Making haste slowly

The wedding quilt is making very slow progress. The star is now quilted and I have quilted in the American and Japanese Scout emblems. Next corner will get the groom's family crest. This is rather large to take along so has to wait for spare home time.

The Advent calendar is a bit more pressing because December is not all that far away. The hanging is all finished except for the sleeve and hanging rod.

The next two days I will be subbing at the Early Learning Center, then take off for Scout camping. I cut the wooden pieces for the decorations and will take them and my knife to camp where I can whittle them outdoors and not mess up my carpet. Sanding and painting shouldn't take all that long. I am beginning to think I might hit my deadline.

Meanwhile I am piecing the batik rainbow blocks. I carry them in my bag and, if I can get a seat on the train, I work on those. If not, I read. I have an idea of what I want to do with those blocks but there is no deadline or hurry.

The trains have a section of "Silver Seats". Those are reserved for aged passengers, handicapped, and pregnant women. I carry a silver pass, being in the first group, but in truth, those seats are always taken by the youngest and fastest passengers. My regular commute sees young girls putting on makeup, (even curling eyelashes on a moving train) students texting on their phones below the sign saying phones must be turned off in that section, students reading comics or playing gameboy, and young office workers sleeping or reading. Even on "Respect for the aged day" there was no possibility of sitting. After school the trains are a bit less crowded so I may sit as I go to my HS class. Then, it is back into town for choir practice and the last trip home will be sardine city express again. I'd guess two trips reading and two piecing... and a long blogging break.

My other life

Here I am at another day of Scouting at Tama Hills. A few years back, this field was named for me. The name used to be Gilwell, named for Gilwell Park in England and I liked that name fine.

Now that it has my name on it, I feel I need to pull every weed and pick up all the trash. As this is on a military post, since 9/11 I lost my VIP pass and have limited access.I had to be claimed at the gate for NLS (National Leadership Seminar) that has been taking place.

Since this is not a Scouting blog, but a quilting blog, My Blueberry Jambo Bunny, who has been camping with me for many years including 15 jamborees, Wanted me to show off his button blanket. Peeking at my blogging, he saw the nice native appliques on Marjorie's Applique Addict site. Then he saw Nichi's red bunny on her Quiltycat site and wanted his time too.

This is not the traditional arrangement of a button blanket but put into a quilt. You can see what a traditional one looks like by looking at the 2005 section of this blog. Instead of buttons I had to put beads around the design. Being just a bunny, he wanted something a bit stronger as a symbol and chose the thunderbird. This boosts his confidence when he is left to guard my tent during the day.

If you thought I was a little strange before seeing this, now you know it as a fact.

Here we go again!

Last year I drew Kimie's name for Christmas and made her an advent calendar. This year Norie is my Christmas giftee and has asked for a calendar too. So far - so good. I don't have to worry about what to make her.
Now the problem gets a bit complicated ... living in a Japanese house, the wall space for hanging is limited. She gave me the size restrictions (and they were restricting) and I have drafted a pattern and begun the task of putting it in action. The little pockets have to each hold a decoration to place on the tree. If the pockets get too small, the decorations I will have to carve will be very small as well.
Since each pocket has a number, the size of the numbers was also quite limited and needle-turn applique was a bugger. I wanted to stop many times and begin over using paint or embroidery or anything else. Now I am quilting around each number and hoping they will be OK.

As soon as I get these little numbers taken care of, I will be able to sew those pockets on and then the tree and the border of one-inch Christmas fabrics.

Since this is an Advent calendar, it will have to be done by the end of November to be used. The little carved ornaments will take about a week so I guess it is time to stop blogging and get boogieing.

"Going Green" going to a festival

Here is a quilt worthy of any quilt festival but a good place to start is the Blogger's Quilt Festival 2010. amyscreativeside.com.

This quilt was created by a group of mothers from the American School In Japan as one of the prizes for a silent auction at the 2009 Spring Gala.

The Gala theme was "Going Green" I and two other planners pulled out a selection of green fabrics and arranged them into sections. I drew sketches of various seasonal flowers and we selected material for the aplique.

