More than 300 colourful photos and behind-the-scenes details reveal the fascinating story of Japan's cotton and indigo, and their enormous contribution to fibre arts worldwide. Learn how Japan and its top fabric designers, quilters, scientists, and artists combine tradition and high tech to weave the thread, fabrics, and stunning designs that are so coveted in today's fibre art world. Take a tour of Japan's elite textile printing mills to understand why Japan is considered the world's finest producer of quilting cotton. Learn where all this cotton comes from, and its close connection to another prized plant, indigo. Dozens of beautiful fabric designs and quilts by Shizuko Kuroha, Keiko Goke, Yoshiko Jinzenji, Yoko Saito, and others are featured, as well as cotton and indigo folk textiles through the ages. This journey gives a deeper understanding of the connection between contemporary textile art and Japan's cotton, indigo, and traditions. AUTHOR: Teresa Duryea Wong researches, writes, and lectures widely, and has been a guest speaker at the International Quilt Museum and Study Center in Nebraska, the Texas Quilt Museum, Rice University, and dozens of quilt guild meetings. She holds a master's degree from Rice University and was named the Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee Foundation Scholar by the Bybee Foundation and the Texas Quilt Museum for her research on Japanese quilts. She is also the author of Japanese Contemporary Quilts and Quilters: The Story of An American Import. A native Texan, she lives between two celebrated Texas cotton regions, and she made many trips to Japan to follow and write the story of cotton and indigo. www.teresaduryeawong.com 313 colour and b/w images