No more cleaning frenzies

Today's post has nothing new. It may be a long, long, time before I have something completed to show and a picture of a few more quilted blocks on the batik quilt might not excite anyone other than the daughter getting it when finished.

The time has come for a bit of washing of the quilt that covers the smaller sofa and since I had no digital picture, I decided to take it to the park for a photo. This is a challenge quilt. One former member of our little quilt group returned to Japan for a visit and brought a gift of five fat quarters to each of the group members. These were, a dark blue star print, a blue and tan figured fabric, a red with small white dots, a red and tan check print and a green and tan check print. The members of our group decided we would add one fabric of our own and make a quilted object.

At that time I had a rather small quilt covering my smaller sofa which is quite worn. This seemed like a good opportunity to add some medium brown and make a larger quilt to take its place.

I had no particular plan in mind when I made the center blocks other than to see how this random arrangement might work out. Since I wanted the quilt to be large enough to be useful, I added a wide border and used the five fabrics in an applique. I did a fairly good job of using all the fabric as there was very little, if any, left over. The blue print with stars has faded in the bit of sun that comes through the window part of the year but it is holding up with the rough treatment that a sofa quilt gets.



The reverse side is a collection of Japanese tenugui in botanical prints.
The island with the camellia is Oshima, not far from Tokyo and famous for the large beautiful camellia trees and products made from camellia oil. Many of these represent seasons. Snow on the camellia, the seven autumn plants, pine, plum, cherry and other less familiar plants.

When I first came to live in Japan, we rented a small "apato" not far from where we live now. It had a small entryway with a kitchen sink on one side and a lavatory on the other and a tiny bit of counter to hold a one-burner stove. (no hot water in those days and no bath or shower). There were two rooms. One four and a half mat room and one six mat room. (One tatami mat is about 3'x6') There was also a closet for storing things. Life was quite simple. We had a small folding table about two feet high and five zabuton which are cushions for sitting on. At night we folded up the table and put out thin sleeping mats which had been stored in the cupboard during the day. The only other furniture I brought from the states was a cedar chest that had belonged to my Great Aunt and a bureau that had come west to Ohio in an ox pulled wagon with Great Great Grandfather when Ohio was still the "Western Region". As was the custom in Japan, and still is today, One entered the house and left one's shoes at the entry. Slippers were used in the "kitchen" and toilet but walking on tatami mats was in bare or stocking feet.

Today one finds fewer and fewer rooms with tatami and a room barely larger than that first apartment contains two sofas, two large chairs, a good sized coffee table, a corner table, a large cabinet with a TV, a dish hutch, a desk, a table with six chairs, a buffet and a bookcase. Also a dog kennel, a highchair, a foot stool, several lamps,...are you getting the picture? The problem is, walking through this house in bare feet ... especially when in a cleaning frenzy... is DANGEROUS.

After the quilt group left I went to the clinic for rehab hoping to see an end to the broken toe saga. Alas, the x-ray showed the toe not yet healed and the one next to it had been broken tripping over stuff while trying to tidy the house. This time there is a half cast and it is a lot less painful but flip-flop weather is over. The house went back to its pre-cleaned state before I returned from the clinic and today I tripped over bags of stuff just carrying the ladder through the house. At least four toes are safely covered with the cast. You may think I am a clutz but in this house.... only Nikko moves with ease.

My birthday is coming. For the last three years when asked what I wanted for my birthday, I asked for a system of putting things away (I don't count things in bags as away) so that the place would be neat and tidy and I could feel free to invite my friends over. My son-in-law made wonderful file drawers where things could be organized and I offered to make labels for the files. My daughter spent a long time over the weekend going through the piles and sorting things into labeled bags so they could be put away, but today there is so much junk piled in front of those drawers you couldn't open them if you wanted to. I fear I will always live in an obstacle course.



On the way to the park to take a picture, Nikko met a neighborhood cat that she would like to have as a friend.

As she stood, tongue lolling, tail wagging, with a eager whimper issuing forth from her smiling face, THIS is the greeting she got.

"I see you. I hear you, but don't you DARE take one step further in my direction or I'll bop you on the kisser"


Yes, Nikko, my mother warned me there would be days like this.

As a further report on the Eagle slide, during the ceremony, the "Eagle Charge" came from a former member of the troop by way of a video as that youth is now in New Zealand. Dressed in his full uniform, that Scout was also wearing an eagle slide. And this week I received notice of one of my former Scouts who is working on his project as the last requirement for the rank of Eagle. Yeaaay!

