Monday, June 11, 2012

60x2Red Quilt


I did it. I finished my mom's 60th birthday quilt. I was contemplating if I should go with hand quilting or machine quilting, but I really don't have time to do hand quilting and finish it by her birthday right now. (Seriously... red is such a difficult color to take a picture of!)

So I decided to do machine quilting.


I have been saying "Red quilt" whenever I shared the fabrics or a block for this quilt, but I names this one "60x2Red"quilt. Why? I will tell you the story behind this quilt and how I came up with the design and the name.

According to the Chinese Zodiac system, it takes 60 years for a person to finish a cycle on this earth. Traditionally, People have a big celebration with their family and friends on their 60th birthday (kanreki). Since the completion of the 60 year cycle means the rebirth of a person, we give a red vest and hood as a birthday present. The color red represents a baby, since it is a celebration of rebirth.

I was talking on the phone with my mom several months ago, and we were talking about her 60th birthday. Then she said, "I don't want a red vest." Of course I asked her why. Her response was this;

"Well, first of all, I feel old to even think that I am turning 60. Second of all, I never like that silly red vest. I don't wanna wear it. That reminds me of a performing monkey at a circus."

SLAM! There goes an ancient Japanese tradition. That's my mom. Yeah, there are some monkeys that wear a red vest when they perform in front of people.

After I hung up the phone with my mom, I thought, "fine, we are not going to give you a red vest and a hat, but what can I give her that still has some meaning and represents her 60th birthday...."

When I ask her what she wants for her birthday, she always says her grandchildren’s pictures, letters, or a quilt I made. So, I decided to make her a red quilt. Yeah, she will like that better than a red vest!

At first, I was going to have 60 blocks. Although, to make the quilt a decent size with only 60 blocks, each block needs to be really big, and I didn't want to do that. So, I decided to do 60 x 2 which is 120 blocks. With the wish that she will live another 60 years. That's how I came up with this quilt.

Her next big birthday celebration is her 70th birthday, and the theme color for that is purple. If she lives to be 70, I will gladly make a 70x2purple quilt 10 years from now. :)
She has absolutely no clue that I was making this quilt for her. When I talked to her a couple days ago, I told her that my family’s photo book I just made came in the mail, and that is her birthday present. She was really excited to see it. Hehehe....





I am sending her the photo book along with the 60x2red quilt today. I hope she likes it.

35 comments :

  1. Happy Birthday to your Mom! She will love it. It's gorgeous. I think my Mom was like your Mom, never wanting to wear the red vest and hood because she never told us about it. Well, Mother was a bit of a rule breaker, so I guess it didn't matter. +

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  2. How lovely. Im sure she will love it

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  3. how gorgeous! im sure your mom would love it!! :)

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  4. Beautiful quilt. I am certain she will love it especially all the thought that went into it.

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  5. I think she will love this quilt...it is much better than a vest for sure!

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  6. This is beautiful! Probably the prettiest quilt I'v seen. I love that it's different shades of one color. Wonderful job!

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  7. This is gorgeous! Your mom is going to adore it!

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  8. Your quilt is stunning. She's going to love it!

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  9. Oh Sachiko,
    How could she not like it? It is a beautiful quilt. I'll take one just like it lol. Red is one of my three favorite colors. As always your workmanship looks perfect. Let us know what her reaction is to the quilt.

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  10. Your quilt is stunning. I love the color combination. What a wonderful gift!

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  11. So beautiful and inspiring. I love the RED!

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  12. So beautiful and inspiring. I love the RED!

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  13. Beautiful quilt, and I love the story about the red vest. Too funny!

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  14. The quilt is gorgeous......and getting close to your mom's age, I wouldn't want a red vest either. She will cherish the quilt forever. I know I would.

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  15. I love your quilt. The almost tone-on-tone effect is really pretty. Such rich, vibrant colors are perfect for such a celebration

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  16. It's beautiful. You're mom will love it.

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  17. Obserwuję Twoje zmagania z szyciem kołderki.PIĘKNA:)Jestem wzruszona że to dla Mamy.Piekny zwyczaj dac Mamie taki prezent na 60-urodziny.Pozdrawiam Barbara

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  18. Stunning. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Amazing...man, I can't find enough words to describe this quilt! You did an amazing job!!!

    Anastasia

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  19. What a lovely quilt. It's like a work of art.

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  20. You'll tell her that it's not meant for the hospital right?...heeheeheeheee

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  21. Thank you everyone for your comments! The real quilt looks darker and the color looks more blended but no matter how many times I retake the pictures, they always come out brighter.
    I guess I need to study my manual for my DSLR better. :)

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  22. Wow! What a beautiful quilt and what a lovely way to honour the tradition!

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  23. So beautiful, I am 60+ and I love it. Red is the most beautiful color ever created. You are an incredible designer. Your mom will feel the love.

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  24. Oh, Sachiko, this is such a gorgeous quilt! I know you said red doesn't photograph well, but all of the different shades and the texture look lovely to me. And thank you for explaining the cultural significance. I had no idea! What a sweet gift of love you've given your mother. Far better than the monkey vest. ;)

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  25. It turned out so beautiful! Happy birthday to your mom!

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  26. The beauty and love from you to her is just illuminated in an outstanding example of your talents and determination to mix tradition with present respectfully. Well done! She will be touched I am sure.

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  27. That is an absolutely fabulous quilt! It looks like a mass of roses with the swirly stitches. You're mum will love it!

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  28. Beautiful! The rich reds are just gorgeous. Your quilt is stunning!

    My mother turns 60 tomorrow! I am emailing her a link to your post because I like the tradition you explained. Maybe I'll get to make her a lovely quilt for her 70th. :)

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  29. What a beautiful quilt, I'm sure your mom will love it!

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  30. What a beautiful quilt, your mom will love it!

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  31. Wonderful quilt! Love all of the thought and sentiment of this gift....your mom is going to treasure it!

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  32. love it! wish I knew how to quit like that wow!

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  33. What a gorgeous quilt and thoughtful gift! She will be so happy with it!

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