Celebrating a finish!

All Done!

I finished up the quilting yesterday but it was raining and blowing, so a picture had to wait.

I am not very good at getting the pictures right, especially when it comes to color and focus. I really can't understand 90% of the stuff on the dials and the booklet that came with it is all in Japanese. (and I probably wouldn't understand it in English either).

I began reading and making blocks to go with each story back in February 2013, thanks to a fellow blogger, Starwood Quilter. The quilter's book club ended suddenly in 2014 and, wanting to put those 17 blocks to use, I finally figured out how to arrange them all by setting them on point. The finished size is 63" x 83".

Though they hardly show in this picture, I put a label 

on the back of each block with the title and author of the book

and the name of the block plus any additional information about the choice of blocks or fabrics.

I am really happy to have the quilting done before the heat sets in. Now I will be working on two projects. I need to finish the border on grandson Ben's quilt. I have been collecting purple and lime green fabrics and I think I have enough. I just need to come up with a plan as how to use them in a border.

My other short list project is a small quilted object ... table runner? ... for the rice store lady who has so kindly lent me her floor space on multiple occasions. I drafted a pattern and made templates and began to cut pieces so I would have take-along work ... then promptly lost the templates. I have spent three days looking and probably could have made a few hundred more in that time. I may give up and do that.

Here is my next project ... I got 50 silkworm eggs and they began to hatch two days ago. Now part of the morning walk with Nikko is picking mulberry leaves. These are tiny new leaves so you can imagine how small these little caterpillars are. I have to move them to the fresh leaves with a paintbrush. One thing I like most about these pets is that they stay right there and wait for food. They don't leave the box or get in trouble while I am out. They will go with me to scout camp in a few weeks (where I will have to protect them from ants). 

In showing these to the scouts, they are a good example of what happens when we are removed too far from nature. Because of centuries of relying on humans, they cannot find their own food, even if it is growing all around them. They have no protection from predators ... birds or even ants ... or rain ... 

We love all those modern conveniences ... water from a tap, light from a switch ... food from the market ... even a GPS on our cell phone ... but many kids don't even know what their food looks like growing or what to do when the battery dies. Scouting is a good way to learn skills that may come in handy somewhere down the road.

Add caption

The Easter cactus has finally bloomed but it was so late it has been out-done by all my other cacti,

This little tea-cup baby has flowers I have posted nearly every year but I think this is a record show.

There are flowers and buds all over my cactus world and I am enjoying them among the hanging laundry.

Have a great weekend!

Mine will be way too busy.

Filling in the blanks

I guess I could be quilting the outer sashing by now, but I decided to go back and fill in the areas not covered with the feathers.

It probably isn't needed but I think the extra quilting adds a bit more balance,

The areas next to the border were a bit smaller than those along the sides so I modified the simple pattern to just a wee bit smaller ... template B.
It isn't taking long so maybe I can begin the outer sashing by tomorrow.

I turned the template as needed to fill in the areas that had been left between the feathers.


This busy print does not show the quilting well but I still think having those areas filled is more satisfying.

Last night I had to get up and run through the house shutting windows because a sudden thunder storm came through.

Today I had to go open them all again as it is a lovely sunny day.

Here in this picture, among the pink-headed knotweed, is a flower I found blooming at my last house.
The "lawn" was planted with "dragon's beard", not really a grass but a nice green-all-year ground cover that is popular in Tokyo gardens.

It spreads by roots or rhizomes and never needs cutting. Among that "grass" were a few flowers popping up. The leaves are the same size as the grass though they are bulbs and die back during the winter. There purplish-blue flowers are such pretty half-day wonders and the seeds I brought and planted have multiplied over the years.

BUT, if one wants to enjoy them ... one needs to get out early. By noon they are curling up and by evening they are in a tight knob at the tip of the stem. Those will dry and open like a cup full of tiny black seeds ... not unlike poppies.

Luckily, they don't all bloom at once so each morning different ones appear and we can enjoy them for a few weeks in spring.

I have not found this flower in any of my wildflower books, but even without a name, it is a pretty addition to the plants along the wall.

