A Ceremonial Button Blanket

Today is cold, dark, and rainy, a good day to wrap up in something warm and cozy. What I am showing you is not something I have made. It was presented to me at an Order of the Arrow conclave a few years ago.

The Order of the Arrow (or OA) is the National Honor Society of Scouting. It is made up of Scouts and Scouters who are nominated to the organization for "Walking the talk" or living the Scout oath in their daily lives. I was the first woman elected to the order in 1990 in the Far East Council (though the Lodges in the states had women for a number of years). I am the only female Vigil Honor member in our Lodge as well, and was the Lodge advisor for nearly six years.

For many years, our Lodge was part of the Western Region that included Alaska and Washington State. Each year the OA holds a conclave hosted by one of the Lodges in the area. I have been lucky to attend conclaves in both states and, during my tenure as advisor, the first youth members were able to attend from The FEC. The conclaves are usually held over a weekend and, with travel issues, means missing a day or two of school, thus not easy to attend even with donated airline tickets.

So, what about the blanket? One year I attended a conclave with our District Executive and during a silent auction, he bid on a button blanket without success. A plot then developed between myself and an OA member from Washington named Kathy Anderson, to create a button blanket specially for Derek, the DE. If you are interested, you can see it in the 2005 list of projects. The central crest represents the wearer's heritage. His was a beaver. (As he is of the Woodbadge beaver patrol), we discussed the elements to include and I was tasked with sewing on the buttons. The beaver is a typical NW totem. My blanket, however, is very unusual.

It came as a complete surprise a number of years later. I was called to the stage and presented with this lovely piece of work. It was explained to me that my totem, the owl, is never used as a main totem. (According to NW tradition, when the owl calls your name, your time has come). Instead, the blanket contains the dragon, which is the totem of the Achpateuny Lodge to which I belong. I love the dragon fabrics in the upper and side borders along with the blue that represents sky and sea.

The buttons are abalone shell and on the sides you can see two turtles, the totem of my younger days, formed by buttons alone.
The triangle on the large button is the Vigil symbol.





And on each shoulder, carefully hidden, are ghost owls. Though not the main totem, they are there hugging my shoulders on either side of the dragon.

A peek inside shows how the owls have been added.

There are also loops inside for hands.

The dangling blue piece is for closing the front edges.

I never learned the story behind this presentation but I am certain Kathy Andersen was much involved.

A year later, our OA Lodge was switched to the part of the Western Region that includes Hawaii. I have not attended a conclave there as the dates have been the first days back to school for our youth.
We worked for so many years to build relations with our former Section and it is hard to figure out the advantages of the switch. Still, wrapped in my ceremonial button blanket, my heart and mind go back to my friends in the Great Northwest and I share not only this wonderful design but the joy of friendships that go far beyond the seas which not only separate us but also join us.

