A Banner Day!

Have you ever heard the expression, "Busier than a one-arm paper-hanger"? Well, that seems to describe my week so far. Monday began with the usual wee-hour start for rice patrol, then putting my gear back to the car. ( had put baby seat and camping gear into the house to make room for passengers to the conference). Then a date to meet a friend for most of the rest of the day. Tuesday was a work day on the auction quilt and my English class. Meanwhile, when I returned from the conference, the fridge was making lots of noise and though it stopped or got less from time to time, I asked my husband to call the repairman. The fridge has reached the 13 year point and after 9 years they stop making parts. If we wait too long to have it fixed, we might have to pay to have it replaced instead...so... That visit being set for Thursday, I decided to take in the Tokyo Dome quilt show while I had time to spend.


So, here I am, the week more than half gone, and yet to report on the Conference class.

I am so grateful for the advice and also the encouragement from my blogging friends. The class went fine and you can see on the left, all the work that got done. I didn't count the attendees but it seemed there were perhaps more than 15 or so. Some were real beginners at sewing and maybe some could have taught the class. I let them select any colored strips they wanted to put together. It seems the total effect is balanced enough. We managed to get signatures of all and two borders have been added. I plan to finish off the top and bottom border, binding, and quilting and we will hang it at next years conference.

The day started off with snow and the weekend was cold, gray, and rainy. I usually take advantage of the location to pick "Sugi" flowers. Pollen from the male Cryptomeria flowers is wind borne and responsible for severe allergies each spring. I pick the flowers and make a tea by boiling them. I do not have that allergy but my husband has gone from great suffering in the past, to barely a sniffle, even last year which was a boon year for pollen.

The rain stopped and a hint of sun emerged as we left the conference. Suddenly Fuji-San appeared and I was able to pull off the highway so everyone could get out and snap a few photos.
I must have tons of pictures of Fuji but couldn't resist one more.

Wednesday I set off to the Tokyo Dome. Here is a shot taken from the upper deck where one enters the arena. Look at those crowds!

I found there were fewer restrictions on picture taking this year.

Then, again, look at the challenges faced when trying to get a picture!

How many cell-phone cameras can you count?

I was holding the camera up above the crowd. I never did get close enough to see what they were photographing but a lady in the back told me it was a quilt with a connection to some celebrity.

Although this is supposed to be an "international" quilt show, there were very few labels with any English at all (other than international entries). If I show a picture, I would like to give credit to the artist and some I copied down the names in kanji and will ask my husband to read them for me before I post.

In general, it was a better arranged show than former years. I understand I selected the most crowded day, according to some friends with vendor stalls. It was HOT. (over-heated to the max) There is a lot of walking and though I stayed until the visitors thinned a bit, my back was just too tired to walk another step.

I took the train the long way around the loop just so I could sit on the way home. No view of Fuji, I had my nose in a book on Hawaiian quilts ... yes, I broke down and spent the money my husband gave me for a snack on a book I don't need... quilt history... just jumped off that shelf and I had to pay or get caught shop-lifting.