Saturday, June 27, 2020

June mini - little half square triangles

A simple mini this time - half square triangles - from my little scrap box of 2" squares.  I'm really starting to USE these cut squares. 



Simple machine quilting in hanging diamonds.



I think it will be pretty hang up in Sept/Oct.  Thanks Wendy for corralling us into this mini challenge!  When Wendy posts our minis at The Constant Quilter I will link HERE.

In other news.... the minutia of living in Tokyo....

In our apartment building we all got the following note in our mailboxes:


I am *very* conscientious about our garbage.  I keep order by my morals;). 

The last time we lived in Tokyo, in a different neighborhood, I made a careless (lazy) mistake by leaving a plastic bag in with the plastic bottles on recycling day, and I was caught out on surveillance camera.  The apartment people called DAVID AT WORK to ask him to tell me to obey the garbage rules.  !!!!!


Three garbage cans plus a bag for paper and cardboard:



Getting outside at least a little every day (or, OK, at least every other day) helps me not sink too low.  Yesterday I walked to my old neighborhood Azabu Juban to stop into Blue and White, which is open a few days a week again.  I wanted to pick up some more blue and white tenugui (yes, mostly for mask making): 


My little needle books are still for sale there:


Such a lovely shop..... a breath of fresh air at the entrance:


Meanwhile, other signs of Tokyo opening up - an ad for the movie Little Women, being marketed as "The Story of My Life": 


What are you reading. listening to, watching? I just finished listening to How to Be an Antiracist by Imbran X. Kendi and I highly recommend it.  One chapter at a time, to really process. 

Difficult listening and reading...  is somewhat balanced with nonsense like the shows Brooklyn 99 and Community on Netflix...

and THIS fun podcast I just discovered.  I've only listened to a few, but I'm hooked - it's just delightful background "talk"!   Mel was one of the hosts of The Great British Baking Show.  I know I'm missing so much of the references to British pop culture, but, I still just love it:

 
Hard to believe July is right around the corner.  Stay safe and healthy everyone;).

xo
Cynthia

18 comments:

  1. Please keep order by your morals.
    We need more of this here in the states. <3 (^_-)

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  2. so many rules on garbage! have you found Japan to be much cleaner than the states - I can just see it if someone here got the notice in the cities - they would probably tell them to stuff it. I only people worked together better.

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  3. I'm so thankful I have my dog to motivate me to get outside everyday--it makes such a difference. Otherwise, I would happily hole up in sewing room for days on end. I try to follow those rules for our trash but it's disheartening when others are so disrespectful or even uninformed. I guess I should take the "moral" high ground!

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  4. That is such a sweet mini, Cynthia. Simple, traditional quilts grab me every time, and this one is adorable.
    Oh, my goodness, it is so interesting to see how different cultures handle things. Calling your husband at work to make sure you obey?!? May as well have sent you to the principal's office. I can see why you are conscientious about keeping order by your morals.

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  5. All those little hst's do have a sense of order, all in their little rows, heading off in the same direction and including recycling. Just like what you need to be doing with your garbage! Life can be so busy! Love your June mini!!

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    1. I listened to the first podcast of Mel's. Cute.

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  6. I've come to think the simple little minis are my favorites. Your arrangement of the hst's and the wide border is very appealing. I love it! It must be so refreshing to be able to walk and visit shops more freely again. We are just beginning to get to that stage, or not, depending on the day.

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  7. what a sweet little quilt for June.
    I had to laugh about the garbage instructions. I have been known to be a garbage police here. I just believe in following the rules because being a garbage worker must be hard enough.
    I'm glad you are getting out a bit. It does help me to walk and get fresh air.

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  8. ps - thank you for telling me about the podcast!
    yay~
    I liked her on the GBBS

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  9. I love simple HST designs like yours - just a fun way to showcase fabrics! You got me thinking about our local, unpredictable recycling program. I actually went to the city website and got myself up-to-date on what's going on, so I see more recycling in my future! Just finished reading The Great Influenza by John M Barry - an account of the flu pandemic of 1918. Sad to say, the US is following the same do-nothing course followed in that pandemic. Grrr.

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  10. Your Mini is very cute and nicely quilted! Ah, I could drop a bit of coin in that shop!!! Stay safe!

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  11. Ok I'll go backwards here: I'm "recycling" old books - David Liss, The Coffee Trader at the moment, while I'm waiting for White Fragility to arrive. We'd both been reading novels that take place in Rome around the time of the big slave revolt, so we had to re-watch Spartacus. My husband is the trash/recycle king (police) around here, when in doubt I just let him do it. Your apartment looks so crisp and organized, Cynthia! And i love your June mini. Simple, which seems to be the mode of the day, yet interesting array of fabrics which draw the viewer (me) in. Oh.. Last Tango in Halifax was a lot of fun (netflix).

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  12. What a sweet tiny quilt, Cynthia!
    Such detail about your garbage! I flatten boxes, crush milk cartons, and put plastic bags together because they have to be recycled at the grocery store but we don't separate everything that goes into our regular recycling bin. I think Tokyo must be a very organized place, all the way down to the garbage. It's nice they gave you the notice in English.

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  13. Your June mini is simply perfect! Simple is good and always appealing :) I do like the look of the hanging diamonds quilting design but I've never tried it--maybe it's time. Glad to see you are out and about and that your needle books are still being offered at that cute little store. We get to put all recyclables in one bin and garbage in another. Then there's the dump or 'transfer station' with its designated areas for just about everything else. Total organization which I like!

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  14. It is absolutely fabulous! The simpler the better this month and this one is just perfect. I love the color and the simple lines. So happy to hear you can at least venture out to your favorite shop once in a while. I am quite sure you are very conscientious about your garbage duties! I will link your sweet mini in tomorrow.

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  15. How fun to get to go to Blue and White! Don't just buy for masks, treat yourself to some quilting bits too!

    I read silly ''free on Kindle'' cosy mystery series, current one is a guy who is a genealogist, hmmm. Watched Shetland series, from Ann Cleeves books [good if slow; and dark cinematography, lots of dark streets and unlighted hovels]. Tried Bosch on Amazon, but don't like the actors, too bad; also too violent. Nothing intellectual anyway, just not ''me'' even in good times. I still love to read blogs and m so grateful to each blogger who posts regularly and keeps thing going in quilt land.

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  16. I'm surprised that the message was posted in English! Are there that many foreigners in your building? Garbage collection is pretty strict where we live too... now we are paying for the city garbage bags. The collection people won't take anything except that in regulation bags...

    I am listening to the audio book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Gulp! So long, so I knew I'd never be able to READ it all. Interesting but I'm only half way through after two weeks on constant listening (when I walk to and from school, when I'm cooking, when I'm sewing!)

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  17. nice mini quilt...funny garbage stuff...scary corona...and I am going to try the podcast. I have to try something besides the news!!!

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