Noelle's sashiko sofa throw finished ... and puppy reality check ... and homemade bread

It's a cloudy cozy Saturday here in North Carolina.  I have a crock pot dinner going, and bread dough rising, and an afternoon free for quilting. 

First things first though, after some "getting real" thinking, I've decided to delay (possibly forever?) getting a puppy - for all the usual reasons!  It was fun and thought provoking to read comments on this topic, on my last blog post - thank you!  When I really tried on the thought of just saying no to the puppy idea, I felt both disappointed and relieved, mostly relieved, even very relieved.  Alas!  and Whew! 

Anyhoooo in my pet-less townhouse I finished up the sashiko on Noelle's throw.  I'm real pleased with it and will bring it for show-and-tell tomorrow at guild meeting.  

This is the third of these sofa throws I've made so far, using Susan Briscoe's excellent guidance in The Book of Boro.  

Here's the top, photographed in the shade to try to capture the indigo hue: 

 

And the back: 

I add a few patches once the sashiko is finished - including David's family Kamon (crest):  

I love adding in some special pieces of Liberty tana lawn with the recipient in mind: 

Below, once of my all-time favorite pieces of vintage Katazome: 

Knife edge "hem" - 

In other news last week David taught a sushi making class for a group of adults (with and without intellectual disabilities) my niece Alyssa works with in her work with L'Arche.   My sister in law and I helped him.  A lot of work and a lot of fun.   

I just took my bread out of the oven!  It's a sourdough sandwich bread, recipe from King Arthur Flour.  I love that it combines a sourdough levain that you mix the night before, with a little active dry yeast, for an easy recipe, consistently delicious results.  I always add some whole wheat, wheat germ, and a bit of vital wheat gluten,  in place of some of the white flour.  Using a scale has forever changed the way I bake! 

I let it cool like this, elevated, to prevent soggy bottoms.  

Hope ya'll are having a good weekend in your own neck of the woods... 

x

Cynthia 

Tokyo trip, days 1-5

Earlier this month I went with David on his business trip to Tokyo.  I put a lot on Instagram as the trip went along, but I'd like to blog a bit about it too.   It was just one of the best vacations I've ever had.  

I dreaded the flight, but it really wasn't bad.  I have good noise canceling headphones and they help so much.  Our first hotel was just lovely, plenty of space and a big window.  

Day one -  I taxied to a lunch spot to meet up with some fellow Relief Society friends from when we lived there, and then I took a long walk in the sunshine, collected a few groceries for the hotel room.  

Day two -  I met up with friends Christina and Naomi and we walked all around Christina's neighborhood, Koenji, which is known for its many vintage clothing shops.  We stood in line for a long time for THE best tempura I have ever tasted. Ah, Tokyo! 

Specialty rice shop with rice grown in lots of different regions of Japan: 

The cutest little office supply store: 

Everywhere you turn, there is something interesting to see. 

But mainly it was just so great to spend the afternoon talking and laughing with good old friends. 

Day three:  I met up at our church building for an outing by car to the beloved "Dirty Dish" shop.  That isn't the name, but it's what expats have called it for decades.   It's a big dusty warehouse with excellent prices and then everything is an additional 40% off.    To and from the shop, I got caught up with Leslie A.  It just feels like no time had passed since 2022 when I left Japan without really knowing I was leaving "for good". 

I managed to buy a few things (including hashioki (chopstick holders) and two replacement ramen bowls for Kaela.  

So fun catching up with Coy Lou... 

And Aya... 

 

Day three, Saturday with David - 

His favorite gyoza place, Harajuku Gyoza. 

From there it is walking distance to Meiji Shrine.  Such a lovely wooded space on the way. 

The purifiying ritual of rinsing hands, taking a sip of the cool water as a sign of respect before passing through the gate.  

Blue skies, and a glimpse of a Shinto wedding procession - 

You know I see quilty inspiration everywhere - 

Just so fun being back in Tokyo.  It felt like returning home. 

Day four, Sunday - a quiet day - church followed by brunch and a little shopping for clothes for David.  The Tokyo LDS temple has been recently renovated, and we attended church in the attached "annex".  

So nice catching up with friends - 

To be continued!  

Cynthia 

baby quilt progress and misc art

Time for a little catch-up.   

Baby Charlotte turned two - can we call her baby Charlotte anymore?  I don't think so!  Little twin sisters "Baby A" and "Baby B" will be arriving sometime in August or early September;).  

Our big news is that Kaela and Joe found a beautiful "forever" home in the area.  They will move there in August.  Yes the same month the babies are due!  And then David and I are buying a townhome less than ten minutes from their home!  We will move there in September.  Much more on that later!   It is quite small and a "bit of a fixer upper" but nothing we can't handle over time.   In this insane sellers' market, we had to get real! 

Meanwhile,  I have a driver's license and a library card, so I'm all set and can call North Carolina home now, right? 

It is a pleasure to be going to a library again after three years in Tokyo without one.   

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors.  I also love checking out cookbooks each time.  

David and I went to a Van Gogh "immersive experience" the other day - I believe it has toured the country, or maybe there are multiple iterations of it happening simultaneously.    It was educational and interactive, which was nice.... but 

...we found it to be overpriced and disappointing, sort of a strip mall version of a real museum experience, with cheap blurry replicas of real art.  Save your pennies and visit a real museum and see some original art, take an audio tour or better yet, a docent tour and experience art that way.  And there is so much excellent free content online, from real museums featuring excellent images and videos. 

Speaking of art... my feelings about tattoos have certainly evolved over the years. 

When Noelle got her first tattoo  (a Khalil Gibran quote about death - on her rib cage - her freshman year of art school), she FaceTimed us in Japan to show us, and I excused myself almost immediately to go have a good cry.   LOLOLOL.  

Ten years later..... I celebrate with her when she gets the tattoo she's been planning for so long, from a respected tattoo artist who accepted her proposal of concept and designed the tattoo.  Each element holds meaning for Noelle.  This was part one and took six hours: 

Part two a week later also took six hours.  That is our family crest, the Paulownia.  

Ya, part of me says "I don't get it" and the same part of me also says "I feel old" - but the better part of me can just be happy for my daughter. 

Meanwhile I'm in nine patch heaven over here, working on the simple baby quilts.  I finished quilting Baby B's quilt, will work on quilting Baby A's next.   

Does anyone else use your actual quilt as a machine cover, when you are in the middle of the machine quilting process. :).   I just flip it over the machine at the end of a session, leaving the needle in the quilt.  This backing is Flower Shop by Jim Ishikawa for Clothworks. 

xo

Cynthia