The start of another year

 Over the holiday, I made a small table runner, using the "Bentobako" pattern used in the last post. Monday, I gifted it to a friend without taking a picture. Perhaps, even if I had taken a photo, it would be lost  because my keitai storage is full and I get a message I need to buy more storage or nothing will be saved. Not being any good at technology, I'll probably have to go to the apple store, and get some help in english.

Anyway, since I had a date in the Juban area, I went a bit early and stopped off at the 7/11. where she works. That is the place I pick up something for my lunch on the way to work at school. It is my go-to place because of this friendly Muslim lady who starts my day (or even week)with a warm smile.

My year has begun, and I couldn't have asked for a friendlier start. I hope you all are finding joy as the year rolls in too.

Staying cool

 Last winter, a church friend gifted me a small device with a heating fan. It is very quiet, and does not take up as much power as the AC. As heat rises, one has to sit directly under the AC to get any benefit. This little fan can be set on the floor near my feet, so is more useful.

Earlier, in this summer heat, I received an email from my friend, telling me this little device has a cool setting. How nice! I can set it on the table in front of the place where I am working.

The pattern is "bento-bako" and the small butterfly in the border is a bit of embroidery to cover a small cut. I think it fitting, as the butterfly was the symbol of the "Hidden Christians" in Japanese history.

Perhaps my friend can set her little fan in this small table runner.

Another I-Spy

 It has been quite a while since I had anything to post about. The Unity quilt is still waiting with a scout group, for an opportunity to be auctioned or raffled off. An American theme quilt may not be very popular here in Tokyo, with all the negative news coming from the states.

Eariler in the year, I took part in the Women's Conference, as I do each year. In the past I have held a work shop teaching quilting basics, where the result was a small mug-rug to take home. This year, one of our regular participants had extended her NPO, teaching english to orphans, to include a new orphanage.

When she first began her NPO, I had made her an I-Spy quilt to use in teaching games. I thought my workshop might be a chance to involve others by basic piecing of blocks that could be joined in a quilt to be used at the new facility. But, when I arrived and went to sign in, there were lists of workshops to sign up for, but my group was not on the list. Apparently, those being signed up for were ones with limited numbers, and I had not set a limit for my activity. 

In the end, the only ones coming for my class were the speaker (who was a quilter and didn't need help,) and the NPO owner, so only a few blocks were assembled. When I came back home, I managed to put those few blocks in the middle, and have been slowly adding more on my days off work. This week, I finally added the borders and it is now stretched out on my sofa, waiting for the next steps before it can go to it's new home.

JOEE  ...   Joyful Opportunity English Education   ...waiting for the next step of quilting.

Stewardship Banner

 A tradition is an accident that is allowed to happen more than once, and in the last 14 years it has just been assumed that I would produce a quilted banner to hang for the stewardship season. Being on the stewardship committee for many years, and even at one time the elder in charge, I have watched this effort shift from place to place ... the communications committee ... then taken over by finance. Each year the focus shifts and I am expected to come up with a hanging in support. Last year, after turning in the hanging in a timely fashion, it was never hung anywhere where I could see it. Looking around, I found one former banner hanging in the 4th floor bathroom

This year, a new church member took on the task, and his being a fellow choir member and long-time friend, I could not say no to the request to continue the tradition. He helped with the design and I have struggled to get it all together. Finally this week I could add the binding and the hanging sleeves.

The main part is from a sketch he passed to me. I later found out he did not intend the two upper strips but it would have been difficult to unsew them, so I quilted in gold around the main cross. I gave up the idea of appliquing all those little letters so just outlined them with a marker and filled in the centers with a purple marking pen. I goofed up on the word "integrated" leaving out the R so had to applique a strip over the area making the word go into the planned space. The quilting had to be done with stab stitching, which to me is very frustrating and hard on the fingers. Last Sunday we had a discussion on the background quilting and came up with a more simple plan than I had originally thought of..

Monday was a national holiday and no school for me, so I went out to buy some bias tape at a small local shop. Then Tuesday I added the hanging sleeves. I took a photo on the park fence. Then I worked on some scraps of wooden dowels. What I had were too short, so I cut several inches of the ends half-way and whittled  them flat so they could be glued together to make a sturdy bar. That wood was quite hard and not easy to whittle, even with the grain, but the results saved me a day into town looking for some to buy, and though it didn't save much time, it did save the cost of train fare and buying new rods.

You can imagine the relief to have this done! small scraps cut and divided into squares and wood chips picked off the carpet with larger pieces of fabric put away. This is banner number 15. I am tempted next year to tell whomever is in charge to get out the other 14 and fine one that fits the theme, I'm wondering id traditions have an "off button"!

