Quilt trip to Tohoku part 1

I returned from the quilt trip last night and will soon be leaving for cub camp. I want to share  few things but do not have much time for a long post.

After our early morning delivery of rice balls to the homeless in Shibuya, We returned home to pick up my bags for the trip. My husband came along as far as Tokyo Station and carried one of the bags and made sure I found the right train.

Here is our train. This model is the "Hayabusa" or Peregrine Falcon. My companion, Adachi-san, and I boarded this train in the morning at Tokyo Station for the first leg of the journey.

The train took us as far as Morioka, North of Sendai and the Prefectural seat of Iwate Perfecture. Iwate was one of the two hardest hit prefectures by the tsunami.

Tokyo Union Church has three "sister" churches in the Tohoku region, one of which is Miyako Community Church. My trip had been arranged between Adachi-san and Iwatsuka-sensei, the pastor of that church. This church is independent and thus, not supported by other denominations.
Iwatsuka-sensei, two years since the disaster, has been more involved in community service than in his own church affairs. Thus, the quilting activity was set up to serve the community.

From Morioka, we took a local bus, several hours further to the towards the coastal area of Miyako, where the damage was hardest. Reverend Iwatsuka picked us up at the bus terminal and drove us around, showing the damaged areas and the place where the classes were to be held the following day.

One can still see the base settings of the houses that were washed away by the tsunami. The school building in the distance was inundated on the first floor.

Iwatsuka-sensei showed us the plans for reforming the city, but those have not yet begun. The space at the upper right of the signboard is the area where the new housing will be built but the land has not yet been cleared or work begun.

The main road will be re-built further inland.
There will be no buildings in that disaster area.
The port area will have a higher sea-wall and the broken sections will be replaced using a stronger design with a wider base.

The section wrapped with the blue tarp is what is left of the sea-gate, and in the background you can see the concrete sections left behind when the sea-wall was breached.

To the upper right are the buildings of a fish-processing factory built after the disaster.

This is one view of the "temporary" housing where the evacuees have been living.

Each housing area had a small community meeting room. This is the place my classes were to be taught.










When my weekend activities are over, I will share with you the class experience, but before I end here, I wanted to share one other facet of the trip.

In Japan, we are very sensitive to the changing of seasons. Whether early or late, spring marches in in an orderly fashion. Late winter brings the Camellia, February the Plum and Apricot blossoms open in turn, then the Sweet Daphne and the Daffodils. Even each variety of Cherry has a time to be enjoyed without competition from other blossoms.

I really didn't know what clothing to pack because the area had had snow just a week or so earlier, so I was stunned to arrive to a place where spring was in "attack mode". It seems all those blossoms had waited so long to spring forth that they couldn't wait and take turns.

 Every variety of Cherry was in competition with its neighbor.

These were mixed with plum and peach.
Kerria and Azaleas,

Magnolias in the garden with Daffodils at their feet,

Baby's Breath in the background,

Flowering quince, putting on a show

Forget-me-nots,

Lily-of-the-valley,

Tulips in all sizes and colors,

And high on the hill-side, wild Wisteria, festooning the trees.



And, cheering them on, the voice of the Bush Warbler, in Tokyo, a harbinger of Spring.

BUT, mixed with that, the voice of the Little Cuckoo,
which usually arrives in the Tokyo area in June, in time to parasitize the Bush Warbler's second breeding.

After a busy day of travel, we spent the night (and the following nights) at this hostel, the Hokumin House, a volunteer housing center, donated by the Hokkaido Christian Network.
(In front is one of the two Chinese missionaries from Arizona, who spent a night there, and attended the quilting session as well.

Accommodation was fairly quiet and comfortable as I am accustomed to sleeping on futons, but my brain could not shut off as I anticipated the following days of teaching ... would my Japanese be adequate ... had I prepared well enough ...  would I meet the expectations of the group?  Knowing of the sincere prayers of my friends, I finally was able to grab a few hours of rest.
More to follow......