My non-quilting life

As some may already know, Scouting plays a rather large role in my life. The Far East Council brings American Scouting to youth in Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Philippines, and Taiwan and although it is much a part of the military program, the civilian community benefits from all Scouting has to offer. I have been in the program as a Cub Master ever since women were allowed to that position and served in many positions at District and Council level. Not all my Scouts are American citizens. Some belong to the chartering organization , some go to international schools, and some are returning boys who joined the BSA while in the States. One thing they all have in common is that they belong to a revolving door community. The usual stay is two or three years.

Scouting has a lot to offer to these youth because wherever they go, there is another Scouting community ready to welcome them and help with the adjustment of moving to a new place. The sad part is that we have to say a lot of goodbyes.

When my boys leave, I tell them that I hope they will find another unit to join and continue with Scouting. I also encourage them to go for the Eagle rank, and, if they do, let me know and I will carve them an Eagle neckerchief slide. Bribe? Could be... Each year I get announcements of Eagle Courts of Honor and have sent slides all around the world. Some of those boys were just little kids when I last saw them. (Sometimes it is a little hard to imagine them as they are now but I am so happy to have been part of their lives during their growing years).Sometime they are brothers of Eagles and at least two families have three slides.

Last week I received a letter with a Singapore stamp on it. It is an invitation to an Eagle COH and it will be held this evening here in Tokyo. The young man is returning to Tokyo to hold his big event with his former troop. For once I will be able to attend. The slide is all made and I will write a note to give with it.

This particular slide is carved from Japanese Broad-leaved Magnolia. I have three kinds of wood that I like to use. This one is not the most beautiful but it carves nicely and takes the paint well.

This is one of two patterns I repeat over the years. I also carve a slide for my Cubs if they meet the "Cubmaster's Challenge". That is to graduate to Boy Scouts having done everything in the book, including the religious award and the environmental patch. (It is possible to earn the Arrow of Light award by doing a certain amount of the advancement requirements) It is interesting how many boys that set their goals to earn my challenge, make it all the way to Eagle and replace one neckerchief slide with the other.

As I was working on finishing the slide, my husband asked how many I had made all together. I have no idea but I hope some day those young men will dig out the slides and put them on and give back to Scouting. They are my legacy and I am proud to have been part of their life.

Quilt group HERE tomorrow

The librarian side of me is having a big problem reconciling the chaos that is my household. 99% of the time I am living in the midst of the "Giant spoon" syndrome. For you more organized folks, that is when the giant spoon swoops down and stirs everything up.

With my quilt group meeting here in less than 20 hours, that means big-time cleaning.

First the vacuum cleaner to pick up the drifting dog hair. How nice it would be to be able to vacuum the dog. Well, the first picture shows how Nikko feels about vacuums.

Next it is scrub down the floors to remove all the dust and remaining dog hair. And then, oh happy day, a lovely coat of wax.



Quick, take a picture because this will not last very long!

#3 daughter will come following the quilt group. She will appreciate the lovely clean house but may not enjoy the smell of freshly waxed floors. Luckily it is a beautiful day and I can open all the windows but, at least to me, the smell of wax means clean.







The number of meetings at the beginning of each month contributes to my pile of blocks. This is still not enough to make anything of size... even with added sashing. I am still chopping scraps and have not as yet dipped into my stash. It is clear I will need some kind of design wall to get this all organized. Perhaps something I can tack onto a long pole and hang from the ceiling will do.

I have heard of people using flannel and also fleece (polartec?). If I am going to invest in one or the other, what do you think would work best to organize blocks and sashing and keep it in place until I can get it together (which probably means rolling the "wall" up when not in use)? Since I usually make bed-sized quilts, I would want something big enough for a double bed sized quilt.



As I was writing about the smell of wax, and the beautiful October weather, another scent came to mind that is truly a part of early fall here in Japan.

I had never met this evergreen before coming to Japan. Kin-mokusei, Osmanthus fragrans,
can be a medium shrub in a pot or a garden tree up to perhaps 4 meters.
"Sweet Olive" in English, these tiny flowers have an intense sweet fragrance described as a blend of jasmine, gardenia, and ripe apricots. It also comes in a yellow variation called Gin-mokusei. Whichever one finds, you are bound to smell it before you can identify where that scent is coming from... especially walking at night, (when the scent is most powerful), down a dimly lit street.

In another week, the flowers will be gone and likewise my clean house will be history. The phrase,"enjoy it while it lasts" couldn't be more relevant than it is today.

Wild Geese is this weeks theme

By now you know I enjoy the weekly themed contests that Quilting Gallery holds whether or not I have something that fits the theme. It is always fun to see what other quilters do with similar blocks and patterns.

