Smalls Stitch A Long 2019 - May

The May ornament is a freebie from Magical's Quilts and More and is called Spring Ice. I used three colors of DMC perle #8 on 28 count white linen.

This year's Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary at Mary's Thread.

Work In Progress Wednesday on Thursday

Yesterday was Kimono Day, so today is my progress report.  

I continued working on the Flapper Cat ornament. I have finished the stitching and now need to cut it out and put it together to finish the ornament.

I've been working on the fobs during my lunch hour at work.

I started working on one of the miniature rugs. It is wool on 18 count canvas.

Kimono Day

Gofuku is the fabric kimonos are made of, so on this day, Japan celebrates traditional clothing: 5 (go) 2 (fu) 9 (ku).

Craft Classes

When I lived in the US, I often took stitching classes with my local guilds and I went to Calloway School of  Needlearts twice and attended EGA National Seminars quite a few times.  In Japan, I haven't had those kinds of opportunities, but I have taken other types of craft classes since moving here seven years ago, most of them while traveling.  Here is a recap on classes, with links to the original posts.  

Surigata Yuzen - Coasters (first half of post) - in Kyoto December 2012.

Okinawan Glass Blowing (second half of post) December 2012.

Okinawan Bingata Class (first half of post) Small mat - this was in December 2012.

Okinawan Weaving Class (second half of post) Coaster- same trip as above in December 2012.

Hokkaido Quilt Show Mini Classes, May 2013.

Bali Batik Classes - I took two classes with two different teachers in December 2013.

Janet Bolton Class at Bath Summer Textile School, August 2014.

Jan Beaney Class at Bath Summer Textile School, August 2014.

Canvas Class at Royal School of Needlework, August 2014.

(Still not finished)

Christmas Origami Class, December 2014.

Hokkaido Quilt Show Mini Classes, May 2015.

Hokkaido Weaving Class - September 2015.

Pottery Class - in Hokkaido September 2015.

Japanese Paper Making in Wakayama Prefecture in December 2015.

Udon School in Shikoku, May 2016.

Paper Book Cover Class in Shizuoka August 2016.

Weaving class in Shizuoka October 2016.

Okinawa Weaving - Tea Mat - I took this class in December 2016.

Bingata Bag Class in Okinawa - December 2016.

Coral Painting Class in Okinawa - December 2016.

Hakata Hariko Painting Class in Fukuoka - this was on my Kyushu trip in August 2017.

Tokyo Craft Crossings Classes in November 2017.

Coral Painting in Okinawa, January 2018.

Shibori Class in Aichi Prefecture, May 2018.

Yuzen Table Mat class in Kyoto, March 2019.

So, I think that's all the classes I've taken since leaving the US. I'm ready for the next class!

Monday Morning Star Count - Week 3

Year Three of the temperature quilt  

Week 3 

May 12 - 18 

72, 72, 68, 73, 75, 77, 73

I am reporting the high temperature each day.  My Year Three temperature/color (Fahrenheit) scheme remains the same: 

100 + Brown 

90-99 Red  

80-89 Orange 

70-79 Yellow  

60-69 Green  

50-59 Blue 

40-49 Purple 

30-39 Pink 

20-29 White 

10-19 Black  

You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.

NHK Partnership Quilt Project Theme Announced

The theme for the 2020 Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival Partnership Quilt Project has been announced - My Favorite Animal. Information can be found in Japanese on the official website.  Thanks to Queenie at Queenie's Needlework, I can give you the basics in English.

The rules are:

• size 15x15 cm + seam allowance of 1-2 cm,

• no quilting,

• name written in lower right seam allowance,

• enclose a self addressed 62yen postcard, if you live in Japan and want to know in which quilt your block has been added

• DEADLINE: JULY 31,  2019, when the block must have reached NHK

• send to: 

Partnership Quilt NHK Sutekini Handmade 2-2-1 Jinnan Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-8001Japan

Of course, pandas are my favorite animals, but cats come in a close second.  What will I make?  I've made blocks the last few years and it's been great fun.  Think about making a block and making the show even more "International"! 

Here are previous year's blocks I made.

2014

2015

2017

2018

2019

Saturday Sushi

My friend and I met last Saturday and went to lunch at a Sushi Restaurant.  

After eating and talking, we walked to a nearby park.  We walked around the pond and looked at the flowers and the elderly men playing.