February Mini - Flower Power 2

Time flies when I am working on a little improvisational collage.... feels like pure play.  Lots of Japanese fabrics and some sashiko.  

A little 12"x12" mini for February - 

I enjoy the challenge of using *only* little scraps from my scrap basket, some of which are too small to be useful for anything else.  The blue polka dots were from my grandma's stash. 

I pre-made hanging triangles and little labels for the year.  

A list of fellow mini-makers can be found on The Constant Quilter.  I really enjoy seeing what everyone has made.  Thanks Wendy for gathering us and inspiring us each month!  

xo gratefully, 

Cynthia

Out and about again, and start of Noelle's Snowball quilt

Another week goes by.  The weather is heavenly.  Sunny and brisk.  I know that many of you are still in deep freeze winter, and trust me I will be envying you during our brutal Tokyo summers - but for now, every day is just a gift, weather wise. 

I took myself to Nippori on Monday, for one specific purpose - to find simple replacement buttons for a jacket - 

Ummmmmmm make a decision! 

The shop had some nice precuts and I picked up three or four: 

Here is what I decided on - something more subtle to replace the gold: 

I decided to stroll down this street and just browse.  Another button shop: 

And a little hole-in-the-wall shop: 

All of those shops are on up and down the street directly opposite the main 5 floor Tomato fabric store.  

Then I took a different train from Nippori Station and met David for an early (4:30!) dinner.  This machine automatically takes your temperature.

Seated inside, we read the notice on the plexiglass dividers between tables: 

A screenshot of the translation (notice the mascots - there are mascots for *everything* here): 

We kept our voices down, lol.   We also didn't linger at all.  Yummy soup dumplings. 

Out and about yesterday for a good walk - 

People of all ages jogging (not me):

Glimpse of the Imperial Palace.  It was the Emperor's Birthday.  

More plum blossoms: 

 

In quilting, I'm working on blocks for my first (of three?) Christmas quilts.  

Here's how a plan can evolve.  I wanted to make THE simplest nine patch: 

And I made a few blocks.  Ho hum, not exciting to make at this large scale (the blocks will be 9 inches finished).  Also, too much green for Noelle.  

So, first I pared down the green to be just 1/3 green, 2/3 white.  

That was a start but what about snowballing the white corner squares with the red snowflake fabric I love so much.  

That was cool and when I turned the piece the other way, I *really loved* the effect, how the snowballed corners connected the green bars.  

So, how about then also snowballing the opposite corners, with solid red?   

Now we're cookin' with gas!   The centers will be a whole variety of scraps. 

After figuring all that out I made a sketch and looked to find the block in Barbara Brackman's new encyclopedia (which is gorgeous!) and couldn't find exactly this, but it is most similar to #1729 (Blockhouse, Nancy Cabot) which is "like Rolling Stone", or even #1647 (Crow's Nest or Attic Window), which is "like Shoo Fly".   

I will call this quilt Noelle's Snowball quilt so if the block itself needs a name, I'm calling it 2021 Snowball.  

I feel so good about this.  I love a good nine patch and this one, when paired with plain white alternate blocks, will have the "mostly red and white" and spare look I think Noelle will like.  

Next on my list for tomorrow is to finish up a little mini for February.  Short month, flying by.  

xo

Cynthia 

Tokyo Olympics Museum, sukiyaki, February projects

February half way over, how can that even be possible?   Yesterday in the absolutely beautiful crisp sunshine I walked with a group of ladies to the Tokyo Olympics Museum.   You sign up ahead of time and there are strict social distancing measures.   The cost was 500 yen (about $5) and I must say, the museum was excellent - interactive, beautifully done, even quite moving.   It's so sad, COVID forcing the cancellation of this huge event for the city and for the world. 

So many thoughtfully presented details, like this infographic showing the participating countries by years (notice the gaps for 1916, 1980) 

Some of the wood used within the exhibits was from timber from trees planted by seed in Northern Japan around the 1964 Olympics.  Seeds from 44 countries.  How cool is that.  

The would-be Japanese team uniforms for 2020: 

Will the games go on, this summer?  That's the plan.... I hope so, for Tokyo's sake. 

Tokyo is gorgeous this time of year, with the fragrant plum blossoms on full display: 

And, honestly, the lack of crowds is pretty wonderful. 

Refreshing bamboo: 

I think I walked 3 1/2 hours total, and I was thoroughly wiped out and icing a sore knee last night, and it's worse today.  My walks are usually about 30 minutes long.  I'd like to build more stamina for walking.  I have this and that "complaint" I guess you could say and sometimes they add up to me having to be more sedentary or home bound than I would like.   

Lucky for me, David had planned dinner.  On Saturday night we'd had a fairly significant earthquake which really got our attention and prompted David to supplement our modest emergency gear with this tabletop gas burner which uses canned gas.  It is meant for indoor use and perfect for making sukiyaki at the table, which he did, and it was delicious!   Cabbage, spinach, mushrooms, tofu, carrot, leak, harusame (cellophane noodles), and thinly sliced beef bought that way at the grocery store.  The cooking liquid sauce is a mix of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi (broth).  We both eat steamed rice with it, and David adds a raw egg to his dish.

