All By Myself

I went to the mall on the bus all by myself. That doesn’t sound like all that big of a deal, but not being able to speak or read Japanese makes it a big deal. I didn’t really need to shop for anything, I just wanted to try something more independent. What’s the worst that could happen?  If I got on the wrong bus, I could stay on it until it went back to the mall and get on a different one.  Luckily, both going to the mall and coming home I got on the right buses and got off at the right stops.

I went back to the stitching store that I visited the last time I was at the mall.  I didn’t notice the DMC thread section or the Liberty fabrics when I was there before.

At a table in the back of the store were eight women with their sewing baskets and fabric pieces.  I think it must have been the quilting circle. They didn't know I wanted to join them.

In the housewares section, I saw these rugs.  One says “clean and agreeable life” and the other says “proposal to a new life”.  If you already have a clean and agreeable new life, does that mean you don’t need rugs?

I looked at the irons, but this is more than I want to spend.  We looked at the second hand store again last week, but had no luck. 

I thought these little girl manikins were interesting with their green eyes and red hair.  I haven’t seen any little girls here with green eyes and red hair.

Is a dust box the same as a trash can?

Somehow I missed this store the first time I came to the mall.  Another stitching shop!  More fabric and yarn and beads!  One shop like this in a mall is unheard of in the US, but two!  This shop has a line of embroidery thread called Cosmo.

I did make a purchase here – a little piece of sashiko fabric and white sashiko thread and a package of little fob things that I might use with some beads. (Never mind that I already have two unfinished sashiko projects - more on that later). I spent 814 yen and the cashier gave me a little frequent buyers card and stamped the first box.  I couldn't ask her what the reward was for filling the card.  Maybe I will be able to by the time the card is filled. I also bought some white glue at the stationary shop.

I wanted to eat lunch at the mall, but I couldn’t figure out what did not have meat in it. Surprisingly to me, most Japanese food has fish and/or meat in it. They don’t have the little animal pictures, like in the university cafeteria.  I ended up having a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone for lunch.  I know what Baskin Robbins is.

Ornament finish

Ted chose blue Kreinik blending filament, red Kreinik #4 braid, white silk thread for the design, red and blue #5 perle cotton for the cording and Mill Hill beads for his ornament.  Here are close up photos he took of the two ornaments.