Some of the members of the group who had sewing experience helped aplique the blocks. Those who could do basic sewing joined the blocks or pieced the border.

When the top was assembled we met to quilt in the ditch. Between sessions I took the quilt home and worked the larger areas with Japanese style motifs. Our little group met somewhat weekly, with gaps for holidays, beginning in late November and finishing in early March.

Our first auction quilt was in '04 and with each year our plans have varied but we always start out with non-quilters and end up with great satisfaction and sense of comraderie. This quilt was 211.5cm x 226cm and brought a handsome sum.

If I am able to post this in the festival, it will be thanks to Liz at quilteriehttp://quilterie.blogspot.com who has coached me from afar.

If I had a design wall

If I had a design wall I don't know where I would put it but I know what I would put on it.

The Choir retreat at the foot of Mt. Fuji was great. The picture is of Fuji with the sunrise reflected on its flanks. No matter how many times I glimpse this mountain it is always different yet the same and takes my breath away.

I finished the large blocks in the odd moments. I can't imagine what it would be like to go on a quilt retreat! This project has no particular purpose other than for something to do as take-along work. It was given me by a friend during summer travels and I have added some of my own fabrics as well. There is still a lot to go but since it is a spare time activity there is no rush. Some of my children have asked,"Who are you making that for?" Well, right now, for my sanity. I guess I won't have trouble finding it a home some day!

Take-along work

Today it's off to the choir retreat. Three days of singing until we get it right and a bit

of hand work for a reward. ( My quilt is much too big to drag to the foot of Mt. Fuji!) So ... I stayed up past my bedtime cutting and marking strips for a quilt given me by a friend. This friend had given me something to work on during my summer travels when the tablecloth was finished. Now it can keep me busy in meetings or while the sopranos are singing their part for the 'umpteenth time.

So ... off we go! My wireless problems will be forgotten for the weekend, the dishes can pile up in the sink, the dog hair can pile up on the floor, and beautiful music will be all around me. Now, I'd better not forget to pack my music....

My Quilting Heritage

My quilting is creeping along slowly but there is not much to show.

I thought I might share my great grandmother's quilt.

My Grandmother's house was full of quilts on every bed, the number depending on the time of year. When that house was sold, I was living in Japan and all the quilts went to my siblings. Like that also, when my parent's home was sold the quilts I grew up with also went to my remaining siblings.

There was one quilt left and about eight years ago, my father said he was thinking of donating that one to a museum. I doubt this is a museum piece or that any of the public could cherish it more than I. Certainly a museum might have a better way of storing it or preserving it. Many of the brown dyes have bled on to the surrounding white and some are ragged and worn but to me it is a treasure.

I do not have a date for this quilt. Probably it could be dated by the fabric. It is 76 x92 inches in size and made of 550 two and a half inch patches set on point. It is quilted in a grid horizontally and diagonally at one centimeter intervals. Each small block is perfect and the quilting is ten stitches to the inch.

When I feel I am not making progress, this quilt is my inspiration. I can only hope some day a quilt I have made will be so cherished.

Make use of everything

A few years ago I took a class one of my friends was giving on paper piecing....well knowing it was something I would not likely use since it involved a machine. I brought this piece home wondering what I would ever do with it. Fast forward a year... daughter and granddaughter spend the night from time to time and sleep in the loft. I go up to find a towel or some other object crammed into the area to cut the morning light. Then comes the big "AHAH!" I have something just the right size to fill that spot! The little quilt (if it could be called that) fits on a spring rod and can be used to cover the window or be moved below to let in the air. Multiple problems solved!

Knot migration

I am wondering how to prevent and remedy knot migration.
This must be a problem that machine quilters never face. It happens when I am quilting and find a knot, that was part of the piecing, suddenly sitting on the surface during quilting.
I've tried back-stitching the first stitch when piecing without great success. The only thing I can think of is taking several back stitches and then cut off the knot. Any ideas? or am I the only one with this problem?