When I was sorting through my scraps, I found one baggy filled with half square triangles. Most of those are leftovers from a much earlier quilt. Long ago, a friend living in Tokyo ordered fabric from Keepsake Quilters. She had a military address so she could easily have it posted to Japan. From time to time she would receive cut square samples of fabric from which she made her choice and the rest she gave to me, rightly thinking I could use them in a quilt.

Now, I have always loved the geese blocks. Having lived several times in my life along flyways, I love to watch the migrating birds passing through. I recall the first time my daughters experienced clouds of birds overhead, coming to the yard and taking off again into the sky. "Look, Mom, it's raining birds!", my daughter exclaimed. Wild geese went on to my list of future quilts.

So when I had a good selection of fabric samples from my friend, I cut them to make flying geese, using the lighter fabrics to set the geese. At that point I began to look for a nice floral print too use between the rows of geese. I don't recall how long I looked but I just could not find anything that would work.

Finally, thinking I would never find the fabric I wanted, I sat down with a pencil and paper and made a list. The list had the names of flowers from my gardens in assorted places through the years, those that had special meaning to me alone. Then I divided them by season and drew pictures on four strips of paper, one for each season. I added some birds to represent those seasons too, the ones to be found in my garden.

I quilted the background of the panels in a lattice design and in the border are quilted all different leaves, most Japanese trees but some from the States as well. You would be surprised how many friends got involved sending me pressed leaves to use as patterns.

The name of the quilt is "To Everything there is a Season" and, although not a winner, it made a trip to Paducah. (Something I have never done)
Being selected as one of 400 out of over 900 entries was quite an honor and it returned home with the judges compliments.

This was not my only quilt with wild geese blocks but others have flown away as gifts and no digital photos exist. I entered this once before in a flowers theme but it is not a big eye-catcher. Still, it is one of my all-time favorites because of the pieces of my life it represents.

Bloggers, beware ... or celebrate

Now I place the blame ... or share the glory ... however one wants to look at it.

Lurline http://lurlineg.blogspot.com
flashed these blocks at me and then encouraged my addiction.

Cheryl http://cherylsteapots2quilting.blogspot.com has suggested some sashing to control these wild blocks. Yes, I think that helps but I see that a design wall is what I will need to play around with these scrappy pieces.

Since I am left handed while in my right mind, it took another left hander http://alefthandedquilter.blogspot.com to be able to share the blame. Thank you my dear blogging friends for even caring what I am up to! I appreciate your inspiration and support. If I count all those scraps donated by friends, this quilt will be a celebration of friendship.


The end of summer is here and the plume grass is about to bloom. In a few weeks I will see those soft flowers nodding in the autumn sun.

Here is another thing I enjoy about the grass. Grasshoppers.

One blade of grass can be folded into a hopper. Isn't it cute? This was something I learned while at a Nippon Venture Jamboree. I was waiting at my work station for activities to begin and another Scouter was playing with the grass growing all around.

With a bit of coaching , I figured out how to make one and was told that if I made three and then taught it to someone else, It would be mine forever.

Years later I still have fun playing in the grass. Yes, "make three and teach someone else" has served me well over the years.

I wonder what other tricks there are to learn ... out there ...lying in wait...

Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox

The day began much too early with the singing of a mosquito. These are not the blood-sucking helicopters of Alaska or the State bird of Minnesota. Japanese mosquitoes are very tiny and, now that the evenings are becoming cooler, they lurk at the doorstep waiting for opportunities to enter and feed. I wish they would just get it over with instead of singing in my ear. Even after turning on the lights and putting on my glasses, they are not easy to find. They can breed in the water standing around flower pots and anything to defend your property is pure tokenism.

The spider lily is one of the harbingers of autumn and in true fashion, one has opened outside the front gate. These share the pot with the pineapple lily
which will remain fleshy messy leaves until it blooms again next summer. Once the flowers all open, the leaves will come up green and thick to gather the winter sun.

Soon it will be cool enough to get back to work on the batik quilt. I want to cut enough scraps to work on the +& x blocks and have decided to add some bits from my stash. I need something for take-along work. The big problem is that I can't seem to stop putting those scraps together as they are cut. I think as more blocks are added, the ugly ones are not so apparent. These are five inch blocks so it will take quite a few to make anything of size and these would still be not enough for a table runner. I wonder what it would be like to make a double sized block and put it along with the rest. Hmmm.... BEWARE! Quilting can take over your life!