Unity quilt

 A few years ago I was "gifted" a large amount of fabric from a friend who was clearing out her sewing room. Among those fabrics was a large collection of USA patriotic prints. They sat in a pile for a long time and I thought I would never want to use them, and probably no one would want to take them off my hands, especially here in Japan.

As the election year began to loom heavily  in the news, I became more and more frustrated with what was being covered on TV and in the news. Then I got the idea to dig out that collection and stitch those red and blue fabrics into a quilt, each white stitch joining together with a prayer that by November 5th election day, those parties would be joined in unity for something better, much like the quilt.

 This week I finished the binding and added a hanging sleeve. Thinking of what to do next, I thought of the Tokyo American Club that is the sponsor of my scout unit. It might be a nice way to thank them and perhaps they could raffle it off for some payment from our unit. I have begun asking around. The American embassy might be another way if that doesn't work.

I hardly made a dent in those fabrics. I can't imagine buying so much and then only using a very small corner from some of the pieces. I have an eagle slide to carve for a scout making eagle rank and a stewardship banner to be made for this year's stewardship promotion coming up soon. Maybe if this quilt is successful, I can figure out how to use a bit more from the stash. Prayers for unity will continue.

A quickie quilt

Here is an alphabet quilt I made for a church friend's second child coming soon. The first one got an "I-Spy" quilt and I often hear from the parents how much she enjoys playing with it. I thought an alphabet quilt might be just as much fun. The blue and white letters were printed on the fabric and asking to be used. I thought it might be fun to search for pictures that match a letter, like how many B words can you find?

I rotated the alphabet with at least one picture and filled the center with extra prints. The picture blocks are just quilted with hearts and the quilting outlines the letters. I have been trying to get a better picture. Today there was sun but way too much wind. I took off the side clips and took a shot at an angle while the quilt was dancing in the breeze.

I still need to add a label. then I just have to wait for the special day.

Finally a finish

 Saturday morning I put the final stitches in the border. I had already added the binding, so was able to quilt the border without using the hoop. A little less stab-stitching made the work go faster.

I was hoping for a good picture to add to my files and tried one on the park fence after my English class, but the day was quite cloudy and not  much contrast. Sunday was sunny but I had to rush out early for choir practice before church, then stay afterwards for more practice. Luckily there was still some sun when I returned home, and with the help of a small ladder, I was able to catch a picture in a sunny spot.

Sunday evening it was able to go home to my granddaughter with her parents, who came to help move my big old doll house to the next apartment where I might be able to fix it up for future generations.

I was able to grab a picture of the backing laid out on the apartment floor.

These are all Japanese tenugui representing the twelve animals of the oriental zodiac.

I thought Leia might be able to collect signatures of her friends on their animals, as I have done on a few quilts before.

That night, Leia got to give the quilt a test drive and took this picture Monday morning.

I'm so glad she is happy with it! Now, on to the next challenge.

I will be working on an alphabet quilt for a friend's baby due in June.

Wasting time hunting for a "Z" picture of the size I need. both the zebra and the zori were too small to fill my need.

"Golden Week" will give me a bit of time for more hunting.

Next step

Well, all the blocks are finally quilted and today added the four-leaf clovers ... all the while the song, "I'm looking over a four leaf clover that I've overlooked before", going through my head. 

Now, it's on to the borders!

 

Slow progress

Saturday, the 23rd was Leia's birthday, and we had a nice visit but the quilt is still not ready to be gifted. As of now, 32 of the 58 blocks have been quilted, and there will still be borders to do. The stitching is mostly slow stabbing and not very even. My daughter, Norie, (her mom) came by the following week and finished off another block ... her stitches looking a lot better than mine!

I have another baby quilt on my "to do list" and am hoping I can get to it before the baby comes in June.
 

The quilting has begun

 

Last week I finished the banner for this year's Stewardship campaign. 

I only purchased the thread and the binding. All the rest came from stash that was "gifted" from friends.

The batting was a piece that also came as a "gift" and just happened to be the right size. I have no idea what kind it is, and it seems to be a bit puffier than what I usually use. I decided not to quit around the lettering, as that might make the hanging even puffier.

The committee seemed to be happy with the results, so I was happy to turn it over, and get back to work on the next quilt.

While I was in Boston, visiting my #2 daughter, I picked up some twin bed size batting. It was all packaged in plastic so I had no idea how it would work other than size. 

When I laid it out on the quilt, I was surprised to see it seemed more like felt than what I am used to using. Now that I have pin-basted it a number of times, I finally began to quilt it today.

Well, this is not going to be easy. I can hardly get five stitches to the inch, and have to do some stab-stitching at the corner points. 

I don't think I will be able to do much fancy quilting in the blocks or border.

The batting is Warm & Natural and somewhat heavy on my lap ... though it should make a warm enough quilt.

I'm glad to be back at work on this, but I have a feeling it will take lots of effort. Wish me luck!