Thanksgiving and giving thanks

It may have been Thanksgiving day in the States but it was "T" for test day here!
After loading up my heart with all the best wishes from my blogging friends, (and advice from my daughter to relax), I set off for the driving school.
I was put in a classroom with five other old folks where we filled out forms and waited for the test to begin. Why did they tell us to come at three if the class didn't begin until 3:40? Luckily, time =piece (and peace).
The first part of the test was to figure out how senile we had become since the last test. They allowed me to write my answers in English (or I might still be writing), and a lovely interpreter came in to tell the testers what I had written. Most of it was so easy I thought I didn't understand the instructions ... like draw the face of a clock and put the hands at 11:10 or write the date and tell what day it is. From time to time they wanted us to guestimate the time ... after making us take off our watches. The instructor was surprised to see I was exactly on the minute.
Next they showed us four sets of four picture cards ... set them out on the board, gave us a minute to look and took them down putting up the next set until we had seen all sixteen pictures. Then we were asked to list the pictures subject matter. A sixteen block quilt. I can still remember them in order now and probably will next week.
When that was over, half the group went out to drive and my half stayed for testing reaction time. That is the part of the test that was worst. It was just as bad as five years ago ... a TV screen, steering wheel, accelerator and brake. Watching the video of the car moving down the street, one had to hit the break when a kid in a yellow shirt came running out between parked cars. For walkers on the side of the road, you were to take your foot off the pedal, and for bikers on the sidewalk,...just keep going. Well, that was easy enough EXCEPT the pedal didn't do anything. The video moved at a constant speed regardless of if your foot was off or on and the angle was such that the foot was flexed at right angles to the floor, hardly normal or comfortable and difficult to figure out whether one was pressing the pedal or not. The road kinked left and right as a means of distraction and the wheel reaction was not anything like real life. Hitting the brake mad your chair slide backwards. I survived and passed that part ... reaction time in the 30 to 40 year old range, other part ... so so.
Then eye test and a video about old drivers hitting bikers when turning and other dangers of age. Funny they didn't mention the distraction of cell phones as I have been hit twice by young people on phones and, because I drive a van, I see down onto cars stopped in traffic and there is hardly an outing that I don't see young drivers texting or reading messages with the phone held in their laps.
The final bit was the actual driving. I was first after the teacher made one loop as demonstration. I think I was the only driver who adjusted the seat height and mirrors. The next guy drove fast and went over the curb on the twisty section. The other guy didn't know how to work the seat belts. All six of us old folks passed and got our certificates.
today I took the train into town and traded in my old license and papers for a new one.
At every 45 minutes or so there was a break and the room emptied as everyone rushed out to the toilets. I am glad to have a hobby that soothes my nerves. I hate just sitting around so now my block count is up to 77.
Since the blocks are only five inches, even with sashing I will need at least 140 for a single size quilt if I add a border.
The computer issues still exist because without the dashboard I can't get to the SlowPoke blogs at all. I am trying to find everyone and follow them in google reader but I am not completely happy with that arrangement. A call from my youngest Son indicates things may get better before too long in the form of an English-speaking computer. Well, HE is the one who got me into blogging in the first place!
Our Church will hold a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow in the Fellowship hall. The best part of the meal for me is the leftovers. Maybe I should take a little lunch box and bring half my meal home. At any rate, I have plenty to be thankful for. My youngest daughter called today and commented on the kind responses from my blogging friends, saying I must be happy. She got that one right! Thanks to one and all,

Now WHAT!

Why do I have to be a computer guru to have a quilting blog?

Why do Blogger and Google keep changing things?

Why keep fixing things that aint broke!

My dashboard can no longer be accessed. That is where I go to read blogs I follow. I get a message that I should add Google Chrome but my computer won't let me do that. So now what? Am I the only one with these problems?

As if I didn't already know that I am OLD and not too hip, tomorrow I have to take another OLD AGE driving test. At this point I have become not only old but DANGEROUS. I must get stickers for the front and back of my car to warn the public of that fact.

I did this exercise at 70 so it is not a new thing. I must pay to go to a driving school. There I sit in a lecture about how the statistics show that old people are involved in more accidents. Of course, those statistics also include old people who are passengers on cars (because they aren't allowed to drive) and old people who are hit by cars walking or riding bikes or driving) Forget the fact that this is an aging population so there are just more old people to get in trouble.

The last school had a machine to test your reaction time. It was a cartoon TV screen showing a street with cars parked on each side. A guy in a red shirt popped out between the cars, at which time you had to hit the breaks as fast as possible. Trouble was, the accelerator was only set at off and on. No adjustment of speed was possible. I would never be driving down a street that was one car wide with cars parked on both sides at 40k in the first place. The tester did not like the fact that I kept taking my foot off the gas and making the video stop.

Then there is an eye test. I already went and had my glasses adjusted for the occasion.

Then there is a fake driving course. You can not drive in your own car. That would be just too easy for an old person to drive something they are familiar with. You must drive the school's car over a fake course winding around something that looks like a kiddie course. Other than the fact it is in a strange car, that part is no problem. No trucks or traffic, just follow the yellow brick road, so to speak.

One of my friends said, "Don't worry, my mother passed the test and did perfect on the memory test", Memory test? I'm going to have to memorize something in Japanese? Don't worry?