WET

What can a quilter do on a miserable wet day? While typhoon "Roke" lolls along the coast dumping 250mm of rain (to go with the 500mm in the Nagoya area),
the only thing left to do is work along with these blocks. I still don't know where this is going and the scrap box looks as full as it did when I began. Meanwhile, there is a great temptation to go up to my stash and pull out some prettier fabrics to pep it up a bit. It may just be a test of time before I do.


At one in the afternoon it is dark and gloomy. The street outside that used to be dirt has been "paved" for a few years now but probably will not get drains until all the homes have been rebuilt and the city snatches up a few meters from each lot to widen the street. Since that will include my garden strip I will not be happy to see that happen. I do regret that I tossed out my leaky boots and have not found a suitable replacement. That should teach me to be so picky!


Meanwhile, the Mother-in-law's tongue (or snake plant or a hundred other names) seems to have been so delighted with my pleasure over its flowers that it has put out some more.

For a plant that thrives on neglect, it seems to be shouting, "Look at me"!














One more winner is this little orange flower. I have no idea what it is. The leaves are similar to iris in the way it grows and the flower only opens for a day or two. When we moved to our last house, I took a large pot of Cycads my son had started and found a corner where they would get sun but allow people to pass. A few years later I noticed this volunteer in the pot, poking up through the palm-like fronds.

The cycad went off with a few other large pots to my daughter's house and along with it, the mystery flower. But, this summer, in the same relative position to our front gate, a number of iris-looking leaves appeared in a planter that usually holds spider lilies. Can it be that that flower knew how much I loved it and followed me here?

The rain has brought cooler air. We went from a sauna on Monday to two quilts last night. I saw spider-lily buds in the woods, waiting for Friday to open. In Japan they are the official harbinger of autumn. Wet is fine. The plants are happy. Cooler is fine. I am happy. It 's about time to get back to quilting.

Summer Snow visits the Bloggers Theme contest.

This week's theme is nine patches and certainly that is one of my favorite blocks.

As I mentioned in the previous post,
I have been cutting scraps into 1,2,3,and 4 and a half inch squares and collecting them in tins for later use. Because many scraps are small strips, the one-inch box is always overflowing.

As a way to use some of the pieces I had been given by friends, I made lots of nine-patch blocks using darks and lights. I had no particular plan in mind but I found a white fabric with small flowers that went well as a background and pieced them into snowballs. This is an interesting collection of fabrics both old and new and many are cut with animals, always thinking of napping quilts for a child. (Having been a non-napper myself).

This is one of my earlier quilts made with no purpose other than the fun in making it. I have given many of the quilts from this era away and have no digital photos of them so I decided while I have the chance I will take out a few of what I have left for portraits. As long as this one fit the theme for the week, I thought,"why not"!

This quilt was shown in 'American Patchwork & Quilting' 6/1/94 and also in 1995 Volume 7 'Quilts Japan'.


As I mentioned, I have been cutting little blocks from a box of gifted scraps. This selection is the one and a half inch box. It is crammed to the top and I am wondering how many more nine-patches might come from here. It was somewhat of a relief to switch gears to this + and x block.

The 14th block is almost finished. I still have no plan for them other than, like the snowball quilt, to have fun putting them together. I took them with me to my quilt group on Friday and my friends had fun arranging and re-arranging them and thinking of how they might go together. I'm sure that like those nine-patches so long ago, they will reveal their plan in time.

There are some interesting quilts in this weeks contest. The quilting gallery button will take you there to see what others are showing.



I still could use some suggestions of what to do with the sewed strips. Un-sew them? re-cut them and use them as larger blocks? I will never be able to sew them by machine. Maybe a car seat cover for Nikko?

Have a nice weekend.

Fighting the "BLAHS"

In the extreme heat and humidity of this Tokyo summer, it is difficult to get motivated to do anything other than sit in the shower.
It is certainly too hot to sit with a quilt in my lap.(The one on-going project calling to me)

Last week as I was searching for the elusive fabric, I came across a box of scraps that was waiting for recognition ... or maybe action.

Some of these scraps had been given me by a departing quilter. They had been sewed in strips and cut in sections.


Along with those were some scraps I had made myself. This pile is one of the reasons I do not like machine piecing. I had made a "mystery quilt"begun in 1994 from Lady's Circle Patchwork quilts and finished in 2003 which I declared "The year of the UFO". You can see the picture and read the story in that section of the diary. These patterns call for cutting strips and sewing them together and then cutting again ... not a difficult thing to do. The finished quilt turned out satisfactorily. The problem is, what does a hand quilter do with these piles of connected strips left over from other projects? Un-sew them and re-cut them? The box under the cardboard box of scraps is Japanese fabrics I have done that with.

