One of my greatest pleasures over the last several years has been my annual trek to the Tokyo Quilt Festival. It is not only the quilts that inspire me, but the textiles, the colors, the crafts, the architecture, and the exquisite details in the most mundane items there.
The more I go, the more I have to go back.
During the year as I preview fabric collections, what I anticipate the most are the new Asian fabric designs. If you have ordered from our beautiful Japanese designer groups, you've had the same reaction that I do, I am sure….running the silky fabric through your fingers, admiring the intricate artwork, and perhaps your eyes glaze over just a little when you see the rich metallic details.
True high quality Asian fabrics and designs are harder to come by these days, and over the years we've recognized that many of these gorgeous prints become collector items as the years pass. Yes they may be hard to cut up, but that's because they bring us so much pleasure just sitting in our stash. We may keep them in a special box, and take them out to admire and show our friends, but in the end we know they are some of the most special fabrics we will ever collect.
Our company started almost 15 years ago in the basement of our home, and our first groups of fabrics were beautiful Asian prints and colorful Bali batiks. That is the foundation that our little fabric empire was built on, and it is still one of the most important parts of our business.
Here's a photo I took in Kyoto several years ago, in a collage of fabrics in stock now at eQuilter. Do I go out to the warehouse to fondle these fabrics when nobody's looking? You betcha!
Somehow your comments and pictures about Japanese fabric brought to mind the exhibit at the Smithsonian I saw about 15 years ago of Itchiku Kubota’s Symphony of Light. I was totally awestruck. Using kimonos as his canvas and his adaptation of an ancient technique of fabric manipulation and dyeing somewhat like shibori he created a scene of the four seasons that filled the room. The best pictures that I found are on Pinterest, but they are like listening to a symphony on your iphone without earbuds. The photos just don’t capture the luminescence and intricacies, Have you ever seen these in person? http://www.pinterest.com/mamamiawatamama/artist-itchiku-tsujigahana/
I love your Asian fabrics. My major focus in my work is Asian design. Right now I’m working on the panels for wall hangings. The colors are so rich and inspiring!
Dina Johnson
The next time you go to Japan you need to include a trip to Nippori. It is known as ‘Textile Town’. It is @ 2 stations north west of Ueno on the Yamanote JR Train Loop in Tokyo. FABULOUS textiles, including a store devoted to Yusan–that iconic crepey rayon Japanese textile.
I started using your website because of the Japanese textiles–everything else is a bonus!!! Keep up the good work!!!