So, now that my computer will no longer allow me the distraction of reading other blogs, I guess I will just have to sit and cut fabric scraps and try not to worry (and start feeling my age)!

A mixed bag

As you may have guessed by now, if you have been a reader any length of time, I have a lot of quilted stuff that has never been registered as a "quilt" and this bag is only one of those. I love this Japanese fabric. I don't know the technical term but the base thread is black and the colored thread is woven across. All are either solids or stripe. I made this bag to carry my quilting things when I go to group meetings. The handles can clip to the bottom and become a back pack. Not fancy but serviceable.

However, this post is not about the bag.

This morning, as is custom in Japan, I was sweeping the street in front of my gate. There were persimmon leaves from the neighbor's tree to the North and maple leaves from the neighbor's tree to the South, one bamboo leaf from my own garden and some cigarette butts and drink cans, (our house being just about that far from the cigarette and drink machines). No one would think about where those things came from, only look at the mess and think the house owner to be quite careless as the condition of the street reflects directly on the house owner.

This is an interesting aspect of life in Japan. Thinking people to be very neat and clean, I was horrified the first time I went to cherry-blossom-viewing and saw the mountains of trash left behind. Even on Mt Fuji I was appalled at all the trash dumped along the paths. My husband explains that the farther a person gets from their home, the more anonymous they become, and while they would never drop trash in front of their own home, dropping it elsewhere causes no shame at all.

While I swept the street to avoid the shame, I was thinking of another problem that is not too far removed, this years auction quilt.

You must be wondering what the connection is. The first meetings to decide the theme and design for this project did not include me. The idea was discussed and the fabric was purchased and I met at the given time to help in my usual way. The chosen design and fabrics are truly lovely.

BUT, the problem is, the plan is almost a direct copy of someone else's quilt... at least it is enough alike to recognize where the idea came from.

When I attended the Yokohama Quilt show, there in front of me I saw that same quilt. A member of the committee had seen the quilt at an earlier show and taken a picture and was working from the photo in buying the fabric and deciding the plans.

Doing a bit of research on the quilter, we discovered that she is one of the top "Senseis", a teacher who is probably making a living out of teaching quilting. If I didn't feel comfortable about the copy from the first, you can imagine how I am feeling now. There was much discussion about what to do next and I understand a letter will go to the quilter in English. Well, that is a start BUT, if the contact goes to her school and no one understands what it is about... she may not even see the message... she may not reply... Then, I am still left between a rock and a hard place.

My husband has said he would be glad to write a translation of the letter and he is very good at writing diplomatic Japanese. While, to me, imitation may be the highest form of flattery, the teacher may not feel that way. At the same show I heard how one quilter, who makes her living by her craft, felt about someone she believed was copying her designs.

As my name has been linked with the ASIJ auction quilt since the first one in 2004, I am more than a little concerned. The only quilts I have ever made copying something more than a block design are the two I drafted after seeing those of Lucy Boston, no longer alive at that time and even in my diary I give her the credit though not copies. Yes, of course, the teacher would be given credit but somehow I feel that her blessing is needed too.

I have discussed this by e-mail with some of my blogging friends and have been encouraged to post the issue. Many of us may never face this problem. I have seen famous Baltimore album quilts copied by Japanese quilters down to the last detail and the worry is not about being sued... This is a school where children are taught not too plagiarize their reports but is this any different? If I am involved in this, will my reputation be damaged? Do I have the guts to withdraw myself from the group which I happen to love? Am I worrying about nothing? Have I been in Japan so long that I am worrying about cigarette butts on the street in front of my house?

One thing my paper quilt diary never got was feed-back. Now I do believe I could use a little.

International Quilt Week Yokohama 2011

How anything that only lasts three days can be called a "Week" is beyond me. Then, again, I have had weeks that seem to past that fast.
This is what greeted visitors at the entrance. Yosakoi-sooran is a form of group folk dance very popular in Japan. This is but a small portion of that large colorful hanging.


