and more interesting patterns emerge.

It was a true delight to meet and get to know these two lovely and talented ladies. I am so glad that I arrived too late for my usual seat at the awards ceremony. Had I arrived on time, I might not have had to chance to learn about their lives and the quilts they make. Isn't quilting wonderful?