PENANG – Sewing blankets (quilting) is one of the practical ways to utilize fabric waste into layered textiles for bedding, insulation and decoration.
Many may remember their grandmother or mother sewing patchwork quilts from mismatched fabrics.
However, for Janie Yap, an experienced quilter, each of her handiwork carries a deeper meaning, where each quilt sheet becomes a canvas to tell the story of life.
Unlike most artists who paint using brushes and paints, Yap, a 78-year-old former teacher who lives in George Town, Penang, uses needle and thread to create art.
With the appropriate selection of fabrics in terms of color, type, and pattern, each quilt is carefully and creatively produced, depicting his life’s journey, adventures, and valuable experiences he went through.
Each quilt produced by Yap takes tens to hundreds of hours to complete, using various sewing techniques such as patchwork and embroidery.
Most of her works highlight Malaysia’s cultural heritage and Penang roots, such as a quilt titled Jom Balik Kampung in 2014, which uses batik as the background of a village house and a rooster.
Other works like My Island In The Sun in the same year celebrating Peranakan heritage by depicting kebaya motifs, rickshaws, beaded shoes, kamcheng (decorated lidded jars) as well as spices that are often used in Nyonya’s cooking.
Works View From Horizon Towers from 1997 has amazed the audience with the clever use of color gradation to depict the scenery of the beach, sea, sky and mountains. The quilt almost resembles a painting and proves Yap’s skill in manipulating color.
Among Yap’s latest works include Ode To Nutmegs in 2021, which describes how nutmeg is processed into a world-famous spice. Meanwhile, his work is titled Life Goes In Circles produced in 2022 reflects his outlook on life.
A total of 35 of her quilt works are currently on display at the Art Gallery, Level 4, Bellisa Row, Pulau Tikus, Penang in conjunction with a sharing session titled Hanging Of The Quilts: An Afternoon Of Stories And Sharingwhich was held on September 28 and 29.
In the session, Yap took the guests through his journey of 35 years in the world of quilting.
“It all started when I visited the Philadelphia Museum in Pennsylvania, USA in the late 1980s and saw an exhibition of heritage quilts. Some quilts are still in good condition despite being over 100 years old,” explained Yap, who first became interested in quilts back then.
“When I was growing up, I never had a quilt because both my grandmothers were so busy raising their children that there was no time to sew,” she added.
Yap then moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1991 to live close to his two sons who attended school there. To fill her spare time, Yap looked for craft classes and finally decided to learn the art of patchwork quilting.
“I signed up for an eight-week course and learned to sew by hand. After that, I bought a basic sewing machine for about AUD500, which I still use today,” he said.
In the early stages, Yap produced quilts based on the patterns provided.
However, as his skills improved, he began to change his designs based on his personal experiences and travels.
Some of her quilts are like Japanese Girl which was produced in 1996 with sailor blue tones as well Colors Of India in 2018 which uses bright colors to resemble an Indian woman’s sari, is among the examples of her travel inspiration immortalized in quilt art.
Also, the quilt is titled Tiger’s Nest (2020) was inspired by Yap’s ascent to the Paro Taktsang monastery in Bhutan and contains elements of a talisman flag designed using small squares on fabric.
“Whenever I travel and find a fabric store, I will buy the right fabric for the quilt that will be sewn later.
“For me, this is a very therapeutic hobby and sometimes I can be lost for hours,” said Yap with a smile.
Yap has produced over 130 quilts throughout his career, of varying sizes.
Some are large enough to be used as blankets, while others are suitable for hanging as wall decorations.
Quilts typically consist of three layers — a top layer with motifs, an insulating layer known as batting and a bottom layer. In hot climate areas such as Malaysia, Yap usually does not use batting to ensure that the quilt is more suitable for use.
Yap also creates quilts for happy occasions, such as Into The Hole in 2023, specially produced for her golfing husband’s 80th birthday, as well as Snuggle Bugswhich took six years to complete as a present for his grandson’s 12th birthday.
Yap advises quilt enthusiasts to use quality fabrics and threads because they are more durable and do not fade easily.
He also emphasized the importance of drying quilts regularly to ensure they are always in good condition, such as practice airing of the quilts which is popular in some cities in Western countries.
The tradition sees communities hang quilts on the balconies of homes and shops to dry, making it a lively event that also attracts tourists. – ANN/The Star
