Wednesday, April 13, 2011

All shook up but moving on

Inch by inch is the ultimate scrap quilt. Back in 2002 I was saving any scrap down to one inch triangles. These bits went with me to meetings, train, and bus rides in a zip-lock baggie and served as a take-along work for quite a while. There was no real plan other than to use up bits and pieces from other projects. The final result covers the back of my old sofa where it looks better than it does hanging on the fence. Last week it made a trip to the pre-school class for a game of I-spy. Today when I took it to the park to take a digital photo, it was suddenly surrounded by kids looking for cats and bears, hearts and stars, and showing off their English. Finally we had one day of sun and warm weather. I had been waiting for this chance to give Nikko a bath. I need to rub her down outside until she is dry. The reason you can see behind me. That is NOT snow, but dog hair. The bag by my stool is full of hair and she has plenty left over. After a couple of hours of rubbing she got a walk to the park and I had to clean up the neighborhood. Some escaped in the wind and is probably half way to Oregon as I write. Amid the occasional quakes, the morning brought two Brown-eared Bulbuls to my wall. Usually they come alone and chase others away from the food but today they sat glaring into my window from the top of the empty cup as I uncovered the canary and seemed to be saying,"How about us? Where is our breakfast?" Today I saw bugs flying in the park and expect these visits to end soon. One violet (which is actually a weed) has managed to make it to a hanging flower pot outside my front door. Having done better than the original owner of the pot, it seemed to say,"You wouldn't dare pull me out" and it is correct. Spring is the season of "Hana-mi" or flower-viewing. Monday I lunched with the pre-school kids under the cherry trees with pale pink petals drifting down. This annual rite is a symbol of Japanese culture, helping to throw off the winter blues and reset one's mental and emotional attitudes. With the tragedies of the past month, people are wondering if it is right to celebrate or if those flower-viewing parties should be banned all together. This might just be a good time to reconsider the brevity of life and reassess the beauty of each passing moment. The sorrow and anguish and anxiety people feel will not vanish just by looking at pretty blossoms but returning to these customs gives us a much needed break.


Quilting Gallery's Weekly Theme contest this week is "scrappy". I'm sure there will be some good posts to enjoy. Not being much of a computer wizard, you can get there by clicking on the Quilting gallery logo as I just can't get the weekly theme button posted.

13 comments:

  1. Lovely post Julie! Nikko is super adorable. You should submit your scrappy quilt to the Quilting Gallery Contest- let me know and I will vote for you!

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  2. Hello Julie, I just found your lovely blog through Pat blog in Arkansas. Nikko looks like a great companion. Your quilt is truly beautiful and I am sure the kids loved looking at it. I think the blossom festival should go on too. After such a horrible tragic event seeing the beautiful blossoms and the tradition of a festival would make them smile and forget just for a moment what has happen to them all. I hope you are safe. Hugs Judy

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  3. Julie I am so happy to see you enjoying the small moments of each day, when the world must sometimes feel like it's falling down around you - both literally and figuratively speaking. I'm amazed that you have such a big dog and a canary in what I assume is a small apartment. I hope you have entered your quilt in the scrappy quilt contest.

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  4. Fantastic quilt. What a marathon effort to collect the scraps and put it together, but well worth it. Your dog looks used to sitting still for grooming. The only news out of Japan continues to be grim. Regarding the cherry blossom, it's hard to know what is the right thing to do when so many have lost their lives.

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  5. Ok that quilt just blows me away. I can't even imagine having the patience to continue sewing 1" pieces to get a quilt that size. It's really incredible. I loved the picture of you with the dog. I used to have a cat that had that much hair and more. I got him a haircut every spring because he shed so bad...he would slink around embarrassed at first but then he would love it because it was so much cooler. :) blessings, marlene

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  6. Nikko looks thinner! And fluffier. I can't figure out why you haven't incorporated all that hair into a quilt somehow. Love the violet.

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  7. That's a fabulous quilt and how fun to share it with the children in a game of Ispy.

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  8. How do you know the bulbul? As far as I know it is a middle eastern bird. We have them here in Saudi Arabia. Love the colors of your quilt.

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  9. Julie, your quilt, Inch By Inch is incredible! I can't believe you sewed it all by hand. I sent a message to my quilt guild, and mentioned your quilt. I'm one of the few hand quilter in the guild, and other than some applique and a few blocks here and there, no one hand sews.

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  10. Hello! I found you from Quilting Gallery. I love your quilts - really wonderful! And your dog is so beautiful! Wishes from crete! Teje & Nero

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  11. I was just visiting Quilting Gallery too and saw your quilt there. It is an awesome quilt and to think you do everything by hand! Oh my gosh! I love the picture of the children huddled around and on the quilt itself.

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  12. I love quilts made from scraps. The teal borders adds an added brightness to this joyful quilt.

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  13. Maravilhoso......todo feito a mão? Cortou com 1 inch ou 1inch +borda para costura?
    Obrigada se me informar.
    Abraços
    Liège

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