Harajuku Vibrations Quilt for my Sister

My sister's Harajuku Vibrations quilt

I have an awesome sister. She is a mom of three, a development director and grant-writer, and a blogger for Iowa City Mom's Blog. She kicks ass in her Nia classes, crochets coveted blankets, and belts out Meghan Trainor lyrics like nobody's business.

My beautiful and talented sister!

If you've been following my blog, you've been reading a lot lately about birthday quilts and pillows for various family members. In my family of origin, everyone's birthdays fall within one month of each other. We are summer people. Having come up with fabulous gifts for my folks and my brother, I needed inspiration for a gift for my sister. I found it in two places. The Winter 2015 issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited featured a pattern for Amy Garro's modern quilt "Vibrations". (Amy's original Vibrations quilt is for sale in her Etsy Shop, 13 Spools, here.) The colors in Amy's design are aqua and mulberry. These are absolutely my sister's colors. When I saw those colors, I immediately thought of my sister.

The original Vibrations quilt, by Amy Garro. Beautiful colors and quilting! I wish I could take pics like this!

For my own creation, I was limited to what I had in my stash. I loved Amy's colors, but didn't have enough yardage to replicate them. In fact, I didn't have enough yardage in similar colors to make the whole quilt (Garro's design is for a 60" x 72" quilt), so I decided on a 48" x 60" lap quilt instead.

I adore Gail Kessler's Dimples line (so soft!), and earlier this year impulsively purchased a couple of yards of a beautiful purple Dimples fabric at Thimble Pleasures, Chapel Hill's local quilt shop. It would obviously come in handy for something. Around the same time, Sarah Watts' enchanting Tokyo Train Ride collection had just come out. I have been in love with this collection.

Love this collection to pieces!

Binky time!

I limited myself to one print. The one I couldn't resist? "Harajuku" in aqua. Look at these bunnies, dogs, cats, and pandas! Did you just fall in love with these bunnies? My sister used to have pet rabbits. She has frequently explained rabbit psychology and mannerisms to me. She knows bunnies. Sister: I am expecting an internal binky when you see these patient, beribboned bunnies.

Harajuku in aqua by Sarah Watts for Cotton + Steel. Who can resist bunnies in bow ties?

What are these critters doing all in a row? They are waiting for the train, of course! Here is a picture of Harajuku station in Japan:

Harajuku Station, Tokyo, Japan

Harajuku is also famous as a hotspot for creative teen fashion, with close ties to the world of Cosplay. Can you find the bunnies?

Harajuku fashion. These gals own it. Sis, I think Anna would love this!

I am getting some crazy inspiration by looking at these fashions, especially the ultra fabulous giraffe/kimono/fuschia-hair outfit in the center front row. By comparison with these styles, my sister's quilt is very tame. I'm guessing she's okay with that.

Train map of JR East Railway Lines, Tokyo

For the back of my sister's quilt, I used remnants from the fabrics for the front and a variety of other purples I had in smaller quantities in my stash. You can see that the critters are still waiting for their train. The back shows off the quilting. I opted for straight line quilting that would echo the "vibrations" in Amy Garro's design. The quilting has an art deco feel to me, which I love. It also evokes a maze, or a detail from a train map (though it's a bit more orderly than this one).

My sister's Harajuku Vibrations Quilt, reverse

Sister, I love you! Your quilt is one the way, and I hope it brings you delight and the assurance that I am thinking of you every day. I wish you the happiest birthday ever!