This week I began attacking those scraps. Most went into the big plastic case as one-inch blocks. Some were fussy-cut and went into the little containers to add to a special section within the box.

the tins of two and three inch blocks are so full the lid can hardly stay in place.

All the while I was doing this I was thinking what a mindless depressing task. There was no purpose in mind other than getting rid of the contents of that box.

THEN ... along comes Lurline of "Lurline's Place" who suggests I try a block I have been admiring on her blog. Well, why not? As long as I am chopping up scraps, I may as well do it with a purpose, no matter how remote.

Tomorrow is my quilt group and I will need something to take with me.

Here are a few blocks laid out on the ironing board. I am not sure I have the rules for this block figured out and they are far from as pretty as Lurline. I am trying not to get out my fabric boxes but work from the rather ugly assortment in the box that needs dealing with.

I am not even sure what this will turn into. It is a bit wild for a table runner but it probably wouldn't show spills very much. Or my rocker could use a throw over the back.

The most interesting aspect if this activity is that now I have begun, the BLAHS have left to some degree. I am still sitting and chopping up scraps but with even a small purpose in mind, I am beginning to feel a whole lot better. I'm even thinking how this pattern might look in a combination of blues and browns. I told Lurline I might blame her but, in truth, I need to thank her for the little push. I wish I knew how to add a link. Bloggers are the greatest!

Everything but the kitchen sink

With an organized storage system and a house as small as mine, how hard can it be to find a piece of fabric? I know exactly what I am looking for. I have seen it at the bottom of a box in the not-to-distant past.

This week I was making a mug-rug for a friend. I wanted to put a particular piece of fabric on the back. It is a particular print in English (or rather "Japlish") that I am sure would give her a chuckle. I thought it would be easy to lay my hands on that perfect backing print.

Oh foolish me, I have wasted DAYS hunting through my stash. It was not in the mixed prints. It was not among the reds.

It was not in any of my other boxes in the hall or among the child-friendly prints under the coffee table. I looked everywhere but the kitchen sink as that was full of dirty dishes I had neglected as I searched for that fabric.

Finally, I gave up.

I know it is hiding somewhere.Even as I write it is secretly watching and laughing. It will not get cut up this time. It will not feel the prick of the needle. BUT, it cannot hide forever and I WILL find it.

Meanwhile, nothing much has been accomplished. It has been much to hot to work at quilting and Nikko has eaten half the flower template I was using, I will have to draft another before I can go on.

So as to not feel the whole week has gone to waste, I pulled out this picture of a baby quilt to enter the Quilting Bloggers Weekly Themed contest.

I do not ever anticipate winning anything but it is fun to see what others are making, get a bit of inspiration, and sometimes meet a kindred spirit.

This quilt was made for my youngest granddaughter, Irene, before knowing if it would be for a girl or boy. It has the animals of the oriental zodiac running around the border with her ox at the top center.

The funniest part of the quilt is not easy to spot. Being extremely dyslexic, I have a big problem with numbers and letters. Two of the blocks had to be taken apart and re-done after one of my quilting friends noticed the letters were facing in the wrong direction. Luckily it was while I was sewing the top together. But ... as I was quilting those little one-inch blocks around each letter containing pictures of alphabet words to go with the letters... I discovered all the owls were hanging by their toes. I had sewed the "O" on upside down! Too late. I wonder if that two-year-old has noticed yet.

Not much is likely to get done the rest of this week. Scouts are ready to fill what time is left. Hopefully the plans for Friday's pack meeting will go off better than the plans for this past week.

Japanese mug rug

OK! Here is my answer to Laura Lochore's challenge, a mug rug from Japan.

The background fabric is actually written in Japanese. Auspicious greetings and phrases are scattered around in gold print. The origami crane is firstly a symbol of longevity but also well known as in a thousand paper cranes made to grant a wish. (I thought one would be enough.)

The background quilting is interlocking circles. It represents my quilting friends, each tied to another through patterns and thread, fabric of our lives, and even blogging.

It is most common in Japan to use trays for serving. This "rug" might be a bit larger than average but it fits nicely on my best wooden tray. Though the serving is of green tea and sembei,(rice crackers) I think a bit later in the day it would be well suited to a cup of coffee and a piece of pie.

Japan's postal service being excellent, the runner arrived the very next day from the afternoon I mailed it. I had a lovely phone call from my Daughter's mother-in-law to tell me it was just right and completely to her taste. I have not mentioned this before, but she is a true wizard with a sewing machine. She is always whipping out darling little outfits for our granddaughter and can just look at something and come up with a pattern.

