Quilt Artist Allison Wilbur Lecture and Trunk Show, November 14

Allison Wilbur, a New England quilt artist, will give her lecture, “Japan: Tradition and Inspiration,” at the Farmington Valley Quilters on Wednesday, November 14. Inspired by her years overseas, she combines textiles from other cultures with traditional American piecing. Japan is home to the second largest quilting community in the world. Her lecture covers Japanese textile traditions, including cotton yukatas, silk obis, shibori dyeing, and sashiko stitching. The lecture includes a slide show and trunk show of her quilts that show these fabrics and techniques.

Shibori dyeing involves manipulating the fabric, such as folding, binding or pleating, in a way to form a pattern. Earliest examples are from the 8th century.

Sashiko, meaning “little stabs,” started as a technique to reinforce fabric used in fishing villages. It is a decorative stitching, white on indigo fabric. It has evolved to be decorative surface stitching.

Among the many places Wilbur has exhibited are the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Quilt Festival in Houston and the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts.

The lecture, slide show and trunk show are Wednesday, November 14 at 7:00 pm in Eno Memorial Hall, 754 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. Sign-in begins at 6:45 pm. Guests are welcome for a guest fee of $10.

Wilbur’s work can be seen at her website http://www.allisonwilburquilts.com.