Christmas trees, and furoshiki

 I've been really busy lately but just about every day, I make a few trees for Kaela's Christmas quilt.  I have 24 out of the 38 trees made, and most of the cutting done, which is half the battle.  

It's really straightforward piecing for a very straightforward quilt.   I love making these while listening to music, a podcast, or a book. 

The other day I saw this wonderful episode on NHK (Japanese public television) about furoshiki.  

Furoshiki are wrapping cloths, used to carry goods or wrap presents. If used as gift wrapping, the furoshiki stays with the giver to be used over and over again. 

Click here for a link to the program.  

I collect furoshiki with Christmas wrapping in mind.  They are beautiful and eco-friendly.  Theoretically if I have enough furoshiki, at some point I won't be buying wrapping paper anymore (except for any gifts I might mail).   I also love the idea of the wrapping becoming familiar year after year.  

Of course we quilters can also hem pieces of nice Christmas fabric and use that!   Do you ever use fabric as wrapping paper??  

Anyway, David helped me find the shop featured in the program -  Musubi, which was quite tucked away in Harajuku.   I really wanted to support a local business while adding to my collection.  

Very hard to choose. 

Some were beyond beautiful and prohibitively expensive. 

Others were in my range and I did purchase a few, to add to my budding collection.   

They wrapped my parcel up in a complimentary furoshiki (photo taken with permission) - 

"Shippo" (seven treasures): 

David really liked this little "confetti" furoshiki: 

There is so much to appreciate in Japan in terms of design!

I loved this one featuring trees and animals, and an injunction to "MOTTAINAI" (waste not):

I leave you with this just for fun - the storefront of a small boutique clothing store in the same neighborhood - gotta love Tokyo!   

Back to my forest of pieced trees... 

xo gratefully 

Cynthia 

sashiko, typhoon, Asakusa Ufufu

It was a strange week here.  We were hit with the biggest storm in decades.  For most of us, all was and is well, but for some, the big typhoon brought flooding, landslides, evacuation, even tragic loss of life.

David and I were grateful to be in our sturdy building, on the 5th of 8 floors, with no loss of power or water.  We were prepared with plenty of food, flashlights, and all devices fully charged.  We kept our heavy outer curtains closed, and hunkered down.  (I just looked up the literal definition of "hunker down" and came across this funny definition from urban dictionary.  No, we did not play this game - but we ate plenty of junk food). 

Empty shelves at our neighborhood "conbini" (convenience store):

It was a time for ... Netflix, reading, stitching.  I'm working on a new, small sashiko project -

We had 30+ hours of continuous heavy rain.  Some strong winds, and even a small earthquake in the middle of it all.

The next morning we were happy to see this old soul still standing strong in our nearby park:

A couple days before the storm, I was at sashiko class at Blue and White, where all the talk was on storm prep.  I finished sewing up this little pouch - for keeping my sashiko things tidy and portable.  Design is by our sensei, Kazuko Yoshiura.

The motif is scissors or thread snips -  hasami (はさみ) -

I prefer using small scissors on a lanyard when I stitch:

Meanwhile, I've started to introduce sashiko to some ladies here from my church, in small groups now and then, casual and simple - but I keep forgetting to take photos!  Small groups are ideal for learning just about anything!

In other news, last week a few of us went to the nearby neighborhood of Asakusa.  It has an old Japan feel -- well, with a touristy veneer.  Just off the beaten path is this charming gift shop, Ufufu, where we saw so many treasures - bags and wonderful furoshiki (風呂敷) wrapping cloths.  Corrie and I had met the owner, Ito-san, at a class we took together.

Not *everything* in my life needs to be indigo! ;)

Julie W, Corrie, Ito-san, me, Aya

Here's another group of friends - hope they enjoyed their photo shoot.  

They stood stock still for so long - good little doggies.  You never know what you might see on the streets of Tokyo. ;) . 

Thanks for reading - til next time -

xo
Cynthia

sashiko and mending

I gave a sashiko demo at our Guild show last month but didn't take any photos - sometimes you have to just be in the moment;).  It sure is fun to sit and stitch and talk sashiko though.  Earlier in the month I gave some small group demos during our regular Guild meeting.  Someone snapped a photo of me sharing this furoshiki project - those motifs aren't fans per se - they are chrysanthemum sections: 

One of my students at Cobblestone Quilts finished her project.  It is gorgeous and creative - she put her own personal twist in, with the red, and adding the fireflies.  Well done, Dale! 

I'm also in the process of doing some mending.  A few weeks ago I mended my sister in law's favorite jeans.  I loved this project!  I hope they are wearing OK.

When I'm mending something, I feel like I'm getting a little closer to understanding wabi sabi...

Looking forward to some sashiko dyeing at Vermont Quilt Festival next weekend!

x
Cynthia

Kiku sashiko project class

Yesterday the time flew as I taught a fourth sashiko class at Cobblestone Quilts.  Five ladies, each with her own connection to handwork and either a new or a developing interest in sashiko stitching.

We explored this timeless motif - the chrysanthemum - or kiku - which represents long life and rejuvenation or energy.  The Chrysanthemum was adopted by the Imperial Family of Japan as the Imperial Flower and has become a symbol of Japan itself.

We see it everywhere -

I love these vintage bits of indigo katazome (stenciled patterns)  featuring kiku: 

You can start to see the "fan" appear as the motif gets more simplified:

So when you see something like this, go ahead and think "fan", but know that its origins are in the hearty and elegant chrysanthemum!

A piece like this might be made into a pillow, but a more classic use (lined, or unlined) would be as a furoshiki, or traditional Japanese wrapping cloth.  The braided stems are perfect for this use.

I wish I'd taken more photos!  Isn't it always a balance between being in the moment and documenting the moment...

In other news... this was yesterday morning.  Come on, April, stop with the snow!

x
Cynthia

Furoshiki, and peonies

Ta-da - our antique indigo furoshiki panel FINALLY hangs in the living room;).

It involved a trip to Michael's (not my favorite - visual overload) for some bamboo lengths, using a hacksaw for the first time in my life... and making some simple loops with indigo-dyed sashiko thread:

This crest is the one used by David's Japanese ancestors:

I recently wrote about this piece here.  That was back in March and I guess I really procrastinated actually hanging this thing up!

It's about as wabi-sabi as it gets, and I just love it.

Today I also put my sashiko table runner back into the dining room:

And picked some peonies in the garden -

That scroll in the background is by Allan West - a brilliant artist and kindred spirit from our time in Japan - and is another treasure - in it he depicted peonies in a most beautiful way.

Today I also did some quilting, but did not take any photos of that.  More on that soon!

I hope my quilting buddies near and far are heading into a nice weekend!

xo
Cynthia