We are now awaiting a large typhoon and many activities have been cancelled. (Including my quilt group meeting) The TV showed several places getting heavy rain ahead of the storm. During the early summer rainy season, each rain brings hotter weather. Now with the typhoon season, each rain should bring cooler temperatures. Often, the day following a typhoon is cool and dry with beautiful clear skies. I shall be waiting.

I think I'm done

Even using rather small stitches, this did not take long to quilt. I had planned to do some quilting in the border but one inch is rather narrow to do anything fancy so maybe I can leave it as is.

As I expected, the blocks were easy to sew together since the points of the stars didn't come all the way to the edges. In cutting the pieces there was a bit of waste but this is a pattern I will try again in the coming days. (thank you Jan Marie) I am hoping that Yuzawaya, the place I bought the small packet of fabric, might still have a few of these sets of fabric. I didn't save the selvage but I noticed it is made in Japan and "antique" which I take to mean a reproduction print.
As cotton goes, it was very fine and easy to both sew and quilt.

This afternoon there was a big Ceremony for the Scouts of Kanagawa in a Yokohama park along the waterfront. They were looking for some high mucky-mucks from the BSA and somehow I ended up on the guest list. I was very happy to see that not only some Scouts, but also leaders were wearing the handicraft neckerchief slides made a few weeks ago on the foot of Mt Fuji. Although there was a slight breeze off the water, it was a very hot afternoon and a long ceremony. I understand the Crown Prince was to put in an appearance later on but my little group decided to fore go any more ceremony and check out some edibles in Chinatown nearby.

Tomorrow I need to remember to put a label on the runner ... something I always forget to do. Then I may take on a little challenge as Laura Lochore at Quokka Quilts is putting together "Mug Rugs of the World" and looking for a mug rug that represents Japan. I have never made a mug rug but I have a few patterns and a lot of Japanese fabric I might use. So... what says "Japan"? An origami crane? A torii gate? Mt Fuji? Maybe I'll have to make more than one.

Running with an idea

I may have mentioned this before, but Japan has two seasons in the year for giving gifts. One is in the summer during Obon which has just ended. The other is at Year's end. It is a time to thank the people who are big in your life.

At least in the past, it was a time when companies gave big bonuses. I do not know how things are now because teachers never get bonuses then or now but they do sometimes get gifts. Many years ago I had two English students who were doctors and they were very kind to share goodies from their gift stash because they got so many gifts of food that it would likely spoil before they could consume it all.

This summer I received a surprise. It was a gift of nuts and dried fruit from my daughter's Mother-in-law. I know her husband is retired and not getting a bonus to spend on gifts yet she picked out and sent something she KNEW I would love. Well, I have no money to spend on gifts either but I thought I could at least make something for her so I asked my daughter to find out what kind of space she might have for a runner and what colors she likes.

This weekend, my daughter brought me the above picture of the "geta bako" (shoe cupboard) in their entryway. The dimensions are 39cm by 119cm but I see by the picture that the beautiful wood is left to show. I love that turquoise glazed vase which my daughter says is a permanent fixture.

A plan had already been in my head. I have been watching the progress of Jan, the Cherry Red Quilter, on some star blocks she has been making. I like the fact that the points don't come to the edge of the block. I knew I was going to have to draft a block and make some and this is as good a time as any.


These blocks are six inches so the total now is 12x18 inches. I could add an inch of sashing and not be too big but I rather like the blocks touching each other. I will dig into my stash and perhaps add a small border. Brown and blue is perhaps my favorite combination and I may even have a border print I could add to each end.
As I work on this I am celebrating the joy of an extended family. Like me, my children have selected wonderful in-laws. My other great joy is my blogging family that never ceases to encourage and inspire. (thanks Jan)

The banner is hung and the continuing saga of the bias tape

With several weeks to go until "rally Day", this year's banner has been hung in the church entry-way. Last year's banner has been moved to the right side of the double doors. You can see by my smile that I am glad.

Today, on my way home from church, I
stopped at the store with the rotten bias tape and this is my report.

Finding a clerk, I showed and explained the problem with the tape. The clerk asked me if I had the sales slip. well, no, how long does one need to keep those slips? I told her that though I had purchased the tape a number of years ago, the store sticker was still on each package along with the bar-code.
She asked me to wait and went off to the office. A while later, she came back carrying the damaged tape and told me I had made the purchase five years ago. I responded, yes, I said I had purchased the tape a while ago and was that tape only expected to last a few years? I told her I had a quilt made over a hundred years ago by my Great Grandmother and the bias binding was still in good condition. I wondered what was the life expectancy of the products they sold.