It seems there will be plenty of seeds to spread and I have a few ideas of where they might look good in the future.

Digital challenges = quilting time

The inner border is now quilted. I only chose a simple pattern I had made into a template about thirty years ago. It was just the right size for a two-inch sashing. I had cut it out of light plastic and glued sandpaper to the back, making it easy to trace around last week when I had floor space.


I decided to work on the blocks in the order that I had made them. This block is "Prairie Queen", made for the Persian Pickle Club.

I cut a small pickle design to trace for the inner area and put question marks into the corner triangles. (the story ends with a question remaining).

A Single Thread was the quilt idea I used to tie the area around the spools together and fill the larger spaces.

It is also the name of the book.

The only large spaces were inside the dark area on this "Garden Path" block.

I quilted in a small flower with leaves but I think that was really too detailed a design to do in such a small space and probably wasn't needed,

This is the block for The Quilter's Apprentice.

 I decided to make a small label for the back side of each block with the name of the book, author and anything else I might want to remember.

I found a light floral print in my stash that might look better than plain muslin.
The only possible problem is that I only have enough for 16 labels and there are 17 book blocks.

I'm sure by the time I get to the last book I will come up with a plan.
I had been dreading the next down-load from my camera, as the last one down-loaded all the pictures stored on the chip.  Well, I decided to try anyway ... at least I would know what to expect in the future.  Sorry to say, the computer did not recognize all the thousands of pictures it had put into the file last time and I had to wait while the computer made a whole new file just to get these four pictures.

Of course it took a lot of time ... but during that time I finished the block for Alice's Tulips. It didn't need any additional quilting as there were no large empty spaces but I appliqued a ladybug over a small cut on one of tulips and added the label to the back. I also deleted all the duplicate files in my pictures ... since it doesn't seem to matter to the computer whether I have them or not. Maybe I need to get another chip to use in my camera when I plan to delete them anyway... or maybe the computer will go back to it's former pattern of selecting only new pictures ???? Who knows? Not me!

Problem solved ... kinda maybe

After a frustrating week, I was beginning to think I would never be able to post new pictures again. Oh, there were new pictures in my camera, alright.

BUT ... the system I had been using to download them to the computer had disappeared ... or hiding ... or gone into stealth mode.

Even the sign-in when I opened the computer had changed. THEN ...
about Sunday, when I opened my laptop, I got the sign-in format I had been expecting ... well ... once, but before I could get my camera and see if the download function had reappeared, I had to shut the laptop and go somewhere. When I returned ... the earlier format welcomed the opening.

Well. there still might be hope ... so I decided to see just how long the hold-out might happen. Oh, a couple of times I did get the format I was looking for but it was a part-time thing.

 Well, I had other things to do ...


Camping with the Cub Scouts, for example...

I had the fun of leading the nature hike.
We did an alphabet scavenger hunt (6 one-hour hikes) and two groups managed to find a full alphabet in creative ways. The items had to be in nature and able to see or hear and identify.

Usually on these events I do the crafts but the projects (which you can see in the hands of the boys) was "Light Sabers" which quickly turned into weaponry. With a light stick inserted, they could even  whack each other in the dark of night. No thanks, I'll go with nature study or nature crafts. Nikko said she could do without the whacking too, even if she was not the whackee.

Friday, the new Friday group met at a home with a huge (to me) open space of wood flooring. I was so happy to lay out my quilt, which was now quilted in the ditch on all the blocks, and mark the sashing for quilting.

Now the quilting is more than half done in the sashing. See what can happen when I am avoiding my laptop? Once I get that done. I will think about what I want to do in the larger areas. (Well, I am thinking now but haven't made any decisions).


I think it was Tanya who suggested I just turn off the computer and leave it a while. I don't know if that did the trick but...
Finally, yesterday the old format returned on a regular basis so I decided that if it was still that way today, I would try the camera download.

Well, what I got was not exactly what I expected.

