Recreating Shizuko’s Quaker Quilt, a work in progress. Hand sewn using English Paper Piecing and Needle Turned Applique.

After having the honor of meeting Dr. Satsuki Ina at the Kintsugi Gathering in 2024, I learned about an important heirloom in her family: a quilt. In 1942, Dr. Ina’s mother Shizuko was incarcerated at the horse track turned prison assembly center, Tanforan.

One of the only groups who actively opposing Japanese American Incarceration were the Quaker American Friends Service Committee. Friends would come to the track and pass food and supplies to the incarcerees. Perhaps noticing that she was pregnant, one day a Quaker woman tossed a hand-stitched quilt over the fence to Shizuko. “I hope this helps,” she said.

Shizuko kept the quilt with her the rest of her life, and it accompanied her to the various American Concentration Camps where she was imprisoned and where the gave birth to two children. Today her daughter, Dr. Ina brings the quilt to speaking engagements.

Since hearing about the quilt, I have been drawn to make a recreation. Because it is all hand sewn, I am seeking collaborators to help stitch blocks. More information about this project, including information about how to get involved, can be found here.

Source: 50 Objects Project