Autumn Visits Us (Hohshuu)

Name/Title

Autumn Visits Us (Hohshuu)

Entry/Object ID

2013.08.01

Made/Created

Artist

Emiko Toda Loeb

Date made

1992

Place

City

New York City

State/Province

New York

Country

United States

Continent

North America

Dimensions

Height

75 in

Width

56-1/2 in

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Artist Commentary

Label

Autumn Visits Us is one of 45 double-sided quilts made by Emiko Toda Loeb. Although most people assume that her reversible quilts are created by constructing two surfaces separately and then joining them together, this isn't the case. Although the number of blocks depends on the quilt size, all the two-sided blocks are constructed individually and only joined together when all are completed. The design is kept simple by intention. The zig-zag shapes suggest a view within a large temple compound, where one can see diagonally the point to which one's path leads, but can only reach that point by walking on a series of platforms all at right angles to one another. Of the reverse, Emiko writes, "We had gone to see the night fires of the Daimonji in Kyoto, but while everyone was seeing the fires lit and growing, we alone were looking at an especially beautiful late summer moon, full or nearly so with faintly visible wisps of cloud, suggesting a giant lantern or a special kind of round window with thin paper screens with lattices at different angles. When I first completed this quilt, the moon section had few of the small colored squares; I had thought the variety within the gray fabric would maintain interest, but after several chances to see the quilt at a distance I decided something more was needed. With considerable effort I took several blocks apart and reconstructed them which resulted in the present appearance."

General Notes

Note Type

Materials Used

Note

Old cotton (aizome), new cotton (Japanese), Old silk (obi), synthetic blends

Note Type

Techniques Used

Note

Machine pieced, machine quilted