Sunday, June 2, 2013

Chuurippu

Have you been following along with the Quilter's Book Club? If you don't have any idea what I am talking about, check it out over at http://starwoodquilter.blogspot.com .

Each month we read a book and make a quilt block to represent that story.
May's book was Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas. This is the second of her books we have read, the first being The Persian Pickle Club. At that time I picked out a scrap of "pickle" fabric (paisley) from my stash and thought I would try to put some in each block I make. It is a rather dark fabric with only a small selection of colors within the print so it is a bit of a challenge to brighten each block.


There are two variations here, both in the red tulips. Susan found a number of suggested blocks and I decided to take the "Tulip Nine-patch", make four and turn it into a 12 inch block.

I had to have at least one yellow tulip, as that is what Alice loved most, but in Japan, there is a well-known children's song, one of the first songs a child learns to sing. It says,"They are blooming, they are blooming! Chuurippu flowers are in a row, aka (red), shiro (white), kiiro (yellow), whichever you look at they are beautiful". I guess this is a Japanese tulip block. (with a bent row).

Two long train rides into town and back today, Church in the morning and Scouts in the evening, neither time was the train crowded so I could get this done. The owl, looking down from the door behind me. is wishing for his feet and tail but I have stalled while looking for fabric to make the branch he is to sit on. I stopped at Yuzawaya Thursday on my way to choir practice but, though they are having many fabrics on sale, there was nothing that would work. I will probably need to make a run out to "fabric town" (The wholesale area) one of these days.

It is all ready past my bed time and tomorrow begins early with rice delivery. So off I go with the tulip song, echoing in my brain . Nighty night!

11 comments:

  1. beautiful block ... loving the colours x

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  2. Pretty tulips! I had no idea you could do that with a nine patch. Cool! I hope you got some good sleep!

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  3. Wonderful block.
    Greetings , Grit

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  4. Lovely lovely blocks - the colors are wonderful. Sleep well.

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  5. That is a lovely block and a fun challenge too.

    Debbie

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  6. You are so efficient and use the long train rides to complete your blocks. The paisley adds elegance to the red tulips. According to The Language of Flowers, yellow tulips mean 'hopeless love'. Did Alice have a hopeless problem of the heart?

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  7. Pretty block! I been reading some of the books on the Starwood Quilter's blog site, but I haven't had time to make any blocks.

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  8. That is one of my kids' favourite Japanese songs! We went to karaoke with our English playgroup on Sunday and when this song came on, all the kids were yelling along to it :)

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  9. Wish I could come with you to Fabric Town! I LOVED that place!!

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  10. Your colours are beautiful! Funny how a kids song can inspire :) I am still waiting for that book to arrive from the library so I haven't read it yet...

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  11. What a great and interesting block! I love your colors and your workmanship is wonderful.

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