Nature inspires

Well, the kimono quilt has been delayed by a day so today we will have a bit of a nature lesson. This little bird is a Mejiro, or known in English as a Japanese white-eye. A common garden bird throughout Japan, they are easily attracted in winter with a piece of fruit, apples or tangerine skewered on some nails poking up through a board on my garden wall. The applique was my first attempt, not too accurate, but after a number of appearances in quilts has gotten better. The carved Mejiro came out of a scrap of wood at the summer jamboree with no photo reference. I have made several low relief carvings of Mejiro as gifts but have no pictures.

The Brown-eared bulbul or Hiodori is another resident that loves a taste of fruit on the feeder.

At my former house I put out a glass of juice and these birds drank it to the very bottom every day, perching on the rim and reaching for the last drop.

This group of pictures are carved in low relief and painted with acrylics. Other birds are three Sparrows and an Oriental greenfinch. Only the Bulbul has yet to make it into a quilt.

Book Cover 2010

For the 2010 Women's Conference I was asked to make a book cover for a prayer book as a gift to the speaker.

Asked to choose "Distinctive Japanese" fabrics. I selected Kasuri from my stash. Dying the threads before weaving seems to be an extreme exercise in faith in that, what was intended matches the result. I was able to pick up a floral weave at the Tokyo Dome Quilt show and finished the cover with a hand crafted butterfly from Hinoki wood. 5" x 7" X 1" Were the dimensions requested. Never having made a book cover before, I made a practice cover for my old bible.

Advent Calendar 2009

With Kimie's name on my Christmas list and Naomi's quilt finished, I began to think of something I could make and decided on an Advent Calendar. Earlier ones had not held up well. Felt was mother-eaten and ornaments fallen apart. I decided to try carving wooden ones and making the hanging of cotton fabric from my stash. I pieced the border instead of using ribbon. The cotton numbers on the pockets were a bigger challenge than felt. They looked a bit better lined and quilted. The green and red fabric was a bit darker than I might have liked, but it was what I had enough of in my stash.



I cut the wooden pieces and carried them camping where wood chips didn't make such a mess. Half a paper clip was glued in for the hanging loop. Panted with acrylic colors and varnish.

Completed 11-25-09
17 1/2" x 36" (44.5 cm x 91cm)

One piece I made (the harp) broke so I decided to make a Mejiro for my tori-doshi kid.

I felt bad half-way through because Julie has asked me to make her one for the last 9 years, but she told me not to worry. I'm glad I finished the project.