(That is the "kinda maybe" part)
Usually the computer recognizes those shots that have already been downloaded ... but this time it re-downloaded EVERYTHING in the camera.
I really don't need a thousand duplicates taking up storage space ... and I sure don't need to thumb through all those tiny pictures looking for what I want ... but hey, at least I can add them to a post.

So, now you can see my big Orchid cactus flower as the pot sits on my stair steps. I'm glad I didn't miss all three flowers as they open at night and only last two days.

My marked quilt is on the big floor (with no dog hair) and yesterday Norie, Hiro, and Leia stopped by to celebrate their anniversary and borrow my van for a trip. I hope they go safely and have fun. This is "Golden Week" and the traffic is bound to be awful. The flowers on the bureau were a gift from the rice store lady. I just had to admire her beautiful garden while I was using her room for basting, and knowing how much I love the flowers, she has brought me several donations.

This little iris-like flower was also a gift.

She thought I might like to plant it in the weed lot I am taking care of, but I would feel so bad if someone was to break off the flowers the way the tulips were destroyed.

I divided them into two pots and will see where they do well by moving them around the garden.

Today this friend came again with two more of my favorite plants ... lily of the valley and something called "shiran" in Japanese. It is kind of a wild orchid. Those will soon find their way into my shady garden plot.
I am sure she didn't find it easy pulling out these tuberous roots but I feel so blessed to have such a friend who knows how much I love those flowers and shares hers with me.

The time has come to make a quilted object for her. One more thing to think about while I sew.

I almost missed it!

I often get distracted and miss things.

Already this month, I missed the day the vet comes to a local park and you can take your dog for her yearly shot and get new tags for the year for her to wear.
There are other shot opportunities in other parks but not as close to home ... and I can't read where to go.

Well, I have been distracted up in my little greenhouse by this orchid cactus. Last year was the first time it bloomed and this year I have been excited watching these buds get bigger and bigger by the day... kind of hoping it will not decide to open on  a day I am camping with the scouts....

Well, Yesterday the wash had to be done and hung in the greenhouse. Among all the stuff arranged on the bar and clippies, I noticed one of my "regulars" blooming quietly on the step-tansu.

Six lovely flowers ... and I had been so busy watching the big one, I hadn't even noticed this one had buds!

Then I started checking around the room and saw buds forming on a number of plants.

They are not in their usual order of blooming.

The Easter cactus has not even begun to set buds.

The two spiny ones that are always first to bloom are still thinking things over.

My little tea-cup cactus has lots of flower spikes and it is about on time ... but I had moved it to a different location where it gets a bit less sun than other years.



Once the laundry is hung, you really can't see much of the plants...

but today the sun was out and it looked like the day was going to warm up.

The stuff hanging from yesterday was still damp so I opened the windows to the south so it wouldn't get too hot and to let in some fresh air.

And there, sitting at the corner of my roof, just inside the railing, an orchid in full bloom.

There are plenty of buds yet to open and I am thinking I really should bring this downstairs and set it where we can enjoy it.
Of course, the roof is the only place that gets sun so it might not be too happy on my table.

If you want something that thrives on neglect ... this is it!

I can't even squeeze out into this space to pull out the weeds.
It gets water when it rains.
It gets snow in winter and plenty of heat in summer.

And quilting can't be done on the train rides but after finishing the basting on Monday, I started with the center block and have managed to put the in-the-ditch quilting in four blocks.

My plan is to go back and add quilting in the sashing and larger areas.

I still have not picked a pattern

The batting is thinsulate #60 and really doesn't need a lot of close quilting to hold it in place.

I guess I have plenty of time to figure out what I am going to do in the larger spaces and those big green triangles joining the blocks together. I may go back and re-visit the books for additional ideas.

Let the quilting begin!

After laying out all the border options on the floor of the fellowship hall on Sunday, I decided those colorful scraps were more of a distraction than an addition. I stopped at Yuzawaya on the way home and purchased a very small amount of blue to complete the border.

As it turned out, I could buy the fabric in 10 cm. sections so 30 cm. was more than enough and a 20% coupon made it even cheaper. (actually I paid more for two batteries for my flashlight at the next stop).