If you look up the old song "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto - a huge hit in the U.S. in 1963 - it's about a lonely man walking along, looking up and whistling, so that his tears won't fall.   The song has zero to do with actual sukiyaki.  It would be like naming a sweet sad love song, "beef stew."  lol.   They just named it that for a foreign audience.   It's such a catchy sweet song, very soulful.  You will love it and actually you may find that you recognize it.  

Oh ya, quilting.  I've just been slow and steady, working on various blocks.  

Project #1:.  I just love the slow and steady pace of Poppy's Polka Dot Garden from Sentimental Stitches.  Around the first of each month, I download the free patterns, stroll on over to my local 7-11 where I print them out.  Here are the latest - with one of the blocks vastly simplified and sashiko added to another. 

Project #2:  Barbara Brackman's Hands All Around BOM on Civil War Quilts.  Second Wednesdays of each month.  

I'm using indigo and Japanese tenugui - and popping some red into many of the blocks.  I'm making two of each, 12" blocks.  I'm not being perfectionistic.  Here are my blocks so far, two of each:  

I will alternate the blocks with a whole variety of blue and white tenugui which I have been collecting for some time. 

Project #3:  This darn Liberty Hexies quilt.  One more row of eight random hexie flowers to piece and attach.  I wish I could wave a magic wand and rearrange some individual hexies,  add more darks, add more punch, but, at this point I just want to get it done.   I'm trusting that I will end up loving it once it's quilted, for practical use and folded up over a chair.  

Project #4:  one of the Christmas quilts, stay tuned. 

If you are experiencing extreme weather my heart goes out to you!  Our daughter Kaela's family in Texas have been dealing with this for days - days of no hot water (frozen pipes surely), grocery stores closed, leaking roof, etc.   But we are SO THANKFUL they haven't lost electricity.  Tommy and his girlfriend are visiting them and their flight back to Utah has been canceled twice.  All we can do is advise and encourage over FaceTime.  

Charlotte is none the wiser and so cute waking up!  Kaela: "look Mom, Charlotte is finally old enough to sleep with her quilt in the crib!"  Melt my heart! 

xo gratefully - 

Cynthia 

p.s.  Tommy sent this shot of Charlotte (this quilt is one of my Stars in a Time Warp quilts, now being used/stored in "our" bedroom at Kaela's house).  Oh my goodness I just long to see her again. 

Hari Kuyo - Memorial Service for broken and bent needles

How are tofu and sewing needles connected?  For me, this was in the "you don't know what you don't know" category until this past year.  

Every February 8th, this Buddhist temple in Asakusa holds a ceremony to say farewell and thanks, for the small needles and pins that have served us well, and been broken or bent during their service.  The needles are laid to rest in blocks of soft tofu.  It's the ultimate sign of respect for these hard working little tools! 

My fellow quilter and good friend Julie W. and I went together.  Julie drove us, which is such a treat for me, a non driver in Tokyo.  We each had our little containers of broken or bent needles from the past year.  

The ceremony was held in a small temple within the Sensoji temple complex in Asakusa.   There was a group of monks inside the temple, chanting.  It was mesmerizing.   There was a smattering of people standing in the courtyard, quietly listening.  Some of the women were dressed in kimono.  

We watched how as people arrived, they dropped a few coins in the offering box before inserting their needles into the soft tofu.  

Here I am inserting my many bent, broken, or just used up needles (hand quilting, applique, sashiko, machine needles).   Note to self for next time:  maybe bring just a few needles;).   

 

I thought it was so sweet to see bits of string still attached to a few of the needles.  

Although this ceremony takes place in a Buddhist temple,  this really feels like a Shinto-inspired practice.  Let's thank our every day tools for the good jobs they do, and lay them to rest respectfully at the end of their useful lives.  

Fellow blogger Lizzie of Gone to the Beach  wondered what happens to these needles after the ceremony, hoping they wouldn't end up in a landfill or harming wildlife.  She wrote:  I spent some time looking into my question and it seems that traditionally the needles are collected after the ceremony and wrapped in paper, either buried  in the earth or dropped into the sea. How beautiful! I found a modern person who puts her blessed needle into the metal recycling.  Good to know, I feel the scavenger animals are safe and the beauty of this day is not lessened. It did seem to me something so thoughtful must have a thoughtful ending.

The procession after the ceremony: 

 Gorgeous plum blossoms -  an early sign of spring: 

A quick selfie: 

While we were admiring the plum tree after the service,  a sweet lady approached us.  At age 82, she studies English every day and showed us her copy of  President Biden's inaugural address.  Well, that endeared her to me right away for sure.   She showed us what she sews.  She looks for broken umbrellas discarded on the street after storms, and she uses the sturdy material to sew various small, practical items like this pouch, for herself and her friends.  The essence of mottainai - don't let anything go to waste. 

Julie and I took the long way back to the car.  Normally these shopping streets would be packed with tourists. 

We got a little lost and I was ZERO help.  Directionally challenged! 

All in all such a memorable morning, and I am so out of the habit of outings, that I took a long nap in the afternoon!  It had been so long since I've gone on a typical "Tokyo ladies" outing.  As subdued as it was, it was really an exciting event to share with a friend.  

x gratefully, 

Cynthia