Take-along work

My owl is flying along with me these days.
I'm pinning the blocks together in rows. They go into a little baggie and all I need is my cutting disc and the pin cushion that goes on my finger like a ring. Can you see it? It was made for me by one of my quilting friends. (A walnut shell with a ruffle of yellow and a brown plaid cushion in the middle). There is a adjustable ring glued to the back. I have another pin cushion that fastens around my wrist but I really don't need that many pins.

The above strips are the wings. I honestly think it takes more time to find and cut scraps than it does to sew them together.

This weekend and the coming week I will have no time for prep. Tonight I will be at camp for an Order of the Arrow weekend. Since I have to sing on Sunday morning, I will return late Saturday night.

I'm not sure of my duties for the "OA" work and ceremonies, but since I was Lodge Adviser for six and a half years, there will be a number of places I can be of use.

One thing will be getting ready for the following weekend where I will be teaching crafts at Cub Camp.



Most of my time has been spent getting ready for the trip to Tohoku. I will leave Monday morning after returning from rice delivery. (that means ... by the mobile sardine can). The first part will be by train and the second by bus.

The classes will take place all day Tuesday and Wednesday, then I will reverse the trip to Tokyo in time for choir practice Thursday night ... the last one before our big performance Sunday. ... and then re-pack my stuff for Cub camp.

I wish I could feel more excited about the quilting lessons. I have prepared several lessons that should cover all the basics ... Yes, like a Scout, I like to be prepared. The big worry is that I have no idea of what the expectations are. If it is just to learn a new hobby, I think I can handle it ... even with my miserable Japanese skills. If they are looking for something they can sell ... well I sure am not getting rich quilting, and I have been doing it a long time. I hope I will return with a good report and some pictures. I know there will be no internet connection at Camp and I have no idea about Tohoku. How will I survive without my blogging friends? What will Nikko get into when I am away? If I leave my windows open, will my husband remember to close them if it rains or will I return to flooded bedding? If I leave the windows shut, will my plants cook in the day-time heat? (a greenhouse can get pretty darn hot on a sunny day).

This is what will be happening while I am away. These flowers are volunteers along my little ally.

Each time I walk by, I pull weeds from this tiny strip where the pavement meets the wall.

Both of these flowers grow from tiny bulbs. When a section of the wall was replaced, I re-distributed the bulbs and now there is a nice strip of color along the entire length.  These are what I had planted in the hole outside my entry. Too bad the neighbor prefers bare concrete because these look quite pretty and last a long time. The damage to the wall post happened during the earthquake but the wall held upright. The wall on the other side lost almost all of its stucco finish at that time. That is why you are told not to stand near a wall if you run outside during a quake. Well, the place I am going has suffered much more than a cracked wall.

I hope I will have something positive to post next.

All kinds of progress

Yesterday, my daughter was able to visit the owl at the vet.

The vet donated his time and talent to this owl, performing surgery on the broken wing and it seems the owl is doing well.

When the wing heals, the owl will go to a nature center while it's feathers grow back and, if it can fly, will be released back into the wild. If it can't fly, it will be cared for at the center.

Here is my granddaughter, Leia, paying the owl a visit.

She had been to the "owl park" near Mt Fuji in November where there were many species of owls on display and even an "Owl Show" and owls to hold on a gloved hand. None of those were domestic.

On this visit she has joined her mother and grandmother and a caring neighbor and vet, learning the importance of caring for all God's creatures, that there is always someone out there that can help, you only need to keep looking.

What sounded like just another sad story a week ago has turned around, not just for the owl, but everyone who had a part.

This owl appears to be an "aobazuku" or Brown Hawk Owl.

The "Fukuro", Ural Owl, is the most common variety but there are a few of these in the Tokyo area and I have seen and heard them frequently on Miyake island.

And the owl baby quilt  has now taken charge of his own progress,
Supervising from the entry-way door.

He is now getting some chest feathers.

Once that section is done, he will get some wings.

Then I will have to audition fabrics for the background and borders.

I have all kinds of blue scraps if I decide to put sky, and also many leaf prints. It will depend mostly on what will not hide the owl.

And today ... Ta daa! ... a new star has joined my block collection!