I don't know why the picture turns out so washed out but the results are satisfying enough.

Today I borrowed the tatami room of my friend at the rice store and basted everything together. Because of the generosity of another friend, I had enough muslin to make a backing. (She was responsible for the green fabric as well). I think this is the first time for me to make a quilt with a light solid fabric backing, I usually select a small print to hide my uneven stitching. Does that mean I have to do a better job of quilting? Anyway, I am all fired up and ready to get started. It is raining and blowing outside so this will be the perfect day to sit in my chair and stitch away.

Almost there

I decided to go with the green.

The blue was just too overpowering and the green contains the same blues, browns, and reds that are in the feature pickle fabric.

Now all the triangles are in place and I like the effect.

Next will be the decision on the border. I am thinking maybe a strip of the light blue with a few insets of other fabrics from the main quilt.

I am planning for a single bed size so I don't want it to go much larger.
I am thinking of two inches all around will be just about right.  have only a small amount of the blue left ... not enough to go all the way around. I have varying amounts of the other fabrics ... browns, tans, reds, etc to make it around. If I wanted all blue, I would have to buy more which is not really my plan.

The picture taken on the park fence looks a bit dull in the early morning sun, but one can get an idea of where we stand as of now.

Blue border?
That might cost a bit but it would be faster and easier to sew.

Pieced border?
It would take more time ... but time is not really the issue...
It would use up more of my scraps.
It might be complicated to arrange the blues and other fabrics so they are balanced... but I do like the prospect of using up stash ... and some of these fabrics that appear only once might like to have a friend in the border.

I could always finish it with light blue binding.

I love to get advice ... even if I can't follow it all.

Now that the rain has taken a breal, we are seeing red.


The Photinia is a favorite hedge, This is along a fence surrounding a large apartment building.
It gives a lot of privacy and lets in the air.

The shrubs at the bottom come out green and by the time the Photinia turns green, those plants will be a bright red.

The Japanese maples are all coming out flaming red.

I don't know if they are brighter in the spring or the fall ... but I think spring wins.

Even the scrubby azaleas outside the station entrance are getting into the act.

Maybe that border wants some red too?

Spring rain

Actually, spring seems to be having second thoughts. Though the cherries have bloomed and it was looking as if spring was well on its way, March seems to have returned for another blast.

Last week the air was filled with cherry petals. They drifted like pink snow along our street even though the nearest trees are over a block away.

Over the weekend the petals began coming from the camellias in the garden to our north... a bit larger and darker but easier to sweep up.

Now the stuff falling from the sky is cold rain. From a warm day yesterday it is getting colder by the hour. Tomorrow it is predicted to drop to 5 degrees centigrade. Guess I won't pack up my winter clothes yet.

Several of my friends have blogged pictures of their lovely grape hyacinths. All of them had large flower heads and stand-up leaves. I don't know why the difference but these are the ones that come up in my garden planters. They are very hardy volunteers but those leaves are so stringy.

Last week was a very frustrating and challenging week for me. My little laptop is a Dell,Inspiron duo. I had had a Dell before and chose this one mostly because it is small and light and my son could get it for me in the States. It is sold in Tokyo but the entry language is all Japanese. The shops that handle the Japanese version won't even look at any problems I may be having.

Well, what I might have pushed accidentally ... or Nikko might have pushed while putting her nose in my lap ,,, I have no idea, but my system went to a touch screen only... no cursor... and all the writing so close together that trying to touch anything to make fixes was an exercise in frustration. Finally, on Friday, my son called from DC and very patiently talked me through a fix. It must have taken over an hour on the phone because many times it took countless trial and error to bring up the selections and then touch the proper place on the screen. Oh, how happy I was to get my cursor back!

I am still having one frustrating problem in regard to blogging. Three of my regular blogging friends have told me I am appearing as a no reply blogger. I do not know why it is on some blogs and not on others. I thought it might have something to do with the switch to google plus. I tried turning off the google plus but that didn't seem to work ... or it turned itself back on. I tried adding my yahoo e-mail address to the juliefukudasenior google address but that doesn't seem to have helped either. On my post page there is no place I can find to access or change my profile so I am completely stymied.

