Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Boro-inspired Mini finish and grandbaby Charlotte


Hello hello from sunny Austin TX.  I've been here a week, and it's heaven to be with my first grand baby, Charlotte Jane.  Our very first selfie attempt: 



It is just so fun to be here, in their busy young household.  Seeing my "baby" being a mother really is such a huge thrill!  Kaela making waffles Sunday morning: 



I'm helping Kaela get organized in their new home, and soaking up every minute with Charlotte!  Big happy smiles and she's finding her voice too - it's so cute! 



Oh ya, quilting;).  

Here's my mini for September, finished a few weeks ago.  I used all scraps from mask-making  (Japanese fabrics, and Liberty), against an indigo background.   

Thank you for bringing us all together, Wendy, to share our little creations.  Wendy will list us on her blog The Constant Quilter  here.  

This one was pure play.  I used a little glue to collage my pieces onto a piece of good indigo, and then quilted vertical lines in narrow rows, to secure it all down. 



I included a couple of sashiko  momiji (maple leaves) for fall.  These little leaves are from Susan Briscoe's book Simple Sashiko.  



I think this mini will always remind me of making masks.  Actually it signals the end of my mask making career, or at least a healthy pause.  They are easy to find now, in stores and online.  Somehow the thought of never making another mask, is so freeing. 


xo
Cynthia





Friday, September 18, 2020

9-patch with indigo top, and lost in translation

 When you take photos throughout your week, are you thinking of your blog?  Or, when you sit down to write a post, do you just reference whatever photos you happen to have taken.  I do the latter.   This week there isn't much but here we go. 

By request I need to make some more masks to take to my kids, and in typical procrastination mode, I assembled this "leader/ender" top instead: 


I made the nine patches, and then double nine patches, while I was making David's log cabin.  I think it might be the very first time I'd deliberately had a leader/ender project.  

I've also been distracted because our college age son Tommy tested positive for COVID.  He's just finished his quarantine and is feeling OK, maybe a little tired.  He got a call from a contact tracer, can feel good about (hopefully) not infecting anyone.  Not certain how he got it.  Glad his symptoms were so mild.  Wish I wasn't so far away!  

In other news, as I mentioned last time, Japan is finally allowing permanent residents and visa holders to return to Japan.  Woo hoo!  This means I can finally go visit baby Charlotte in Austin. I'm not going to do any other travel whatsoever, sadly, but I really think that's best under the circumstances.  

Yes I am quite nervous about travel, especially for the trip back into Japan, but, will think more about that next month.   I think I'm just dealing with rising anxiety over so much.  Which leads me to plead - VOTE!  "When women vote, we win." 

David and I prepared our absentee ballots which I can mail from Texas (alternately the embassy here would mail them for us).  As overseas voters, we vote in the last place we'd registered to vote, so that's New Hampshire.  


A sort-of funny "lost in translation" story.  Every now and then we get something official looking in the mail.  David told me it was an electrical inspection and in my mind I mixed that up with the fire detector inspection, or I thought it was all the same inspection.  When the inspector arrived, I had JUST heated up a skillet on the stove to make pancakes and the skillet was piping hot.  There is a smoke detector right there on the ceiling, so, from the entryway, I motioned him into the kitchen and in my rudimentary Japanese pointed to the pan and said "hot!" and "please be careful!" and "so sorry!".  Those were the only relevant words and phrases I could think of in Japanese.  He just sort of looked at me politely but blankly, and asked me where the electrical breaker box was.  That's in the bathroom.  He spent about 30 seconds inspecting the breaker box and then gave me a piece of paper, and left.  Ha ha ha.  

I have to admit I laughed out loud just wondering what he possibly thought of the American woman randomly warning him about the hot pan on the stove, which was nowhere near the breaker box in the bathroom.  


Lastly, thank you to those of you who commented last time to share your recommendations for hand quilting!  I really do love the Mettler, but I've used Gutterman before and could go back to that, and I ordered some Aurifil to try as well.  

If you are being affected by the wildfires, my heart goes out to you! 

xo

Cynthia 

Monday, September 7, 2020

Stockings etc.

 I don't know where the time goes, and we have another Monday, a grey rainy one.  

This is my world lately - cutting out for Christmas stockings - now time to assemble - 


A good creative mess - just move it over when it's time to use the table for a meal - 


Wanted to get Charlotte's stocking done so I can bring it to Texas when I travel there.... in two weeks! (because... who knows when Japan will open up international mail again?   We can receive things but not send, so, it's sort of a mystery).   

I thought while I have all the time in the world  (I can't believe we are 6+ months into this!) I would work on a generous stockpile of mix and match "future grand children" stockings.  Then as new babies arrive I won't be reinventing the wheel - just be embroidering the name;).   A lot of the fabric is from the Scandi 2 line from Makower UK.  


Yes my suitcases are out already!  Can't wait to see this girl!  Three months old! 



It's funny.  As soon as I cut out all those stockings, I said to David "just watch, the next time I'm in a quilt store I'm going to see fabric or a style I like even better" - 

Just moments later, flipping through my latest issue of Quilts Japan:



spotted this amazingly adorable stocking: 

So adorably cute! 


The other thing I'm working on slowly is adding hand quilting to my Soft Quilt for Hard Times - at night when I'm watching shows with David.  (That's a weather report on TV - typhoon season for sure). 


I tried to order more of my favorite quilting thread - Mettler - but can't find it.  I ordered some Gutermann to be delivered to my daughter's in Texas.  Hand quilters - what thread do you recommend?? 


xo
Cynthia