About a week ago, I had a message from Tanya at Taniwa, asking if I would mind if she made me a block for my followers quilt.

Mind?  You gotta be kidding!
Here is what she made for me ... Isn't it fantastic!

Those who have visited the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko would recognize the sleeping cat right away. Tanya paper-pieced this cat and even added the star points. Yes, that block has Tanya written all over it! I absolutely love that little kitty. I could never have done this with a four-inch block.

I am hoping one of these days Tanya and I will meet in person. Certainly our trails have overlapped a great deal. When my son took my paper diary and put it onto a blog, I was away at the BSA Jamboree and arrived back at his home to be introduced to my new paperless diary. To make it look more authentic, he put up a sidebar of other quilt bloggers ... and right on top was "Taniwa".
So ... we have been linked from day one ... making Tanya my longest blogging friend! (Thanks Jon. Great pick)! This is not the first gift I have received from Tanya either. I have a beautiful table runner she sent me too. Also with this charming kitty, she sent me a doggy handkerchief, No note but the piece is sponsored by the "Japan Small Animal Veterinary Association" to encourage the recovery from the earthquake and Tsunami.

Like the vet who helped the owl, there are other kind and compassionate vets,giving help where needed ... and good citizens supporting their efforts by buying cute doggy hankies.
Thank you, Tanya. I am blessed by your friendship.

My collection is growing ... even though I have slacked off a bit.

(I am finding I have a serious shortage of pink fabric and that is what I need for my next block).
I am not going to buy more fabric so more digging is in order.

I just love how these blocks are getting along with each other. Quilt bloggers are the greatest! Even their blocks are welcoming new ones.

Setting them out on the table is like going to a party.

Even when safely in their box, they seem to be having fun while awaiting one more quilter to join the group.

And, although children's day is over ... and probably everyone else has put away their decorations for another year, this table runner asked to be left out a wee bit more.

It is very old. Made from a tenugui in an age where we had a big house with a huge dining room table. It is even older than my paper diary so has never been added to the story of my quilts. From May 1 to May 5 is just too short exposure for a carp that has been hiding on a closet shelf for eleven months!

Enjoy your weekend. I know I will.

The owls have their day

The owls are getting top billing today.

Saturday morning, I had a phone call from my #3 daughter living in the outskirts of Tokyo. Her neighbor had found an injured owl. It was in a cardboard carton in her house and looking poorly. She was wondering what to do.

I have had experience long ago with bird rescue and knew since it was a public holiday weekend, the bird park would be open and someone there would be able to give advice.

My husband made several phone calls and was able to locate a person who could advise the neighbor what to do. After passing the information to my daughter, who then passed it on to her friend,  the lady was able to talk to the specialist and get advice. Another call Sunday informed me the owl had survived the night, and another call Monday let me know the owl had taken some food and was looking better.

This was a long holiday because, since one of the big days fell on Sunday, the whole holiday extended through Monday. Luckily, the owl made it through and today's call let me know the owl was on it's way to a vet and will be taken care of. If it's broken wing heals, it will be rehabilitated and released and if it cannot mend, it will become part of an educational exhibit.

I am so happy the owl has made it this far and will get the care it needs. I'm so glad for my daughter and husband who dropped everything to help out, and that the neighbor took the advice. Everyone, the adults, and the children have learned how to find the best advice and must be happy for a positive outcome.

From early childhood I have had a special relationship with owls. Usually, it is the owl helping me, so it is a blessing for once to do something to return the favor.

Now, you may have seen the project above in the picture. This is the beginning of a baby quilt. My son and his wife are also "owl people" so an owl quilt is called for, and since July is not all that far off, I needed to get going. I had drafted a pattern on graph paper long ago but just couldn't find that drawing. Finally I got out another notebook and drew a new pattern. I have travel and meetings coming up and sewing two-inch squares together is fine take-along work. News of the owl's rescue came right at the beginning of this start. A good omen? Maybe so.  At least, I have another owl story to add to my collection,

Scraps + scraps x scraps = quilt

Finally, a photo shoot!

