Sunday, February 8, 2009

Noriko Endo quilt from TCQC 02-08-09

"A Walk in the Woods" Noriko Endo 47.75W x 36"L
Noriko is a Japanese quilter who I know from Empty Spools seminars at Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA. And also because she has had quilts in the Visions exhibit and as a member of the Visions group I am able to meet the artists who attend the opening. It is gratifying to see that she is teaching more and in many respected venues. Her quilts have been in all the major juried exhibits and awarded many prizes. When you have a chance to see a Noriko Endo quilt in-the-fabric take a magnifying glass - you will be amazed.
In 2003 Noriko was the featured artist at one of the Empty Spools sessions, but at the last minute she could not fly over from Japan. However, she sent her quilts to hang in Merrill Hall for the week and also sent two quilts to be auctioned to benefit the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. I was the fortunate bidder on this quilt. Noriko's technique is unique and fascinating. She uses fabric scraps cut into very small bits - maybe 3/8" wide and 1/2" to 3/4" long - she adds a layer of tulle the size of the quilt and then quilts it by machine. She will add additional details and another layer of tulle and do more quilting. Finally, she uses rayon thread to sketch in the details.
When I had the quilt appraised this is the description the appraiser wrote: "This whole cloth composition consists of layers of small irregular shapes of cloth of various colors, layered with tulle, and additional pieces of cloth [tree trunks], and embellished with thread painting to create the image of a forest." She further stated that "the quilting is of fine quality, with even stitching and balanced tension."
Noriko Endo, the quilt maker, does not have a website, however, you can find some sites that include pictures of her quilts by Googling: "Noriko Endo" quilter. If you leave off the 'quilter' you will get sites that feature Noriko Endo the porn actress. Entirely different people!
There is a nice article about Noriko at American Professional Quilting Systems website: http://www.apqs.com/artists_norikoe.php
And she is one of the artists in "Masters Art Quilts" by Martha Sielman, published in 2008 by Lark Books
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6 comments:

Vivika said...

Hi Del, I just love your Sunday quilt postings. It is like getting a wonderful postcard in the mail from a long lost friend every week, since many of these quilts feature artists I admire.

Vivika

Corky said...

I was supposed to take a class with Noriko a few years ago at QSDS but she had to cancel at the last minute because her husband was ill. The fill in class was fine, but I was really disappointed not to have had the time with her.

Beautiful quilt.

Willa said...

I think I saw her do this on Simply Quilts. It was inspiring to watch.

dee said...

I, too, saw her on Simply Quilts some time ago. I was amazed and delighted by her attention to detail using such a seemingly carefree method. I spent some time looking at photos from the Tokyo Quilt Fest.-what eye candy. I await these photos every year and it's well worth the wait.

Jeanne Turner McBrayer said...

Lucky you to have such a beautiful woodland scene.

There are directions for Noriko's technique on the hgtv website. They call it Confetti Naturescape.

http://www.hgtv.com/crafting/confetti-naturescapes/index.html

meggie said...

That is a wonderful quilt.
I can almost smell the fresh trees, & the leaf-mulch!