Well, the clerk told me to wait again and disappeared back to the office. When she finally returned she was carrying four new packages of binding. I had seriously thought of asking for navy blue instead of black but in the end I was feeling a bit sorry for the poor woman having to deal with this unsatisfied customer, and a foreigner, at that. Now I am wondering if I should keep this binding for five years before I use it to make sure that it, too, will not deteriorate. I am hoping the tape will be returned to the manufacturer so they can fix the problem. One good side was that, although the price of the binding has gone up since I bought those packages, the store did not make me pay the difference.

Two wins in one day. AND ... although my poor computer has died at last ... taking my photos along with it, I am working on a substitute that has all different programs, a different keyboard arrangement, and does not speak my language, my husband was able to figure out how to download the picture and store it where I could find it.

Now, I was almost tempted to take a break from blogging and learn the language until I saw him struggling by trial and error to make this computer do his bidding. I think this computer does not speak English or Japanese as much as it speaks computerese.

Back from camp

I thought my blogging friends would like to see a view of Mt Fuji. From the forested camp grounds it is not too easy to get a view.


The winter is the very best time for viewing Mt Fuji, when the days are clear. At that time it can even be seen from Tokyo.

In Summer, the air is so humid and low clouds sit in the foothills. To get a view, the best time is at sunrise and the view of a "Red Fuji", reflecting the morning sun is quite famous. BUT, You had better find a high place above the surrounding forest and be there just as the sun begins to rise. As you can see, the moon has not yet set and the clouds are beginning to creep up from the valley floor.


So, for my blogging friends, Nikko and I set off in the early morning to catch you all a view. We reached the high spot just as the sun was rising but the clouds were too and the view did not last very long.

When we returned to our campsite, the sun was working its way through the mist of morning and the air was beginning to heat up.

Camp was fun with Scouts from BSA, Taiwan, and Nagoya. There were young Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Venture Scouts.

I was asked to do a craft. The Camp's symbol is an Owl so I had the Scouts make owl neckerchief slides out of wood picked up in the surrounding forest.

I had a number of samples but the kids were quite quick to jump in and do their own thing. Some of the kids even returned another day to try making more, bringing twigs from the camping area.

I cut the larger slices of wood but let the kids cut their own eye pieces and bamboo for the back ring.

They sanded and glued and varnished and came up with not only owls but a few other animals as well.

Even leaders caught the creative bug and were making their own. I was especially happy to see that because it meant they were not interfering with what the kids were doing.

Many were surprised that a craft could be done without great expense by using what is available in nature and that the kids could use sharp saws and knives following my safety instructions. (in my rather crude Japanese, I might add.)

Now it is just over five months since the earthquake and tsunami. It is the season of Obon, when it is the Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of ancestors. It is travel time back to one's home town and the roads resembled parking lots. Because of the early rise for picture taking, I was able to get my gear stowed and be on the road to beat the rush. I found Tokyo just as hot and humid as when I left but Papa was glad to have Nikko back and my toe was glad to leave the shoes in the entry-way.

The banner will get a sash for hanging and I can get on to other things once Vacation Bible School is over. Yea!

All done but the shouting

The only thing left to do on the banner is to add the sleeves for hanging and assemble some dowels. Now I can go off to camp tomorrow without worrying about when I can finish.

The photo will be used to put on the cover of the booklet that tells about the various ministries at Tokyo Union Church. My husband is in charge of getting the booklet together and I was sure that there would be lots of pressure to get this done well before the actual due date.

I want to thank everyone who suggested the black. I think it was a good choice too. I used sashiko thread for the tower parts and have new respect for those who do this. Making large even stitches is not all that easy. Also one can not use such long pieces of thread as I like.

I ran into the strangest problem when putting on the bias binding. I used a commercial binding because I happened to have some on hand and it would take less time than cutting up the small amount of fabric in my stash.

After sewing three sides by hand, I needed to splice another piece. When it was added, I found that not only that piece but the one I had sewed already, were completely disintegrated and the whole thing ripped off. Luckily I had the package with the name of the store on it so I can take it back when I return from camp.

However, my plan to get this finished had gone "awa". This morning my husband ... hoping to see a finish almost as much as I ... went to the local "button store" (that is what a shop selling fabric in small amounts, notions, yarn, and the like is called in Japan) and tried to buy a similar bias.