I keep telling myself that most people my age don't even have a computer, let alone a blog, so be patient and hope an answer will come. Meanwhile, I thank my friends for kindly letting me know. If it is a fight between google plus and yahoo or bloglovin, I wish they would stop fixing things that weren't broke to begin with.

While waiting for more snowflakes to be added to the Christmas tree skirt, I thought I would
take advantage of the bedding being moved off the loft bed to lay out the blocks for the book club books. Hard to get much of a picture under the eves.

As it happened, the posts ended with the 17th book. I miss those book club posts and had been enjoying the discussion and suggestions of books to read. I also miss the Starwood Quilter posts.
I hope some day Susan will return to the blogging world.

Living in Tokyo, it is not unusual to have friends come and go, but when friends on line leave the blogging world, one tends to worry about what may be happening in their lives and hope the reasons are good ones.

Well, I think putting the blocks on point might work best.

I want to add sashing and wonder what color to use.

I am thinking of adding triangles in the border spaces. Solid? Print? Pieced? Solid with applique? I am Completely open to suggestions.

All the blocks contain one piece of a dark paisley fabric containing  dark red ,brown, dark green, navy, and outlines in black and white.

The piece remaining is about 15 x 13 inches in size. I chose to use it because the first book we read was the Persian Pickle Club and I thought I would have enough to put a little bit into each block.

It is very old and though I looked in several shops I couldn't find any paisley in similar colors.

There is probably enough to include somehow in the triangular pieces.
I think the colors in this picture are pretty close to the fabric.


A few pieces use the light blue so that might work for the sashing. Only a few blocks contain yellow so I might want to use some of that somewhere in the triangles. Then the whole thing will need a border. The blocks will finish at 12 inches so If I add 2 inch sashing and maybe a two inch border, the quilt should finish off at a single bed size.

I really need to move on with this project while I am waiting to find the perfect purple and lime green print for the border of my grandson's quilt and get snowflakes in the mail.... lest these WIPs begin to feel like UFOs. Thanks for any ideas you may offer.

Tomorrow will be rain again, so a good day to do some cutting and sewing.

This last picture is of some volunteers that I moved into a pot outside my door.

I have no idea what they are or where they came from. They are slightly tinted with a pale blue and only three or so inches high. The leaves were out all winter ... in fact, the pot never was completely without leaves. I was expecting something else with red flowers. I have another plant that looks and behaves the same (flowers closing at night) but it is in the border and grows about a foot high. The flowers come from little bulbs. Anyway, they look happy here greeting those who come to my door. Now they are greeting you.

Rainy week activities

This has been a dark rainy week....
Sometimes heavy rain with loud crashing thunder and a very trembling, drooling dog at my feet.

A few more four inch blocks were added to my four inch collection. I have yet to decide what I will do with these eventually.  My one-inch box is getting a bit tight to close and these, I hope, will cut the stash a bit. Maybe I should be making the blocks larger but this is just about the right size for take-along work.

I arrange the squares between scraps of thinsulate batting and put them in a zip-lock baggie. This size block can be carried conveniently and finished on a train ride into town.

This week I also finished reading "Sarah's Quilt", the book club read for June by Nancy E. Turner.
I thought I might make the block for this book by copying the quilt on the book cover. Actually, not much of that quilt was shown but it seemed to be a lot of diamonds arranged into hexagons. It seemed a bit complicated to figure out for a 12 inch block.

Here is what I came up with. The dark paisley and white are to represent the windmills that were built to overcome the drought. (The small one was the damaged one and the dark, the new replacement.)

The nine patches represent the close family ties in the story, those homes where the story took place. I thought of using a log cabin piecing but at only three inches, the nine-patch worked better.

The reds are all different fabrics and they are joined to the rest with a small heart print.

The resulting block is rather bright and red but I hope it will work with the others. I have not laid them all out as yet. It is really to dark on rainy days for photos and the flash does not add much to the picture as you may note in the picture above.