Some things can't be fixed

I remember those days when I wondered if we could EVER eat a meal without jumping up to catch a spill. I used permanent press sheets for tablecloths so I wouldn't have to iron them every day.

Now that the kids are all grown up one might think the problem is solved. Ah, not so! Last week I had to wash the tablecloth three times ... spilled soup ... spilled tea ... curry that missed the plate.

I decided to use up some bits of hand-me-down projects to make place mats for myself, Papa, daughter and grand daughter and also son-in-law (who is very neat and doesn't really need one)

Today they made it to the table and after one meal, three messy mats and three blobs of stew on the tablecloth! Well, they look bright and cheerful anyway.

The person who gave me the cut out red pieces had made twelve so I guess I can decorate six more once I see how they wash ... which will be soon.

Mitsukoshi Quilt Show 2010

This afternoon I took a trip to Mitsukoshi Department Store to view the works of 100 Japanese quilters. Many were made with beautiful kimono fabrics. Most of them were quite stunning and, I think, intended as wall art rather than ever to be placed on a bed. (Though I can't ever imagine having a wall space that big!) I walked through the exhibition to the end and without exiting, walked bach to the start and did it again. At the end there was a book to buy but at over 20 dollars, a bit too far out of my range. I did store a few ideas in my brain for inspiration.

Finished Fall Runner

I haven't figured out how to get these pictures arranged on the page but here they are as the computer wants them!

blogging into new projects

After looking around the blog world and seeing so many nice fall decorations, I began to feel that the heart table runner , cheerful as it is, was a bit off season. Back on to the table went it's predecessor but that did not look so seasonal either.

Now, I know there is all kinds of stash out there in quilting land but I keep tins. When I finish up cutting stuff I take my pile of scraps and cut it into squares depending on the size of the scrap. With a half inch for sewing I have a tin each of 4, 3, 2, and 1 inch blocks. Since the lid on the 3-inch block tin was having a problem fitting, I decided to relieve it by removing a selection of browns and golds and see if I could come up with something that said "fall".

This was particularly timely because my quilt project is just too big to lug around and I need take-along work. . My dog was quite happy with the part where we went around looking for leaves to trace in the plain blocks. Three inches is a bit small so she got a good walk in the deal.

Now the runner is in place looking a bit more "fall" and I will have to quickly find a new take-along project as the school's athletic day is coming up this weekend.

Quilting tomorrow

Tomorrow my quilt group meets here. Time to make a dessert and de-dog-hair the house.

At least I have a project to work on. The quilted leaves in each diamond are rather labor intensive but I like the result.

Quilt is basted!

Only six hours crawling around on the floor but I am so happy I had a space just big enough. I use thinsulate from a roll so it had to be pieced. I have heard that 3m makes thinsulate bats and that would be nice but they are not sold here as far as I have seen.
This was a good activity for a gray rainy day. Nothing but the drip drip of the rain and the snip of the scissors and the click of the threader. I began to think about a large quilt my daughter had brought to a family reunion, spread on the cabin floor, and all the cousins, aunts, sisters gathered around to make short work of the project. How I could have used the hands and company. I did remember that at that time someone had brought some spoons to help catch the needle. The more I thought about it and felt my own fingers getting a bit sore, I had to stop my work and go to the kitchen for a small shallow spoon. Could have used it sooner.
I had worried about the lone star lying flat but that was not a problem. The bear paws, however, seemed to be asking for more than their fair share of space and then I spotted several of those pesky bears were out of place! I am not going to un-sew them so they will just have to stay where they are.
I doubt this quilt is any longer a thing to take with me to quilt meetings. It is way too big and bulky now that it is together. Time has come to get two other date-related projects going. The quilting will happen on cold winter days at home. As a result of blog-hopping, I saw a lone star quilted by machine with leaf shapes in the diamonds. I am working by hand but I think I will try to get that effect. Thanks for the ideas out there. Keep 'em comming!

The back has gotten its act together.

