What a Stupid Name for a Quilt Shop!! What does it mean anyways???

This post might help to explain why I chose Shiisa Quilts for my shop name.

I love the culture and people of Okinawa, and, for me, the shiisa is a constant reminder of the fun I've had living there. Before I learned to quilt, I was really involved in pottery. My favorite "subject" was shiisa!

Here's a few of my creations...

This is a female shiisa. You can tell that because her mouth is closed - or at least MORE closed than the male shiisa.

This is a male shiisa. Notice the big mouth!!

These are in-process pictures of my first large shiisa set. Total classwork time was about 32 hours.

Here's the finished product!!

Shiisa aren't always "scary"... sometimes they're whimsical or even just a little "naughty"... I didn't make these, but I thought they were cute.

And here's a couple of rooftop shiisa

Off topic - My shiisa

I thought you might like to see some of the shiisas that I've made. A few years ago I took some pottery classes from a GREAT pottery sensai, Jorge Itozaku. He teaches at the Arts and Crafts Center on Kadena. His classes are fun and you really learn a LOT!!



My first class was probably the most difficult -- we made mini shiisa... it was hard for me to work with the small pieces of clay. In Jorge's class you work with a clay mixture that he makes -- combining Okinawan clay with regular clay. It feels really great!




















The finished product!!

What's a shiisa?

Since I moved to Okinawa nearly 6 years ago, I've been drawn to the shiisa...

Right now, I'd love to find someone who could design a shiisa quilt pattern for me!! So, if you know of someone -- or if you're that someone, please comment here... It could be a patchwork shiisa or a foundation paper-pieced shiisa... or maybe even an applique -- although that wouldn't be my first choice!!