Now I am waiting to learn the next book pick. Meanwhile I get the feeling there may be one more book added to this story. I hope so, because Turner can spin a really good tale from the first page to the last word.

The last picture is a "stealth flower".

The Magnolia is one of the first blooming trees in our neighborhood. It is setting buds for next spring's blooming already, and they usually open long before the first leaves appear. All winter we watch those fuzzy buds swell.

I guess some of those buds just couldn't wait for next spring because almost every tree has a bloom or two hiding among the leaves.

The power cord to my laptop gave up working and I am faced with a computer problem. The connector came with the computer from the States and in made in China and not sold in Japan. I can still charge the battery by setting the computer on the "audio station" but it can't be used while in this mode.

I wish Dell had made a stronger wire than the the one connected to the converter. I think the last laptop my husband had, died for the same reason. I can read e-mail on my call phone but I think my computer time has been severely cut.
Time to do some house cleaning? Sigh!

My May read is now a block

The May read for the Quilter's Book Club was "These is My Words" ... the Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine. 1881 - 1901.

Written by Nancy E. Turner.

When I was a kid, I hated history. To me it was nothing more than memorizing dates and spelling strange and impossible names of people and places.

I do remember the 4th grade teacher reading us "Johnny Tremain" which, though I hated the teacher, loved the story and could hardly wait for the next chapter. I was ever so careful not to do anything that might cause me to be sent to the cloak-room during that time of day. It took many years for me to realize that the stories I loved were history made real.

This book is a dose of history that takes you there. Our book for this month is continuation of the story. Mine is somewhere in the post and I am very much looking forward to it.

I made a couple of drawings of possible blocks but in the end, I decided on this block I found in Jinny Beyer's The Quilter's Album of Blocks and Borders, picked partly because the name was "The House that Jack Built". I had thought of something with a log cabin feeling and though it is rather more simple than other blocks, I was able to use my feature fabrics and add the heart fabric at the center. This is my 16th twelve-inch block and as soon as I find enough space, I want to lay them all out and see how they look together.

If you like the challenge of thinking up a quilt block each month to go with a good read, you should check out Susan's blog. (Even if you don't care to make a block, the suggestions to read are outstanding).

I have had another challenge over the past week through a request coming from someone who found a picture on one of my old posts. If he agrees, I would love to share the story here.

My cacti have been putting on a wonderful show.

Some of them are blooming for the very first time and some are regulars.

These only last a few days but there are buds coming up for later enjoyment.

My step tansu has flowers on every level.




The big red flower was a first bloom.

The white flowers are the second group to open and last a long time. The tall cacti on the left of that one has a halo of tiny red flowers earlier at the end of winter and the spiky cacti on the right is in full bloom now with a promise of more buds to open.

The Easter cactus missed Easter but I am happy it survived the heavy snows of the past winter ...


As it lives all year round out on top of the air conditioning unit on the balcony.

The prickly pear next to it had a rough time and I don't know if it will bloom this year. Usually it blooms nearer the end of the month.

Last fall, I admired a beautiful shrubby plant with white flowers and variegated leaves in a neighborhood garden. This past week, that neighbor called to me as I was passing on my way to the station saying there was a pot of that plant waiting for me to take home and enjoy.

Sure enough, as I returned home later in the day, the pot was sitting just outside their gate in a plastic bag. I am thinking of making a table runner for that couple. I have no idea what their home is like but they must have a table for eating and may even have a geta box in their genkan. I am wondering what size runner would be useful. If anyone has a suggestion, please share with me. I am thinking of something bigger than a place mat but not so big that it might not fit the table. I suppose a small quilt for on a sofa would work but I don't even know if they have a sofa or if their home is more traditional Japanese style.

I think it will be fun to come up with a thank you gift.  That is one aspect of quilting I really enjoy.

My quilt is getting bigger

This week I finished reading our book for April.

My final task was to come up with a block to represent that book.

Sometimes finding a good block is more challenging than finishing the reading.