Well, today the backing of the quilt is finally done. In the end I had to let the towels decide where they should go. Because of the variety of makers, there is more often than not a variety in both width and length of each towel. Also, because of the way they are dyed, like batik, there is no difference in front or reverse side EXCEPT where there is writing ... and many of the towels are made for commemorative purposes so writing is part of the design. Not knowing which side is up could make for a backward bit of reading.

Next challenge will be piecing the batting. I'm hoping I will have enough to do the job. Anyway, it will have to wait a bit because all of my day tomorrow is taken up with choir, church, Scouts, and family.

revelations

A search of my storage box reveals that I have more than enough towels to back the quilt.

There are lots of Kabuki related ones and a few Scout related ones and even a list of the names of the 47 ronin ... how samurai can you get?

Second discovery is that if I remove all the furniture and the ladder to the loft, I can make enough space to lay the quilt out for basting. That was a pressing worry.

I would like to arrange the towels so there is no up or down...left or right. There is some variety of width and length depending on the maker which makes it a little tricky too. Too bad all my daughters live so far away as they are good at making those decisions for me.

Vines and leaves have been added and the top is finished! I have been giving the backing some thought. My friend gives English commentary for Kabuki ear-phone-guide. Her husband comes from a samurai family. I have decided to use traditional tenugui and piece them together .

I have collected some Kabuki ones and some of the traditional family crests. I know I have a few of the designs that suggest long life and happiness.

Today was not the day to hunt through my collection as I was awakened in the wee hours with a call to teach, going in for a teacher who was out for the day. What fun to spend a whole day with kids and although the weather in Tokyo is still quite hot there was a nice breeze blowing through the downtown area. Tomorrow is a holiday ... autumnal equinox ... and a good day to begin the challenge of reverse-side planning.

My quilt group = my inspiration

The Tokyo International Quilters is really the collected remnants of assorted quilt groups. When you live in a place like Tokyo, you say good-bye, it seems, more than you say hello and we have said plenty of good-byes. Still a small core of avid quilters remains and we meet every-other-Friday at one of the member's homes and enjoy quilting, fellowship, obento, and dessert.

Yesterday I arrived a bit late and found, to my extreme joy, a very special visitor ...a kindred spirit, really... I had not seen in months. It was all I could do to tear myself away at the end of the afternoon.

I will need to buy more green thread to finish sewing the leaves but I spent the time sewing a two-inch border outside the bear paw blocks. I think this not only brings a bit of the orange and yellow to the edge but helps to control those bears who were flexing their seems and behaving like twelve and a half wannabes.

Friday is my quilt group meeting. I need something to work on and just the project to meet that need. Over a year ago I was in the wedding party of a very dear friend, a fellow Scouter. She was marrying another fellow Scouter and both were members of a Woodbadge Bear patrol.

I decided a Bear Paw quilt would be the perfect gift but nothing this big is made by hand in such a short time. I drew up a plan on graph paper and marked out leaf shapes on assorted green scraps. Those I took to the wedding and asked guests to sign them with names and wishes.

After finding out my friend and especially her new husband liked earth tones, I pulled out my collection of greens and browns and cut out the pieces for 24 12in. bear paw blocks... light on dark and dark on light. Imagine having a stash that big! It hardly made a dent.

After the border blocks were finished I drew up a template for the lone star. All the patterns I had in books were for machine piecing so this was a bit taxing to my non-math brain. Now star and inner borders are done and today I finished sewing the blocks around the outer edge. Now it is time to applique the vine and leaves. (I probably should have done this before assembly but I wanted more control over the final placement) Meanwhile, I have enough of the leaf print fabric to add a small border to the outer edge. I am already wondering where I will ever find floor space big enough to lay this out for basting.

2010 - 2011 Stewardship Banner

August 26th Paul asked if I could make something to hang in the church entry where a large paper heart had been the year before. He wanted it done by that Saturday, the 29th or by the latest the 30th.
I told him no way could I get anything decent done in that length of time so he said I might take until the 5th as long as it was hanging by Rally Day. Thus I agreed to give it a shot and began on the 27th.

