This piece was started as a stitch group project and has been hanging around, unfinished, for too long. I finally filled in some of the empty spaces and finished it as a box top. These simple boxes are available in different sizes at Daiso for 100 yen each.
When I’m out walking, I often come across shrines and temples. This one is on a hill. I’m sure I was here before, but I don’t remember exactly when.
There was no one else around, which is pretty normal when I visit shrines and temples. It was calm and quiet. If I find myself in this area, I could visit again.
The Tale of Genji progress - I still have cross stitch in the middle, and a lot of back stitching left to do, but it is coming along nicely.
Knot Garden progress
Zipper Pouch progress - five rows
We met on Sunday and it was a great get together, working on our gardens.
One of our members was given all of this embroidery floss. She shared with the rest of us.
We talked and worked on our gardens. There were so many good ideas.
Tea Time
I look forward to seeing everyone’s garden progress when we meet next time.
Lately I have been organizing and trying to find uses for things I’ve been saving. I want to finish projects and use up the things I’ve been saving. Heaven forbid if I should get too old to stitch and someone else has to clean out my stash!
Anyway, I prepared more fabric to make 26 mm hexagons. I cut fabric into 2 1/2 inch squares, then paper clipped the fabric squares to the paper hexagon template.
There are different ways to make hexagons and bigger pieces. This is how I do it.
I fold over the corners and do a tacking stitch, removing the paper clips as I go along.
I need a center and six petals to make the flower shape.
Without cutting the thread, I attach one side of the center to one side of each petal. When all six petals are attached, I use the point of the scissors to pop out the center template. That template gets reused over and over. I leave the template in until it is supported on all six sides by other hexagons.
With the center template out, I can fold the center to easily join the side of the petals together.
So, one more hexagon flower finished, for a total of 43.
Today is the Shizuoka Marathon. It’s held every year at the end of February or the beginning of March. Some years I’ve gone out to cheer for people I’ve known who were competing. I understand how it feels having someone cheering for you.
When I lived in the US, one of the things on my Bucket List was to run a marathon in each of the 50 US states. I was never a fast runner (translation - I was a slow runner), but I had endurance. Since I will never be going back to the US, I no longer have this goal on my bucket list. Below are the races I ran before I left.
My first marathon was the Grandfather Mountain Marathon in North Carolina. July 1984
At the time, I thought it would be my only marathon, so I saved the shirt.
St. Louis, Missouri November 1989
This race was chosen because it was just a few hours from where I was living at the time. When I finished, I thought I would probably do another sometime.
Las Vegas, Nevada February 1991
When I was in law school, I belonged to a running club that met every Sunday to run and eat a pot luck brunch together. A group of us went to Las Vegas for the marathon, including my law school professor in the picture with me. (My behind isn’t as big as it looks in the picture - I have a long sleeved shirt tied around my waist.)
Memphis, Tennessee December 1998
I visited Elvis Presley’s home on this trip, in addition to the marathon.
London, Ontario Canada May 2000
One thing I remember about this race was that it was measured in kilometers, not miles!
Wichita, Kansas October 2002
Louisville, Kentucky Marathon April 2003
I went to this race with quite a few friends from my running club. Three of us stayed in a hotel room together, like a slumber party.
Tecumseh Trail Marathon, Indiana December 2003.
This was probably the most difficult marathon. It was freezing cold, there were streams to go through and big hills, and a dead deer on the course. The friend who I traveled with had to drop out of the race. I was sad for her, but I felt so good to be able to finish.
Columbus, Ohio October 2005
My high school friend and her family hosted me in Columbus. It was good to catch up with her that weekend.
Huntington, West Virginia November 2005
This was a very small marathon and I was running alone for much of the race.
Jacksonville, Florida December 2005
This race was held on a rainy day. I remember a delicious seafood dinner after the race.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina February 2006
This was a lively race, with lots of runners who were having a good time.
Callaway Gardens, Georgia January 2008
I had been to Callaway Gardens for needlework classes with many other stitchers, but this was the first time to be there alone.
Shamrock Marathon Virginia Beach, Virginia March 2008
This race was sponsored by a beer company and there was free beer at the finish.
Triple Lakes Trail Marathon North Carolina October 2010
This marathon was rugged. The trail was steep and rocky in places, and had big tree roots in other places. I finished this marathon with dirty bloody knees.
Huntsville, Alabama December 2010
This was a large crowded race. It was my last before moving to Japan in 2011.
Yuko Yamaguchi, the designer behind Hello Kitty, is stepping down after 46 years. During this time, she oversaw the character achieve world wide recognition. She took over design duties in 1980, just five years after Hello Kitty was launched. Yamaguchi, now 70 years old, “has grown Hello Kitty into a character loved by everyone.” Another designer in the Sanrio Company has been working with Yamaguchi, and will be ready to take over later this year.
The Hello Kitty character has appeared on clothes, accessories, video games and has even been a Macy’s Thanksgiving parade balloon. There are Hello Kitty cafes and a theme park. According to Sanrio, she was born in London, and has a twin sister Mimmy, and a boyfriend named Dear Daniel. All this and she doesn’t even talk. Sanrio says she speaks from the heart.
I came across the Prairie Schooler pattern for these two little animals. I started stitching them on Wednesday morning and had them finished into little pin cushions by Thursday afternoon.
I attended a traditional oral Japanese storytelling event called Kodan, in Fuji City. This event was special because it was performed with English subtitles on the side. I was happy to attend this rare performance and be able to understand the story by reading the translation as it was spoken in Japanese. Although it was once very popular, Kodan is now rather rare, with only four schools and very few performers.
There are three traditional classifications of Kodan - Gundan, Gokirokumono, and Sewamono, meaning war stories, true stories, and contemporary stories. Kodan is performed sitting behind a lectern, called a shakudai, using a folding fan to mark the rhythm of the recitation.
If I have the chance to attend another Kodan event, I will definitely attend!
