My brother's sashiko throw finished, and a little London getaway

 

Spring has started springing in sunny North Carolina.  It is so beautiful here. 

I finished the next sashiko sofa throw, this one for my brother and sister in law.  This time, I sandwiched the layers with thin batting ("cream rose").  

Front:

Back: 

Again I used a lot of vintage pieces mixed with new indigo, and some pieces of Liberty tana lawn.  After everything was sashiko-ed (quilted, really) I appliquéd some patches on to the front, for balance. 

A good way to use a small piece of vintage Katazome: 

Meanwhile David was on a long business trip to several cities and I met up with him in London for a few days.  It was such a nice getaway.  

So fun seeing friends Nate and Savannah and meeting their kiddos for the first time in Hyde Park.  

At Liberty, charm everywhere - 

These celebrity needlepoint kits were a hoot, tempting: 

Crochet flowers - 

Sometimes I want to chuck all my quilting stuff and do embroidery - 

My travel back and forth was happily uneventful.  David returned home a week later after more business travel and we both promptly got Covid which kept each of us laid low for a solid week.   Coming out of the fog now! 

I keep taking unintentional breaks from blog reading and certainly blog posting!  But not ready to throw in the towel just yet! 

Hoping you my quilting pals across the miles are doing well in this topsy turvy world.  

xo

Cynthia 

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 

Sashiko throw #2 and a new year

Happy New Year!  

A majority of our San Francisco contingent was here for a week at Christmas - Kaela's family of six including their Spanish au pair Laura.  And they got to meet their new baby cousin.  The house was filled to brimming and it was as fun as it was exhausting! 

I made a stocking for Laura - her first ever (in Spain they put out their shoes on the night of January 5th, for the Three Kings to fill) - 

We snuck off to the beach on the warmest day - 

Baby Chloe - so sweet - 

Christmas Eve dinner - 

Followed by our annual yule log cake:  

I gifted the sashiko throw to Kaela's family for Christmas - 

Made with new and vintage indigo collected over time, and some patches of floral Liberty tana lawn. 

I used the instructions in Susan Briscoe's excellent book "The Book of Boro" as a general guide.  No batting, and a knife edge finish. 

The back is also patchy: 

My home is almost "back", with laundry being processed non stop and Christmas decorations put away.  

Itching to get back in the sewing room!  One of my intentions for 2025 is to continue to find joy in quilting, and not get overwhelmed by too many projects at once.  How many is too many?? 

From my home to yours, wishing you peace - 

xo

Cynthia 

My very first quilt, 1992

Patching up my great-grandma Two's nine-patch (below) made me realize that my very first quilt must have been inspired by that very same quilt.  I do remember thinking I wanted to do it all by hand like Two.   

This little nine patch took ages, and was such a learning experience.  I didn't have gear.  I cut patches out, sitting on the floor, pieced by hand, quilted by hand.  I was pregnant with my first baby, Noelle.  And now she's going to have a baby in December with the same due date I had with her.  Massively full circle!

I pieced a top for new baby girl:  

... and then a second, darker top, from the scraps.   Quilting will happen after our family vacation.  

This week I also made some basic little "quiet" photo books for my three little grand daughters - nothing fancy and so fun to make. 

My sour dough journey continues...  I ordered some local NC rye flour, and it is wonderful. 

And, I snapped up this itty-bitty sweet machine from Facebook marketplace.  Bernina Activa 220, circa 2010.  Super basic and perfect for travel, and/or for granddaughters who might want to learn to sew someday.  Bonus was that I met a lovely quilter in the process!  She was upgrading to the same machine I have already.  Fellow Bernina folks... well we do love talking "Bernina" ! 

In the evenings I'm really enjoying my EPP hexie flower project - no deadline.  Lots of "warm" colors, all Liberty.  Eventually to be made into a small throw quilt as a twin to my first hexie quilt. 

That's all for now... summer flying by. 

x 

Cynthia