I was stuck with the logo that had been decided by the committee and their choice of colors but hanging a white banner in the entry for a whole year didn't seem practical so I reversed the colors putting white and yellow on blue rather than yellow and blue on white. Since time was short for applique letters, I went out to the local button store and bought yellow and white felt. Ignoring the demands to match the "font" I used stencils to mark the letters. I was pretty well stuck with what I had on hand.

To give the banner better proportions, I added an upper and lower border pieced of assorted yellow fabrics and the background blue. "Yes" and yellow beginning with "Y"...to me they represent the variety of ways one answers "yes".

I lined the hanging with fabric left over from Jon's tablecloth. I had planned to turn it to the front along the edge but instead added a narrow purchased binding.
Sleeve added to the top and bottom and hanging was finished on September 1. Delivered to the church September 2. Size is about 28inches by 38 inches.

Jon's Birthday Tablecloth 2010

Having drawn Jon's name for birthday giftee, I thought it might be fun to make him a quilted birthday tablecloth. I asked him for table size and color options and then sat down with a pencil and paper to draw up the plan. The idea was to have animals of the zodiac running around to represent the years as they fly by and having made several cloths of food prints and having them found good for hiding spills, I thought it might be fun to have food on the table. I guess the title might be "Food on the Table".

Starting with the center I got bogged down finding positions and fabrics for all the animals. In the end, it took me almost a month past Jon's birthday to complete. With twelve inches between the center and table edge, I was able to put the food fabric on point for a more interesting effect. All the quilting templates I had on hand were the wrong size so I ended up re-drafting them. It gave me work for the trip in the summer and I was able to put in the last stitches before leaving to the jamboree. It has already been spilled on but is yet to celebrate a birthday, having missed Jon's.

ASIJ 2010 Auction Quilt

Made of a very wide selection of Japanese blue fabrics. Completed March 2, 2010 (Tuesday) in time to display at the ELC a few days before the Gala. 100 Dark and light blocks were marked and cut by a large number of volunteers. A sewing session was held at the ASIJ Winterfest when about30 to 40 of the blocks were pinned on a large paper.

By February there were a few panic moments, but Kendra was able to add the border to the assembled blocks. I took the project home between sessions and did the quilting on the blocks as it was a bit difficult to quilt into fabric layers at the points.

The last few sessions we quilted the white design in the border. Again it went home with me where I took out some of the poorer work and finished off the left over areas. Kendra added the binding and the last session on March 2nd, turned the binding and added the sleeve for hanging.

We finished at the ELC by the end of the day on Tuesday and it hung there until the Gala on Saturday.
size is 92"x 92"

Love in Bloom 2010

"Love in Bloom" table runner adapted from a pattern for a wall hanging in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of McCalls Quilting magazine. The pattern was written for machine piecing. I made the hearts scrappy and adjusted the plain border to fit the amount of fabric in my stash. Also changed the applique arrangement and bias color.

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.

Toilet Paper Dispenser Cozy 2009

An end of the year series of small stuff. With a large quilt being held up while I look for fabric is a specific size and color, I began a few small projects for take along work.

First came a new pair of eyes to join the owl collection in the little room off the genkan.

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.

Naomi's Quilt 2009

Since Julie asked for something really "Girly" I found a lovely batik at Kinkado. Unfortunately there was not enough left on the bolt to cut all the sashings. After looking all over online, I gave up and bought a floral. However, after sewing together a number of blocks I didn't like the results so I un-stitched the parts.

During the summer trip to Portland, Julie and I found this pink batik at a fabric shop. I also bought the black alphabet print which I ended up using instead of 4 1 inch block.


Since my stash of 1 inch prints is getting low after Leia's and Irene's quilts I could only come up with 3 inches of blocks for the border. I found some beautiful prints for the border. I found some beautiful prints for the back, but ended up going for something a bit cheaper.

Table Cloth 2009

With pieces of fabric left over from a larger version, I pieced a table cloth that I hope might hide the constant spills. The first cloth was made to use when the table had all three leaves but will never be used in this tiny room. The fabric was purchased at Keepsake Quilters while spending a Mother's Day gift coupon. The cloth was promptly baptized with a cup of sauce. Luckily it washes well.

