Persistence is the key to success. Already 30 years have passed since I embarked on the road to contemporary quilting after creating my first contemporary piece. Looking back, it was a stark contrast to the traditional patterns popular in Japan’s quilting world.

The process for making a piece of work always starts with the basics: selecting my materials. Then, I’ll choose what to do with them based on the quality of the fabric or materials, selecting from a variety of methods: shrinking, dying, painting, and airbrushing, to name a few. This allows for me to use an infinite number of colors and with my rotary cutter, give freedom to my imagination to give life to the tapestry.

After working hard in machine quilting, adding the tactile sense became a part of my creation style. This book introduces my works exploring color boxes and the cosmos, among other things, and also expresses vitality, freedom and joy which I convey though the dynamism of the three dimensional.

The energy to create comes from peace of mind and above all else, good health. I hope I can continue to create works that surprise and delight for all.

I send my sincerest thanks to Mr. Nobuaki Seto for his kind words and I thank the many people who were involved in the making of this publication.

Shoko Hatano