The 9th Quilts Japan Contest Exhibition - Bags

Last week, I reported on the quilts I saw at the 9th Quilts Japan Contest Exhibition. Today, I will introduce the other category of the contest, bags. 

I have often wondered why bags are such a popular type of quilting in Japan. Believe me, at a quilt show or contest, there is almost always a section for bags. Could it be that Japanese ladies love bags? Could it be that a bag is smaller than a bed-size quilt and therefore easier to work on if you live in a cramped Japanese house?

Be that as it may, here are some of the bags:

上野知佳子

My friend, Chikako Ueno, is a quilt teacher extraordinaire. This time, she entered two bags in the contest, both of which are practical and stylish. She always finds interesting buttons or zippers to add. The first one, above, is rather sombre.

Whereas this bag, which won a prize, was more colourful with the help of upholstery fabric and some recycled fasteners for kimono jackets (haori).

These resemble Friendship Bracelets that young girls often braid and give each other, but have a different function, of course. 

Foreign tourists who are into quilting often buy a handful of second-hand haori braids to use in quilting and other crafts.

If you are interested in how to put on and take off a haori and how to tie the little fastener, I have included a short video from Kinoshita Kimono Lab's YouTube channel. 

It's all in Japanese, but nevertheless interesting to watch. Maybe it explains why fewer ladies dress in kimono these days! After all, it's so much easier to slip into a pair of jeans and pull a T-shirt over one's head! 

And how many of us follow special rules for dressing casually? The traditional dress code in Japan is strict, although the instructor here uses the modern word 'smart', as in smart phone and convenient ways.

Now let's return to the bags at the quilt show.

Another of Ms Ueno's students, 竹田悦子, was inspired by her teacher's design but used old denim for her bag.

So did 三木準子, another of her students. There is a lot of movement in the way she has placed the pieces.

久保佳代子is yet another student of Ms Ueno. She also used denim in her shoulder bag.

梅野京子's bag has a metallic button that, from a distance, looks like a Dorset Button.

太田絹子　included a red fabric with a 'patchwork' print.

竹村泰子 says that she loves circles. She used a plain fabric in off-white with grey dots. She decorated each dot with appliqué, felt and stitching.

These Japanese ladies are so precise in their work.

Here is a UFO bag by 北川信子

It must be practical to carry home a pizza in it.

薄井美代子 used a variety of recycled kimono silk for her brown bag.

萩本みちエ also used an old kimono for her plum blossom bag.

Here is an unusual bag for you, made by ふわぬのひろ. There is no space for a bulky wallet or make-up bag, but it is a showstopper and conversation piece.

Hexagons and Christmassy stars by 西山清美.

Would you possibly have one of these at home? I'm not talking about the bag, but the robot vacuum cleaner it is based on? As you can see, it is full of small and cheerful cleaners! 

The maker, 藤本容子, titled her bag 'inside of a robotic vacuum cleaner'.

Some quilt makers worked on structure and texture. 和田まゆみ

Or,  like 寺杣清子, encrusted the bag's kimono belt fabric with beads galore.

Do you remember the Rubik's Cube from Hungary? It was very popular in the 1980s. The cubic puzzle inspired 平田信子to make this interesting and colourful bag.

I think the details on this bag as well as the combination of colours were very pleasing.

山口信子。

Lovers of Boutis will admire this heavily quilted and padded bag by 石井智美. It was one in a set of three: a tote bag, a pouch and a mobile phone case. Together they won the Grand Prix.

I am already looking forward to next year's quilt show.