One More UFO Down

By Diane Harris, HQ Stitch Brand Ambassador

Today I finished piecing another very old UFO (that’s quilt-speak for UnFinished Object). It took about a day and I can’t imagine why I let this one languish for so long.

I started with 12 blocks. A few were missing corners and one was only partly sewn, but (miraculously) all the pieces were there. In short order I had 12 complete blocks.

I bought the pattern at my first Quilt Market in 2005. It’s called Yukata Zukushi. The first word translates as something like a lightweight kimono. The second word is more elusive.

The pattern was odd even 15 years ago. There were no instructions, but there were 20 full-size paper foundations. The photo you see above is all I had to go on.

Even after so much time, I still love the blocks. The fabrics are mostly authentic Japanese prints although I think a few wannabes crept in.

Japanese taupes were just becoming popular in the U.S., and I bought as many as I could afford, often in small bundles of fat eighths.

Eventually I would learn that one kimono took more than a fat eighth, but I made it work.

I had enough fat quarters to create a nice mix of kimono, and the backgrounds could come from the fat eighths.

If I had to do it again, I might use just one fabric for all the backgrounds.

The blocks finish at 12″. With no specifics for the sashing, I decided on 1.5″ finished sashes and cornerstones. Since I was working with small pieces of fabric, the horizontal sashing is a different fabric from the vertical sashing.

This doesn’t bother me. I think it adds interest to the quilt, especially since the whole piece is basically made from neutrals.

I chose the light for the first border because I had a lot of it. It’s not a Japanese fabric but it is special. It’s one of the original Roberta Horton yarn dyed handwoven striped fabrics from Clothworks. I still have bits and pieces of these fabrics in my stash and they’re always useful.

The second border was more of a challenge. I’d have preferred one of the lighter fabrics on the right above, but didn’t have nearly enough. I considered making the border scrappy, but the Japanese aesthetic suggests formality (to me, anyway), and I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I settled on the darker fabric because I had plenty of it. I couldn’t resist adding playful cornerstones. The blocks illustrate clothing, and the cornerstones illustrate footwear. A little bit of tongue-in-cheek whimsy.