a day in a quilt life in nebraska

Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 was a great day in my quilt life. I was invited to give a lecture at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, AND I got to hang out with one of my artist heores, Yoshiko Jinzenji.

She made these gorgeous, subtle quilts and the matching kimono. She brought these 3 items from her Kyoto home and graciously donated the 2 quilts to Lincoln! Her construction process for these was quite amazing... she worked with organic cotton thread (grown in New Mexico!) and wove it herself into cloth. She then dyed these pieces with natural bamboo and mahogany dyes, pieced it and quilted it herself. They are stunning examples of her "engineered" process, and show her desire for minimalist shades and perfection in simplicity. 

These next two Yoshiko Jinzenji quilts have been part of the IQSCM collection for many years. I loved that they were hung in the lobby for this special event.

Nice crowd for the First Friday talk.

Me and Yoshiko Jinzenji, wearing a top I made using commercial fabric ( linen) designed by Yoshiko and manufactured in Japan. I sewed this using a Japanese pattern.

My lecture covered an introduction of Japanese quilt history, and the story of Yoshiko Jinzenji's quilting life. An unforgettable day.