Paul's "Big Boy" Quilt 2008

Started in April as a carry-along project, I went through my stash of greens and blues. I assembled 3 sizes into a 5" block and those were again combined to make a 10" block.

Designed to be sewed together, they just didn't work when laid out on Sue and Pete's living-room floor in June. At Sue and Cyndi's suggestion, the navy sashing and a blue+green border were added and Kimie helped with the arrangement during her July visit.


It didn't look like much of a "kids" quilt so I decided to use the zodiac animal towels for the reverse side. Paul made a trip to Ginza to pick up a dragon for the top border since little Paul is a dragon. To make the backing large enough I added a strip of dragonfly yukata fabric.

The idea is to have the family members sign their names and birthdays on the animals. I drafted the quilting design and made the templates. The idea was to have and interlocking pattern. I hope this will make up for his baby quilt which had become too small now that he has a big bed. 76" x 86" (193cm x 218.5 cm)

Leia's Quilt 2008

After swearing off hexagons forever, here I am back going going crazy again. Norie liked the I Spy I had made for Julie's boys and I didn't have to do any fabric shopping thus an alphabet for the center. I thought it only fair to put the Hiragana around the edge.


The plans changed when Norie wanted the 1 inch pieces added because the border was now too small. Kato-san gave me some fabric out of her stash of a similar color and the 1-10 counting filled those areas along with name in the upper right and date of birth in the lower left.

Norie got the organic cotton backing. It is soft and shows off my crooked quilting. From a technical standpoint this is the worst quilt I ever made. I was ready to toss it at several points. I hope my darling granddaughter will look at the love and not the imperfections.

68" x 82.5" (173 cm x 210cm)

Lucciano's Quilt 2008

ASIJ Quilt 2008

Cherry Blossoms in the Moonlight, completed and hung at the ELC February 26, 2008.

Since the auction date was chosen earlier than other years, we three, Me, Kendra and Jacqueline, met in June and discussed plans to make a smaller quilt designed to be hung on the wall.  A 4 panel screen seemed to be a good idea because the panels could be worked on individually and joined at the end.  We met again at the end of September and word was sent out to enlist helping hands.  Piecing was begun October 23, first cutting and arranging the background fabrics.  By Christmas break, the aplique had begun. There were a lot of petals both silk and cotton. Jacqueline did the embroidery on each flower.

Maile's Quilt 2007

ASIJ Quilt 2007

Again Kendra, Jacqueline and I sat down to plan the projet.  The theme of the "Blue Dragon" had been chosen by the Auction Committee.  We through we would try a free style and I sketched out a plan.  After piecing the small sections we met to arrange them using a large piece of pink paper marked with a two inch grid.

This process made more work for the three of us but we were able to keep the volunteers busy.  With spring break coming, we began to get concerned about completing the quilting in time to hang the quilt so Kendra called a few all day sessions.  We met again at her house to finish marking the border and a good turn-out made quilting and bias turning go quickly.

I quilted the dragon and background on off days.

Completed 4-9-07.  The lucky bidder was Montana Griffin ar 1,2000,000 yen!

Anniversary Quilt

Double Crossed 2006

ASIJ Quilt 2006

Design planning in October '05 with Kendra Mortganaturn and Jaqueline Wein, we decided on a Japanese Blue & White theme.

We also decided to go for a queen sized quilt thinking it might go for a higher price.  Once the pattern was decided on we shopped for fabric.  The pictures were made mostly of fabric from mine or Kendra's stash.  By December the diamond blocks were pieced and we began the applique.

Once basting was done I brought the quilt home between sessions and quilted the diamonds with crest designs then the picture blocks and corner on the border and added a binding and a sleeve the last day, finishing February 28th.  The quilt was hung in the stairwell at the ELC for a few weeks.  It went to Yasuko Kent, one of the quilters and raised a whopping 700,000 Yen!