The shopkeeper was very surprised. She said there are only two makers of bias in Japan and that one is the best maker so she only buys that product for sale. My husband showed her the two packages and how badly they ripped whichever way they were pulled. She said something must have gone wrong with that lot. She took out a package from her shelf and pulled very hard on it but it did not rip. Therefore, my husband brought home new bias and the banner is all but done.

I went back to my drawer of bias tape and found two more of the same make and age. Both of those were also deteriorated so I will have four to return to the store when I return from camp.

Those packs were not new. They had been in my drawer a few to perhaps five years but I did not expect them to rot in the package. I have not checked other packs and other colors but I do use bits from time to time and that event was totally unexpected. I am wondering if it might have something to do with the black dye. I have noticed on embroidery my mother made, more than 40 years ago, the black thread has not held up as well as the other colors. I have also noted when I hand sew with black thread, the same brand as all my other thread, that it frays out if I use as long a strand as I do white or other colors. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience.






It has been extremely hot and humid in Tokyo. The neighborhood PA system has announced for the public to beware of heat related problems each afternoon around 2:30 and 3:00. Usually we only hear one message at 5:30PM telliing children it is time to go home.

This time tomorrow I will be at camp on the foot of Mt. Fuji. I was told I would need a jacket at night. Now, isn't that a refreshing thought!

This is the second camp this summer that I am going off in flip-flops. The toe did not heal and a week ago Monday the Dr. took an x-ray to see why and found the bone way off and too much swelling for it to even meet. It was pulled and set and treated for a week and a half with echo and electric gadgets and taped to it's neighbor. Now, in a pinch, I can put something else on for part of the day. The volcanic soil is a bit un-suited to flip-flops. Looks like big boots and bulky socks might be needed. We shall see.


This hybiscus is in the yard of a neighbor. I just had to take a picture. He has numerous varieties and this is so unusual. is other big one comes out pink in the morning and as the day goes on, the sun turns it to red. In the winter he whacks these all down to stumps but every year they return full of vigor. They will be blooming beautifully upon my return.

I hope my own plants will survive the week without me. I am almost tempted to haul them to the neighbor and beg his care. I hope all my blogging friends have a good week as well. I will surely miss you.

The queen of procrastination bites the bullet

Each year, in early September, our church holds a "Rally Day". After the service, during the fellowship hour, displays of all the assorted ministries of the church are set out so members new and old can see what is going on and perhaps sign up to be part of the action. Thus, several weeks ago, the rally day committee sat down to discuss and pick out a theme. As I did last year, I will make a banner to hang in the front portico for the year.

The first discussion was the scripture. What was selected was Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". Next, the committee wanted to include in the logo, a heart, a cross, a view of Tokyo Union Church, and the stained glass window.

The next week I brought my camera and took some pictures of the window. This window was created by Keiko Miura. She is a Christian artist from Osaka. The full window rises 21 meters and symbolizes "The descent of the Holy Spirit at the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3: 21-22)." (there used to be a baptismal font made from native stone at the foot of the window but that has since been moved)

Assembling assorted photos and sketches of the church, I worked on a logo to present to the committee and a banner design for the entryway.

To be sure, the committee has lots of opinions but they are not artists so what one brings home from meetings are just piles of words.

I made a few sketches but did not make it to the next committee meeting. The only comments came back through my husband who was there and says someone on he committee thought that more of the church building should be shown.


In my opinion, that building has a very distinct tower and anyone would know it seeing only that much. I further think the cross should be the focus rather than the building itself. This bit of a conflict causes me to procrastinate even more.

However ... deadlines weigh heavily and in another week I will be camping on Mt. Fuji with the Boy Scouts. Then comes Vacation Bible School upon return. If I don't get started this week, I will have a big rush at the last minute and THAT is something with which I do not deal well. I guess one of the best parts about getting old is that you find out how to avoid the things you absolutely hate.

Well, the window is truly beautiful and an inspiration with all the assorted blues and purples and greens. I dug out my box of batiks and started pulling out bits of fabric that were big enough to use.

I also drafted sections as seen in the window. I have it partly sewed and the rest kind of laid out. There are a few tricky places around the tower but I was more interested in getting the fabric to work. I think if I baste this stuff in place, it can travel to camp and I will have time to get it far enough along.

Shall I add black around the stained glass blocks and the heart? I will still need to add the Bible verse above and below the heart. I know that will take some time toward the end. I only hope I will not have to do a rush job and that forces me to bite the bullet now. After all, God is watching!

I am wondering what the person who wants more of the building to show will say in the end. I do know what my father would reply, "Here! Do you want the hat?" There was hardly a stampede of people rushing to volunteer for the task.