There must have been a festival theme because high in the rafters was this composit quilt. The Kanji is "Matsuri" or festival and many small quilts making up this giant hanging depict various festivals around the country.

The reverse side was just as colorful.

As usual in quilt shows I have attended, taking photos is limited to what is on the outer sides of walls to the main exhibits.

There was a display of small "theme" quilts. They do not seem to be a festival theme and I could not find any information on what the theme was. For a show that uses the word "international", there is not a great deal of information in other than Japanese.

Some of these little quilts were quite charming.

Here are a few that seem to have been made using the same game plan







In addition to the show, and of course stalls, there were areas where workshops were being held. There was also a large selection of quilts that had been donated to quake relief and were being raffled or auctioned off. Considering the small size of many of those, it seemed like a good idea. Those donations had come from all around the world.

There were displays of Asian quilts. Usually there is a selection of Korean quilts but this year other countries were also included. There were lectures and talks being given by both Japanese and foreigners with interpreters.

I had a nice conversation with a lovely Hawaiian quilter named Mary Cesar. She had a display of beautiful Hawaiian quilts and has a newly published book of her own designs. I hope to see her next winter at the Tokyo Dome show.

As last year, the halls were filled with miniature quilts on a theme of "hearts".








I think I liked the variety of last years theme of "houses" a bit better.

And, while this has been a VERY BUSY WEEK, straining to fit in all the activities I am involved in, rice project, auction quilt, visit from overseas friend, choir practice, Scout Leaders' meeting, Cub Pack meeting, Cub Leaders Pow Wow (advanced leader training), squeezing in a peek at the quilt show, Church and travelling hours between each thing,.....

Sunday afternoon was a special day with just family.(well, extended family), as my little granddaughter celebrated her "Shichi-go-san" (7,5,3 celebration for girls 3 and 7 and boys 5)

With two sets of grandparents, parents, and great-aunt we set out to a shrine where she received a blessing and a big stick of candy in a long bag.

We tried to find the kimono worn by my four girls but forty some years and three moves foiled those plans. All I could come up with was the hair decoration they all wore.
Then, on a sugar high from that long candy stick, we tried to get pictures. I have determined the only way would be to take a video and then sort the pictures frame by frame. We tried the tripod for a group picture but it is hard for that flashing camera to know when everyone is looking in the same direction,let alone smiling!
Tea and a lovely meal together in a traditional setting ended the week on a happy note. Sharing this special time is both sweet and a bit sad because so much of the family is so far away but for one day we enjoyed what we had.

It was a great way to end the very busy week and begin another.

North Wind celebrates hand quilting

North Wind was begun the winter of 1994 for no other reason than that I liked that block made of triangles and wanted to see it in a quilt. I limited the colors to red, white, and blue and just pieced blocks in assorted arrangements of those colors. After laying out the blocks in various configurations, I decided I liked them best all pointing one way. Then with all that wind blowing around I thought it needed something to do so I added some sail boats and a mariner's compass to keep them from getting lost.

Once the center of the quilt was pieced, it stalled for want of a border and ended up in the UFO box with other unfinished projects.

Then in 1999. An article in "Quiltmaker" magazine, featured the block and requested pictures. I sent a picture of the unfinished top and it was printed in the May/June issue. Along with a copy of that issue came a suggestion of using a cloud print. I had never seen any in Japan so the top waited back in the UFO pile.

The summer of 2001, on a trip to the States, I visited Keepsake Quilters and bought some water and cloud printed fabric but I still couldn't decide how to use it.

Finally in 1993 I declared it to be the year of the UFO. I was determined not to begin any new projects for a year and just complete the UFOs. This was the last project of the year. The print ran across the fabric and had to be pieced. I added the gulls to cover those seams. Then I used some triangles I had originally thought of using in an outer border. finished size is 72" x 90.5"

I have only made one quilt using a machine and that is because it was a mystery quilt and the instructions were by machine. That quilt, however, was hand quilted.

I guess every quilt in my diary could be used to celebrate hand quilting.

