The first time I ever went to the big International Quilt Festival in Houston I wandered through in complete awe of the gargantuan display of quilts, fabrics, supplies, and textiles. It was sensory overload. 1500 booths with fabrics, patterns, ideas and possibilities, all the newest and the best the market has to offer. Not sure how I decided what to focus in on but somehow, I stumbled onto a booth that was selling new, upcycled and vintage Japanese fabrics. I was completely enchanted. The pieces that were the most appealing to me were roughly handkerchief squares called Japanese Boys Day banners. They were a lovely cotton, bright colors and the designs were decidedly Japanese, which I love. I bought at least 5 and I have made 4 quilts with them. This is one of my favorite quilts of all the quilts I have made. I made it to sell, ( I sold it) then I made another one just like it! The rendering of the Antique Japanese Woodblock print “The Great Wave” by Hokusai on the high-quality cotton for just a few dollars and all ready to sew was appealing to me in a way that is particularly delicious. I love getting to interact with those colors, with that fabric, with that beautiful famous piece of art! You might look at it and say it was a framing exercise rather than a full-blown original piece of quilting. I am ok with that. I work best starting from an inspiration piece and I truly love the process of searching and then finding the perfect pieces to complete my little design party. That is often how I quilt. Quilting on Art.