A great quilt show even without pictures...

Monday afternoon I met four other members of my quilt group at Seibu Department store where there was a quilt show "Exhibition of My Needlework" by about 50 well-known Japanese quilters. My husband had brought home a flyer advertising the show, and when I asked Kuraishi-sensei, she quickly procured ten free tickets from Nihon Vogue. (It pays to have friends with connections)! I always enjoy going to a show with friends because somehow I see so much more.

No photos were allowed and there was not a book of the exhibit. We may see some of these quilts again at one of the big shows in Yokohama or Tokyo Dome where some photos are allowed. It seems the quilters were assigned a month to represent in their quilt so as you might imagine there were many with flowers or subjects indicating a season. I had been asked by a fellow blogger about a Japanese quilter, Junko Maeda, and noticed she had a quilt in the show called "From Grandmother's tansu or cupboard" Maeda has published books of her quilts and that one was worthy of a book of its own. The fabric was fussy-cut piecing of kimono fabric dyed with earth, a specialty of Oshima Island. I wish my friend, Lis, who loves dying fabrics, could have seen that one.

In addition to the quilts, there were display cases showing a variety of containers the different quilters use for their supplies and those items. Of course I had a good look at those and compared them with my finished chatelaine. Mine has no thimble or needle threader but otherwise quilters seem to gather most of the same items. Some had measuring tape and some small rulers but none as nice as mine. All the containers were a bit big or very big and mine was the only one  of use on a train ride or even sitting in a meeting.

Sensei gave me the left-over tickets and I returned with some friends from my new sewing group. It was fun to have another go.

There were vendors in the area outside the show though I only picked up some sashiko thread to try on the banner. (In the end, I took those stitches out and used regular quilting). Next day I came down to find Nikko had taken all the thread off the card and eaten the card. Last time she did that she ruined the thread but this time it was strung out on the living room carpet and I was able to re-wind it on a different card.

Two train trips into town and back added to my blocks. I think there are about 86 or so now, though I still don't know how I will use them. Here they are sitting on my box containing all those 1.5 inch bits. (And note... the lid goes shut)!

The weather has been cool one day and warm the next. The gardenias are having their second bloom as well as the little flowers along my wall.

I have no idea what these are. They come in white and yellow and purple ... though most of them are white and are open just two days. I'm so glad the pavers left my flower strip when they paved our street last winter.

And now is the season to enjoy this little volunteer.

I don't know its name either and it might be considered a weed but as weeds go, it is easy to manage and the flowers are so tiny and delicate.


They open around four in the afternoon and I think only last the one day, though there are plenty of buds so flowers to enjoy each day. So very tiny and bright pink.

Tonight it is raining so the flowers are happy ... though Nikko was not delighted with the thunder coming with the rain. In the early summer, each rain is followed by slightly warmer temperatures.. Now we are working the other way and each rain will move us to cooler days as fall approaches. There have been a few nights I thought of digging out a warmer blanket to sleep under. All too soon it will happen.