East-Meets-West Quilts: Explore Improv with Japanese-Inspired Designs

Patricia Belyea is the founder of the Seattle-based com­pany Okan Arts. She is a former graphic designer turned quilting professional, and an influencer with a strong presence in the quilt industry (she is a past president of the Contemporary QuiltArt Association).  . Belyea is a sought-after lecturer, teacher, and

Belyea is a sought-after lecturer, teacher, and quilt journalist. She is a former graphic designer turned quilting professional, and an influencer with a strong presence in the quilt industry (she is a past president of the Contemporary QuiltArt Association). About the AuthorPatricia Belyea is the founder of the Seattle-based com­pany Okan Arts.  

(However, the solid instructions allow even the rule-breakers to create beautiful quilts on the first try). Improv quilting, in which quilt designs emerge organi­cally as fabric is cut and stitched, is simple, popular, and fun.  .   Fourteen projects combine authentic Japanese yukata cottons and contemporary fabrics; each is finished with bold hand-stitching. In this book, expert quilter Patricia Belyea offers improv instruction and shares her appealing Quilt Manifesto of five simple rules. While providing quilters with a starting point, the fifth rule of the Manifesto, “Break any rule you like,” opens the door to creative freedom. The sense of discovery in each project is inspiring and out of the ordinary. The quilt-making process is presented in detail, and each quilt shows the irresistible wabi-sabi influence of Japanese design