I decided to make another quilt inspired by my travels to Kyoto. I first focused on Shinto, which is the old religion of Japan and is very rich in legends and myths.Inari is an important kami. She's the goddess of rice, agriculture, business and probably other things too. Fushimi Inari is one of the main shrines where she's worshipped. It is located South of Kyoto.
The torii, the famous red gates of Shinto shrines, were one on the symbols I wanted to use in my quilt. I printed them with a homemade stencil.
The foxes, kitsune in Japanese, are Inari's messengers. I used a thermal screen and a homemade stencil to print them on my fabrics.
The multicoloured vertical lines were inspired by the origami cranes that are found in shrines and temples everywhere in Japan.
Of course, I had to dye indigo fabric for the background.
Here are two close-ups of my quilt...
And a mosaic of my inspiration photos...
The torii, the famous red gates of Shinto shrines, were one on the symbols I wanted to use in my quilt. I printed them with a homemade stencil.
The foxes, kitsune in Japanese, are Inari's messengers. I used a thermal screen and a homemade stencil to print them on my fabrics.
The multicoloured vertical lines were inspired by the origami cranes that are found in shrines and temples everywhere in Japan.
Of course, I had to dye indigo fabric for the background.
Here are two close-ups of my quilt...
And a mosaic of my inspiration photos...
10 comments:
beautiful and inspiring
What a lovely piece -- Instantly recognizable as yours, by the elegant spare elements, clean lines, precise use of color. The balance that you have achieved with color and shape is beautiful (and has both a lively feel and a tranquility). I think my favorite aspect is the way the foxes are not immediately apparent, slightly hidden but then apparent once you find them.
This i you best Japan themed quilt so far. It has more detail to hold my interest than some of the sparser earlier ones but the way the foxes is done is very Japanese. Simple and hidden likemuch of the life when you are there as a tourist. The use of the sky like fabric was a particularly good touch - this quilt really evolkes for me the weather in Kyoto when we visited. i also like the way the 'legs' ( I am sure there is a better word!) of the shrines fade as you go further back.
I agree with Helen. I love, love this. I love all the elements, especially the red gates. The indigo touches are perfect, too. This is not as spare as your usual work, but still so recognizable as your work. The multicolored lines are magical to me.
One of my favorite places in the word, and you depicted it so well.
The foxes were such a nice discovery. I also really like the suggestion of the cranes merely with color and the vertical strips.
Oh yes, I love the foxes! and the clean, crisp complementary color scheme. The indigo fabrics suggest sky and water so beautifully and subtle-y
How wonderful that you had all these photos to inspire your quilt. You did a wonderful job with your interpretation.
I just love the pop of color with the crane strips. I also love their tiny frayed edges and the linear quilting you've used. It's so interesting to see the inspiration photos. Thanks for sharing those.
At first I didn't see how the coloured strips looked like cranes but your excellent photo showed me what I was missing. The fading out of the colour at the base of your red gates adds a softness to the composition and the moody indigo strips bring movement. Beautiful!
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