Sakura

Here is the only picture I snapped of the quilt for Sarah, in my rush to get numerous quilts done for Christmas gift giving. The fabrics (tenugui) were purchased in Tokyo. These fabrics are traditionally used as head coverings under the helmet when sparring in kendo, the Japanese sword martial art. My husband and daughters did kendo, and I was lobbied quite heavily to join in, though I never quite did agree to suit up and spar! The tenugui are a light, thin cotton, with unfinished edges. I was afraid that simple appliqué would allow the edges to fray with washing. I chose to use iron-on interfacing to give them a stiffer backing, and pieced them in the standard fashion. I also had this one professionally quilted (Christmas deadline!), and my quilter chose a simple straight line pattern that echoes window panes or shoji screens. I used a textured honeycomb black fabric for the background and some leftover Chrysanthemum fabric to join the two tenugui. It is now adorning Sarah’s sofa. The sofa was getting old, and was slated for discard, but the quilt livened up the sofa, giving it a temporary reprieve! The trees in my yard were, and remain my inspiration. It has been a particularly beautiful spring!