Our first book in February last year was the Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas.
At that time, I dug out from my stash, a piece of paisley fabric and decided to use a little bit in each of the blocks for the Quilters Book Club. That fabric will tie the blocks together and represent this group of reading quilters.

Since the amount is not so large and getting smaller each month, I wanted to make blocks that pulled out the colors from the paisley as well as added a bit more variety of color to the quilt I will make.

I have several books of quilt block designs and it is a good thing because many of them are two or three color blocks. A number of months I have given up and drafted my own pattern. I did find two patterns that might have worked for this month but the book's ending gave me another idea.

In the story, the Friday night quilters at the quilt shop make a quilt for Ivy, each one making a block to represent their home. Ivy's house block is placed in the middle, a white house with blue windows, a red door, a stone fireplace and a garden are a few of the points described by her little daughter as the "smiling" house.

In each corner were the other houses of the four members "like mismatched sentries on a guard points on a compass, fixed and immovable." Well, I wasn't going to try making four more houses but last year when we read the first of the "Cobbled Court Quilts " series,"A Single Thread", I had made a block of four spools, one representing each character, with the threads joining in the center.
I decided to use the spool colors representing those women in each corner and the paisley as compass points.

This is my 15th block. If I make a quilt to snuggle under while reading, I may have to change from reading on the train to reading in bed!

Check out Susan's Blog if you like to read . You may discover a new author and an enjoyable read and even make a few new friends in the process.

Two more book club blocks

The February book club read was "Mrs, Lincoln's Dressmaker" by Jennifer Chiaverini.

This is my favorite way to learn history and since much of the information came from records and memoirs, it contains a lot of true history.

Though I usually try to find block ideas using a number of fabrics, I decided to go with something more simple.

This pattern is called "broken heart" and I thought each color would represent the two main characters.

Certainly both women were linked, not only by dresses but by the loss of family members.

The light heart print I used from the background is a rather light weave but I had just enough and decided to go with that rather than a bright pink and white heart print. I don't know how machine piecers manage but trying to figure out how to iron all those seams so as not to create lumps is plenty difficult when there is a choice.

I have made one more block but I am not sure if this is the right block for the March book.

This block is called "Star of Mystery". I picked it out because I could use a variety of fabrics.

The book is "A Drunkards Path" by Clare O"Donohue.

I have yet to try a drunkard's path block. but if I find one I like, this might become the default block.

The next few books I will probably have to send away  to Amazon to buy, a but tricky without a credit card...

This makes 14 blocks but I think I want to make my quilt a bit larger.

I wonder who, other than Susan. have made blocks for all the books.
Thank You Susan, for the fun of a challenge I can join without pressure.

December book club block is finished.

Considering all the trouble I had drafting this feathered star for a twelve inch block, I am satisfied... and a little surprised at how nicely all those little pieces went together. Yes, fabric is forgiving.

I considered doing some applique in the corners, but I think I like it as is.

If you read "The Christmas Quilt" by Jennifer Chiaverini, you will understand the significance of the eight-pointed star with red tips, and the feather star block. It is a fairly easy read, since I have managed to finish it within the month. My copy was sent me by my elder son and also includes "The New Year's Quilt" which I have almost finished. I am enjoying the Quilter's Book Club reads and some day may even have a reading quilt to snuggle in.

Yesterday was "mochi pounding" with the Scouts. Every year the Japanese Scouts invite our group to their Taito group 4 event.

Rice is steamed and then pounded in these "usu", mortars made from tree trunks. The sticky paste then goes into delicious soup or is eaten with an assortment of garnishes such as seaweed or bean paste.
The American scouts take Christmas cookies to share and we enjoy the cultural exchange, We even get some mochi to take home and we enjoyed some with our breakfast soup.

 There is a bit of seasonal entertainment on the temple stairs.

There was singing (I led one song ... repeat-after-me ... with lots of motions), and some presentations and speeches.

Many members of my Cub Pack travel over the holidays so we bring in other packs from the Tokyo Zone to share the festivities.

I don't remember how long ago we began this activity, but probably from the beginning of the current emperor's reign, 25 years ago, as this event is held on the emperor's birthday which is a national holiday.

