| Book Review: Quilting
with Manhole Covers:
A Treasure Trove of Unique Designs from the Streets of
Japan
By Shirley MacGregor
The Carriage Trade Press, 1999
Paperbound, 136 pages
$26.95
Available
from Planet Patchwork
This is a book that would never have been produced
without the single-minded dedication (not to say
obsession) of an individual with an idea she would not
let die. The result is one of the most unusual,
beautiful, and quirky quilt books you will find anywhere.
 Jogging early in the
morning in the streets of Zushi, Japan, Shirley MacGregor
made the remarkable discovery that Japanese manhole
covers are graced with decorative designs that bespeak
great care and local pride. Ranging from the whimsical to
the delicate, the designs find their inspiration in the
characteristics of the communities in which they were
created. There are mountains and valleys, flowers and
fish, leaves, birds, and squid, all rendered in the
confined space of cast iron circles and used to mark the
entrances to Japan's utility underground.
A long-time quilter, Shirley quickly made the imaginative
leap to these manhole covers as inspiration for quilts,
and she herself made one (entitled "Treasures
Underfoot") using two of the designs. The quilt won
a first place in the 1997 Pacific International Quilt
Festival. She undertook to document the beauties of these
manhole covers, and beyond that to demonstrate how
naturally and beautifully they are translated into the
quilter's art.
"Quilting With Manhole Covers" is the result of
that undertaking, containing color photos of dozens of
manhole covers and the quilts they inspired in artists on
both sides of the Pacific. Organized geographically, the
book is also a travel guide to the many towns and
counties in Japan, providing windows into such
little-known places as Tajiri town, which portrays
smiling onions on its manholes, and Fujino town, which
chose a delicate rendering of the wisteria. The manhole
cover of each of the communities is explained and
rendered in both color and black and white, and the
companion quilt is presented along with comments from the
artist. Some of the quilts are relatively close copies of
the manhole covers, while others take imaginative
liberties with the designs. All are unusual and some are
breathtaking.
While this is not a "how to" book on making
manhole quilts, MacGregor has accommodated quilters who
might want to give it a try by providing clear line
drawings of each of the manhole cover designs. These
could easily be blown up and used as the basis for a
quilt of your own.
This book is self-published by Shirley and her husband,
and the design and production show the same great care as
is lavished on the manhole covers. The photography and
layout are superb, and the quality of the materials and
the printing are very high.
If you're looking for something not only different, but
very different, get yourself a copy of this book. It will
add a new dimension to your quilting life (and make you
look more closely at your seemingly mundane
surroundings!)
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