Dollie quilts

Given the likely crazy few weeks ahead, I am sharing a "mini" of sorts a little early.  These two dollie quilts were cut and finished by my Grandma Mary Lou in the early 90's, from a tiny Grandmother's Flower Garden top she rescued: 

She meander machine quilted the white backgrounds, and tied the centers of each "flower" - 

They are so charming and sweet.  

And now they are packed away.  *All* of my quilting stuff is ready to move over to the "dated-but-new-to-us" townhouse next month: 

This does not even include all the quilting stuff I had in Tokyo, which was part of our "sea shipment."   It's just too much stuff.   Sometimes I daydream about chucking it all and taking up embroidery, watercolor, and knitting - all of which, combined, would take up far less space! 

In other news... David and I have been walloped by Covid.   We had avoided it for SO long that it was sort of a shock to get it.  The worst symptoms for me have been bad headache (like, scary bad) and extreme fatigue.  We are on the upswing I think, and counting the days til we will safely be able to visit with people again.  

With September right around the corner, I've also been considering joining a local quilt guild.  I feel shy about it, but I think it might be a good idea.  What about you... do you participate in a local guild? 

xo

Cynthia 

Home quarantine stitching

I am in Day 11 of my 14 day quarantine.  I have heard mixed messages and strong opinions about whether or not we are allowed to take walks, and so I haven't.  But.... the view from my living room never looked so good...  I am so happy for it and for the sunshine streaming in.  

David (who is out of quarantine now) went to the post office this morning as a favor to send something to a young friend in the U.S.  We warned that the item would take 3-4 months to arrive, but alas they are allowing air mail again!  I don't know when that started, but this means that I will realistically be able to send small care packages to my kids later in the fall or for Christmas.  

David also mentioned that it is hot hot hot out there.   It is 91 degrees and "feels like" 100 according to my weather app. 

This is my current stitching - a block from Barbara Brackman's Ladies's Aid New York sampler - 

I'm using the back basting method on these blocks:  

This flag block is the ONLY block I worked on during my month in the U.S.  Ha ha, I brought so much handwork and just brought it all back home undone. 

Yesterday was our 31st anniversary.  I distinctly remember last year thinking that by August 2021, Covid would be behind us (collectively as a world community).  Not so.    Delta is spreading like wildfire in Tokyo and the hospitals are strained.  

This is the required app that we use to check in, report our health (no fever or other symptoms) and receive a video call once a day, at a random time, which verifies that we are quarantining properly.   Sometimes we get a random message to please click "I'm here" so that they (who is "they"???) can verify that we are home.  

Do you see the tatami mats on my floor?  I purchased two mats to put in our living area, and it is so nice to have something natural in the apartment ("the plastic palace") and something soft and real underfoot when I sit on the couch doing handwork.   

I put out my blocks last night just to admire, lol.  I think this will be a soft sweet quilt. 

xo

Cynthia 

Airport process and Hotel Jail....

 I am back home in Tokyo, out of hotel quarantine, and now in apartment quarantine.  It was quite a difficult four days.  My trip door to door took 25 hours, with a head cold.  The process at the airport was arduous.  If you follow me on IG I wrote about it there.  An hours-long process of walking in line, various checkpoints with lots of paperwork, Covid test (low point for me was having to have the brain swab.  I'm on cold meds and couldn't for the life of me, spit)

 Next was a whole process where they make sure our tracking apps are downloaded onto our phones, immigration, customs, etc, I was finally bussed with some others, 90 minutes from the airport into Tokyo for our 72-hour hotel quarantine.   All of this whole process was done in near silence and took hours.  I just sort of kept thinking "never again."  

Me contemplating life in hotel jail, lol: 

My room was teeny-tiny.  I could walk the whole room in 6-7 steps.  One-two-three-four-five-six-pivot, one-two...... like a caged animal.   My window was frosted over, so, yes some natural light but no view or sense of where I even was.  Uncomfortable bed, flat pillow.  

Clean, nice bathroom, good Wifi, good A/C. Mini fridge and water kettle for boiling water. 

We were not allowed to open our doors except when the announcement came to retrieve our meals from our doorknobs.   There was always a security guard within sight, when I opened my door. 

We had three cold meals delivered each day.  

These bentos were beautiful but just not my kind of food.  Nine straight meals like this.   

To be fair, I think these are nice bentos and most Japanese people would be really pleased with this food - David too.   But, not me. 

I was VERY grateful I had prepared a stash of alternative food.  

How about this for a "Western" breakfast - all cold:  hamburger patty, spaghetti, one french fry, sausage, egg, pickles, potato salad, and rice.  

I had thought I'd "get so much done" (blogs, geneology, reading, hand work) but my stress level, and the lack of any comfortable seating, made that impossible.  I watched a lot of Netflix.  

Early yesterday morning, we had Covid tests, and at 1:00pm, I got a call to my room saying please pack up by 2:00.  No problem! 

Please, let me out of here: 

By 3:00 we were on a bus back to the airport where a private car service picked me up (we aren't allowed to use public transportation).   When I walked into the apartment, David was making me a nice simple hot  dinner of pork loin, carrots, and potatoes.  Heaven.  

I still haven't blogged about the rest of my time in the US, and I want to show the indigo throw that I finished for Tommy!  I will do that real soon.  Thanks for putting up with a whiny post;).    

xo

Cynthia 

To Texas and North Carolina... with quilts

My month in the U.S. is drawing to a close.  It's been pretty wonderful, in between some stressful travel days here and there.  

First up, Texas - we got vaccinated immediately, the Johnson and Johnson "one and done".  Such a relief to finally be vaccinated. 

The thrill was David finally meeting Charlotte for the first time!   Very happy Grandad!