The first three scouters in this picture and the lady just left of me have been my friends for all those years. The young man with arms folded is my Committee Chairman and assistant Cubmaster and the reason I still survive as a leader at all.


One benefit of the long ride there and back was time to finish the next bit of Gala quilt homework.

Too bad I only had eight blocks to complete. Other members of the group also took blocks to work on and this is all I could gather up. They look a bit washed out on the sunny floor of my greenhouse bedroom.

The turkey has flown in the door. Several church services await my singing, and tomorrow promises to be a busy day with family and friends'

Here's wishing a Blessed Christmas to my blogging friends.

Where did the week go?

I had promised my little assistant that this weekend, we would make Christmas cookies.

She arrived Friday evening and, after dinner, we mixed up the cookie dough to chill overnight and she dressed the dolls in their nightwear so they could get a good sleep and be ready to enjoy the Saturday activity.

Since my kitchen is really too tight a fit for more than one person at a time, after breakfast we cleared the dining room table to make enough room for our cookie factory.

I dug out the box of cookie cutters and Leia looked them over, deciding which ones would be good for the season.

We made "painted cookies". I mixed an egg yolk with food coloring, red, yellow, blue, and since I was all out of green, mixed blue and yellow on the forth cup.

Each color got one paintbrush and the colors were painted on the cookies once I had them cut and on the cookie sheet.

In addition to the painting, there were all kinds of sprinkles to add.

HOWEVER, these were not sprinkled but carefully placed on each cookie.

It is expected that a child can work on a project for about as many minutes as they are years old, but this is the kid who started taking the ornaments off the tree so she could keep doing the trimming.

We made a double recipe so there were cookies for Leia to take home and some for me to take to the Scout activity tomorrow... and a few to keep and eat here.

We actually spent hours decorating cookies and even the very last cookie was given attention down to the last detail.

Yes, I had to paint a few too. After all, I needed some to take tomorrow, and Norie shared some of the rolling and cutting and decorating, or we would have taken all night.

While I was cleaning up, Leia went off to the corner rice shop to take some cookies to that special neighbor.

The cookies were carefully packed for travel, after sampling a few. Leia has friends in her neighborhood to share with too.

Yes, I think there will be enough to share.  See how many she made? Yes, every expertly made cookie in that box!

I'll bet it won't take a fraction of the time it took to make them, for a bunch of Scouts to finish these off!











Today was not all that much quieter. Church choir, caroling in front of the church, and the walk to the bus stop.

This is how the street in front of our church looks during the daytime without the lighting.



The church is just the other side of Louis Vuitton.

And this is who was walking past, enjoying the singing.


Well, I doubt they came for the singing....
Perhaps it was a dog party of some kind because as I was about to put me camera away, along came another group.

 There were a few little dogs but most were huskies. I don't think a dog with so much fur needed all that fancy clothing.

Now that the activities are over until tomorrow, I had time to work on my book club block.

While reading Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Christmas Quilt" I decided to make an eight pointed star.

Then, as I was reading "An Elm Creek Quilts Companion", which was sent to me by StarwoodQuilter
our book club organizer, I found a picture of the feathered star featured in the story, and decided to make that one for my book club block.

Looking through my patterns, I found no instructions for a 12 inch feathered star. I decided I would draft my own pattern... but that is not as easy as I thought it would be... and what a lot of tiny pieces! I drew it out on a 12 inch square of paper. Then I traced the segments on to yellow plastic to make templates. Because the pattern was hand drawn, none of the segments in the drawing were the same size. Well, I figured fabric is forgiving and I would pick the most even segment and use that for a template. Well, so far, so good.

Now I need to draft the center which will be the paisley fabric. I have been thinking about this and finally I think I have a plan that will work. If I make a circle, four inches in diameter and divide it into eight sections, then cut straight from one section to the next one, it should make an octagon that will fit those points.  I am lousy at math but if it works, my block for December might actually be finished before the month is out.

I may add some applique in the corners, but then again, maybe I should stop while I am ahead.