First I had a very hard time finding a fence that was wide enough and tall enough to hang this quilt.

It is 93 x 93 inches in size.
Our local park has sections that are too narrow and the posts are on the inside. I gave up on that idea.

My second  favorite spot is just too low. So... I put my quilt and my step ladder into my back bike basket and set off for the river where there are some parks and ball fields.

I found this sunny spot, but when I hung the quilt up, the ginkgo tree cast a shadow along the top edge. Also the wind kept blowing the quilt out like a tent fly. Kids on bikes were riding underneath. Not so good.

I decided to go farther down the river and see if there might be another fence that would work.

Here is that picture. I think the sun shows off the color better and there is a little competition with a plant on the right but, for the most part, I am satisfied. I am almost tempted to drive out to my old neighborhood where there were many high chain-link fences around several ball fields and I had a choice of sun or shade.

I am pretty sure I will try this pattern again,  making larger blocks and not using sashing. I stopped by the rice store to show the finished quilt to the owner who had so kindly let me use her floor for basting. She was as happy to see the finished quilt as I  was to have it finished.

No excuse now not to begin the baby quilt and get  ready for the Tohoku trip. (Of course I can always begin another star if I need some procrastination).......

A star on a sunny day

I am really finding respect for all those "Dear Jane" quilts out there, with a vast inventory of four-inch blocks!

I thought this block would be great fun. I looked up "Wandering Foot" in some of my quilt block books, and this is what I found.

I drafted a pattern on a 4x4 piece of paper and pulled out some nature prints. Hmmm, those pieces are mighty small and my prints are rather large.

Oh well, on with the plan.

16 tiny curved seams later ... I am wondering if I have bitten off a great deal more than I can chew.
Why am I saving those templates? I don't think I will be trying this again soon.

Hunting through my cat prints there was not one cat resembling Dusty. If you want to see him, check out the header on Quiltin Cats. Most recent pictures are sleeping on quilts so this kind of fits. 

The wandering foot represents life in an RV, trucking around the country and taking us along with beautiful photographs. The bird in the bush represents Sandy's wonderful nature shots.

Sandy and I have been blogging friends for just about as long as I have had my blog. I think of her often when I begin to complain about cramped loving space. What fun it would be if one day our paths should cross.

One more thing to celebrate is my + and X quilt is now a finish.

It is way too windy for taking a picture of something this large. Maybe later in the week there will be better conditions.

I had plenty of white bias but I didn't like the look so I decided to turn the dotted fabric from the back to the front.

I can't believe how long this quilt has taken to complete. I need to find a large washing machine now to get this quilt clean after it has spent so much time in  Scout camp, on trains, planes, buses and meetings. I look forward to seeing this on our guest room bed.

Block 11, a star of a star

 If I don't say who this block represents, I wonder how many people can figure it out.

In the center is a red work bird reading a book. It might be a diary or recipe book. Then again, it might be a story book or some poetry. I will leave it up to the observer because any of those could be right.

The inner star has stars and wood.

The outer star is "pickle" fabric.
I wanted to make a connection between this block and the "Quilter's Book Club" for which I am using some of this same fabric.

Have you figured it out yet?
This blogger has made blocks to go with a diary. She has made a calendar quilt of those darling red work birds.
She often gives a recipe to go with the post. Sometimes, even some poetry.

She is also the leader of the Quilter's book club, where we enjoy and discuss a different book each month and make a block to represent that book.

If you have not guessed yet, go to A Starwood Quilter and get to know Susan Phillips. Although we have never met in person, we have had many exchanges and I look on her as a true friend. When I think back on my childhood schooling, I wonder how having such a teacher as Susan, might have changed my life or at least made those school days a whole lot happier. There are some lucky kids out there and the blogging world is a better place too.

Thanks Susan, you are a star of a star!

Small finishes

My small quilt group met today. I lugged my + and x quilt on train and bus and now have only about an hours worth of quilting before the binding can be put on. Between yesterday's train rides into town for choir practice  and today, I completed the points on another star.

Here is Lis's block with points. I had pulled out about ten different fall leaf prints but after trying several, kept coming back to the blue background.