I was very happy to see Caron Mosey of Michigan Quilts suggest a link to other hand quilters. http://blog.caronmosey.com/p/hand-quilting.html I have been trying to connect to that group and hope you will take a look at all the wonderful hand work there. Unfortunately, I am better at figuring out quilting problems than computer ones ... and that doesn't say much if you notice how long this one quilt took me to complete!

Double Crossed meets Bloggers Quilt Festival

A while back I posted a picture of "Star Crossed", a small quilt I made after viewing a similar quilt made by Lucy Boston and displayed in a Tokyo department store.

I had been so taken by the pattern that I made a sketch of the idea and came home to figure out how to make a pattern so I could try it myself.

That quilt was limited to red, white, and blue. As with all hexagon patterns, all seams were just 2cm and turn, no straight sewing, and a lot of work. I was happy with the results and called that quilt "Star Crossed" because I was destined to make it. At that time I said, "never again"!

Well, you may know how these things work because the possibilities of making one with other colors kept calling me and in 2002 I began cutting and piecing blocks.

The striped fabric is a soft weave used in the little squares and the border. I had only enough for the side edges and since they were not the same, I appliqued a Hawaiian-style edge and finished the corners with blocks.

The size is 88.5" x 106.5" and, being too big to carry along to quilt meetings, took a long time to quilt with other projects forcing themselves into the schedule. It was finished in April 2006 in time to cover the bed during a visit from my American cousin. Twice captured by this pattern, I named the quilt "Double Crossed".

You can see many inspiring quilts at the Bloggers Quilt Festival. http://amyscreativeside.com/2011/10/28/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2011/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amyscreativeside+%28Amy%27s+Creative+Side%29

Mt. Fuji in the rain

This past weekend was our yearly choir retreat. Every year we take the music we will be learning and will present at "Choir Sunday" in early December and hold a retreat at the YMCA building in Gotemba, at the foot of Mt Fuji.

This year the weather forecast was rain, and indeed, it did begin sprinkling Friday night on the drive down from Tokyo. By Saturday morning we were having off and on heavy downpour. What is usually a very scenic spot was missing the usual fall color and lovely view.

We practiced hard all day Saturday and into Sunday until noon. There are a few very good musicians in the group. Most of us are only those who love to sing good music and will work hard to do our best to contribute to the success of the whole. There is a great feeling of sharing and camaraderie that is hard to find in groups that gather only Sunday morning or show up for a Thursday evening rehearsal once in a while.

I'm sure Mr Vivaldi was smiling down from above at what was happening to his lovely music.

There is a small chapel in the hills with a view of Fuji that might better any attempt at stained glass and we look forward to a small worship service there. But then, Sunday we saw no sign of anything but rain clouds.

Finally we packed up and started down the hill for our return to Tokyo. At the foot of the hill, just across from the YMCA entrance there is a small museum and coffee shop run by Kathy Nakajima. Here in Japan she is well known as a teacher and maker of Hawaiian quilts and other articles using traditional Hawaiian designs. I especially appreciate her work because in this day and age of quickie quilts, all her work is done by hand, and done expertly too. In a show of the 50 top Japanese teachers, many are machine pieced and quilted but I can count on hers to be all hand work and artistically designed. My riding companion suggested we stop for a quick look-see and we ended up sipping some coffee at a little table with hand-made mats as decoration and little quilts on the walls. AND... as we sat, the sun came out and what should appear but Mt Fuji, above the mist.

I had to pull the car over as we left the area toward the expressway to grab a shot. Even with power lines and buildings, Fuji-san can be an awesome sight.

If you recognize Japanese writing, you will see that many of the lines in the quilted block are up-side-down. Although that bothers me a bit, I am now thinking that it is like the rain lifting so Fuji-san will show.

Today the small group met to begin the ASIJ auction quilt and next week we will begin in earnest. Too bad I didn't have a camera with me to document the onset, fabrics laid out on the floor and pieces being arranged and re-arranged until they fell into place.

In this way it is not unlike the choir, each effort and idea combined for an outcome that will bring satisfaction to all. And so may it be.

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!