I brought Charlotte her butterfly quilt: 

Little lovey napping with her log cabin baby quilt and an afghan made by her paternal Grandmother.  Cozy, so sweet. 

She really likes the little kawandi quilt too and brought it over to Kaela last night - so cute.  It's a bit of an "eye spy" or "identify the colors" type of quilt and it's pint sized and soft with the double-gauze backing. 

Minnie hanging out with me in my room: 

I sometimes joke that in this house, every quilt is also a dog quilt (I don't mind).  

I also brought them their Christmas quilt.  I tacked back the binding over several evenings.    Kaela is real pleased with it so that makes me happy: 

Did I mention that every quilt is a dog quilt?  Minnie wanted to get in on the action. 

After a week we flew to North Carolina for four days.   Unfortunately (or fortunately) I was so in the moment I hardly took any photos. 

Walking a possible lot (the dream is to have my brother David build us a house in or near Chapel Hill, once our time in Japan is finished) 

 

My brother in his new shop: 

And the cozy apartment he and Janette created above it, to live in while they build their next home.  

In North Carolina we stayed with Noelle and Keenan in Raleigh and sure enjoyed the beautiful trees outside our room: 

Two of their cats - cozy cozy. 

Noelle's college quilt still in use;).  

I gave Noelle and Keenan their Christmas quilt too (no photos!) - I think they will enjoy it! 

Next we went to Massachusetts and Maine and I will blog about that next. 

Right now I'm finishing up my extra week in Texas, nursing a bad head cold (ugh), expecting a negative result from this afternoon's COVID test....  and David is already back in Japan quarantining in the apartment.   The bad news for me is that Japan just added Texas to "the list" and I will be put into a government designated facility for the first 72 hours of my quarantine.  Fun times ahead (not).  

I'm packing some provisions to supplement what is bound to be a difficult-for-me food situation during those three days.   I expect a lot of fish and mystery items, but I also expect I will have a water kettle to use (standard in Japanese hotel rooms).   And wifi!  Please let there be good wifi! 

So, I will blog again in a few days, during my "hotel jail" time.  ;).  

xo 

Cynthia 

FUN quilty beginning to 2021 (and Covid realities)

Happy New Year fellow quilters.   

David and I had a quiet Christmas and New Year's.  FaceTiming with our children all together was a highlight.  Hopefully they will be able to visit us here sometime in 2021?  So far, the borders are still  closed to tourists, even dependents (like college aged children) of "permanent residents" (that's us).  It's not the best feeling that Tommy can't come "home" to Tokyo.  Every day I'm thankful he has each of his older sisters a flight away, and great friends and extended family near him in Utah at school.  We live by texting, phone calls, and FaceTime.  David has yet to meet baby Charlotte and she will be seven month in a couple days.  Sigh.  

It looks like because of the spike in cases in Tokyo, we are on the brink of another state of emergency.  In practical terms it may just mean shops and restaurants are asked to close in the early evening - nothing as strict as last spring.  However, they are mentioning further tightening border restrictions, and the word "collapse" is being used to describe the hospital situation.  

We just have to live wisely and hope the vaccine reaches us as soon as possible in 2021.  My heart goes out to folks starting a new year in a state of grieving, or in a state of ill health due to COVID, or crushing financial difficulty, or crushing emotional isolation.  What a time.  We have to cherish what we have and help each other out. 

I say it so often... but what would I be doing with myself, in this little Tokyo apartment, with David working from home just down the hall, without quilting??  I am so grateful for it in my life!  I'm grateful to you for reading, for other blogs, and for the friendships made across the miles, through our blogs and emails. In some ways it feels like a virtual quilt guild.  Or awesome pen pals!

I'm starting off my quilting year with FUN.  I really do love making these improv log cabins. 

This one is for a very special young family friend, Paulina.  You know how some of your kids' friends end up feeling like family?  I have been thinking I'd like to make her a quilty hug.  So why not now.  

The brief is UNSTRUCTURED (yay!), BOLD (ok!) with lots of DEEP PURPLE (time to shop!).  

The time difference worked out so we texted back and forth to make quick fabric decisions in real time while I shopped at Tomato.  It was so energizing!  

And I discovered that Paulina likes red almost as much as purple. 

We thought we were done, and then I rounded the corner to.....  Kaffe Fassett -   

 Perfect backing fabric: 

Random logs, big blocks, so easy to trim up with my 12.5" square ruler.  These blocks are such a pleasure to make.  Making them feels like some great combination of play and meditation.  

What else in '21?  Are you like me?  Do you over commit to BOMs, swaps, challenges??   There are always a lot of sew alongs happening.  I thought about Kathleen Tracy's Schoolgirl Sampler (72 simple 4" blocks) which looks sweet and I have the book.  I also thought about Cecile's curved piecing challenge at Patchwork Inspirations.  

In the end I'm just going to bite off this much -- the following two BOMs:  

Poppy's Polka Dot Garden (free downloads for two blocks, around the first of every month - from Sentimental Stitches,  for 2021-2022).  This started a few months ago.  I am REALLY enjoying this appliqué.  Anyone else?  Someone started #poppyspolkadotgarden on Instagram.  I think there are just two of us so far.   

Barbara Brackman's 2021 pieced BOM, Hands All Around.  Second Wednesdays.  Louisa May Alcott, simple blocks, variations on Sawtooth Stars, need I say more?  Barbara's posts are always so interesting if you like quilt history, and she has a great sense of humor too.  (by the way Santa brought me the new edition of her encyclopedia - it's beautiful).   

And, as much as possible but with no pressure: 

Monthly minis with Wendy at The Constant Quilter 

Hoping to keep my quilting life balanced and fun this year - thank you for being part of it! 

x gratefully 

Cynthia