Maybe cherry blossoms and fall leaves look a bit strange together but It was under the cherry trees last year that I walked and talked with Lis.

My other small finish was this quilt block I made for my April Quilters Book Club story.

I decided on this "Garden Path" for several reasons. I have chosen two dark "pickle" fabrics to use in each block. That has made my first blocks a bit on the dark side. I thought adding some floral prints, even two inch squares and half squares, would brighten up the block a bit more.

The book is "The Quilter's Apprentice" by Jennifer Chiaverini. At the end of the story, it is in the garden, that Sarah's husband Matt had so beautifully restored, where Sylvia and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Emberly, begin their reconciliation.. Now I am hoping to get the next book so I will be ready for May's reading.

This will probably be all the progress for a few days. I am off to the woods to camp with the boys. (and possibly teach them something about plants in the area). The train ride will be several hours each way and I have no sewing left to take ... and my book is finished ... well, I do have a book I can take. (and of course, the brain is in motion).
Have a nice weekend. I know I will.

Two more stars

Nothing like crummy weather to keep me sewing.
Teresa at Stitchin' Friends is not a frequent blogger and when I asked her about her likes, she responded, "I don't know". So... my friend ... you get my choice.

I have noticed that Teresa likes some of the same things that attract me.

She likes to have things organized.
She likes to work steadily on one project at a time.

She has made several of these twisted pinwheels, the latest a whole quilt. I have also made a few pieces in this pattern but it always drives me a bit crazy. Even so, I decided to put together a four inch block with these colors which she used most recently.

I cut some points to use but then, decided they weren't all that complimentary so this is what I ended up with ...

Well, Teresa used brown too but her border was a very fancy "snail's trail".

Other things we like in common are the heart table runner and the Lucy Boston quilt with crosses made of hexagons.
(I m slightly ahead of her on this one because I have already done that one twice.

If you visit Teresa's blog, be sure to look back through her posts to see her entry in the Houston Quilt Show. "Circus Stars" was a "Featured Quilt".
Also check out what she is putting together now!

My number ten friend also makes me smile just thinking of her' Nadine at Friendship Threads not only quilts, but crochets and knits. It's nice to have all those warm things because she tells me she is a "Winter Girl".

I went through my scrap bins and found lots of snowflake prints.

I also decided on a basket because that is what Nadine is working on at this time.

Is a basket of snow enough?

Well, I found some more in other colors but rather liked the pick of these three that represent the colors of the Belgium flag, which is where Nadine lives.


I also had to add a few XOXOXO
because in the past blogging years, I have received so many of these from Nadine.

My next victim ... er... subject is Susan Phillips. I could just make a star out of a wood print (I even know where to find that fabric in my collection) but This one will take a lot more thought because four inches will never say it all!

two more blocks become stars

A Sunday trip into town is a good time to make progress, but only if you plan ahead.
Saturday evening I cut a few more triangles for turning my little friend blocks into stars.

I pulled out a few water prints from my stash to see if there might be something to add to the lake, but when I compared them to the block, they looked more like a stormy sea than that placid scene on Marlene's header.

I had a strip left over from my grandson's "big boy" quilt and the batik looked almost like water drops on a lake. I decided on more trees around the lake and am satisfied with the result.

I had cut enough for three stars but decided to tackle the hardest one first.

(Not that it was so difficult to sew together, it's just that I had to pin the fabrics in place so I would get them where I wanted them before losing all the pins).

I was happy to find more sparkly fabric, blue, gold, olive and hearts all have some glittery print.

Then I went back to my stitchery book and hunted up a few stitches that were within my limited ability.

I am working on a new block now but I still have one more set of points to add on my next train trip. I find it interesting that these friends of mine have managed to stretch my limits in new directions with absolutely no effort on their part. Bur then, I think that is a part of what friendship is all about.

I also still have one more edge to quilt on my + and x quilt before I can add the binding. The weekend was quite cold but today the sun has come out to remind me that if I don't get that done, it will be way too hot to hold on my lap before much longer.

Wishing you, too, a happy and fruitful week.