Quilting Inspirations

In one of my earliest blogs, I mentioned how quilters look to their gardens for inspiration. Well, the wonderful, ancient gardens of Japan are inspirational to me. While in Yokohama, I was able to visit Sankeien Garden. It is interesting that the garden was created by Sankei Hara who built his fortune through the silk trade. The garden is now over a hundred years old and contains many ancient structures that have been moved there over time. One of the oldest is the three-story Pagoda which was moved there from Kyoto. It dates back to 1457.

My friend Pat and I 

As we wandered through the garden, we came across a model in full kimono attire posing for calendar pictures and a wedding party in which the bride wore a wedding kimono.

Each season is highlighted in some way in every garden. For autumn, Sankeien Garden features the wild chrysanthemum and had a special display of show winning chrysanthemums. I didn’t know that there were such intriguing varieties of this flower.

After seeing this display, I saved this beautiful quilt from the Yokohama International Quilt Show to show here as I am pretty sure that it was inspired by the chrysanthemum.

SINCERITY by Mayumi Yonenaga