Work in Progress Wednesday

The Trixie blocks. This project needs a little background. When I was young, Trixie Belden was my favorite book character. I think she still is. She and her friends were members of The Bobwhites of the Glen. I read and reread the 39 mystery books in the series. You can see a list of the books here on Wikipedia.

In the summers of 2003 and 2004, I joined other Trixie fans, all adults, to attend “Trixie Camp”. The camps were held somewhere the books were set and were planned by group members, going to places and doing things the Bobwhites did in the books. I only attended twice, but it was held other years too. 

Someone had the idea to make quilts. Each participant was to make multiples of the same block which had some connection to Trixie, and send them to a coordinator of the project, who would divide them up and send them out, so each participant would have one of each block. I received 14 blocks, plus two extra of mine. I think two people must have dropped out before making their blocks. The blocks were supposed to be 8.5 inches square, so they would finish at 8 inches. None of them, including mine, are the proper size. Mine is the blue and gray block in the lower left of the picture. It represents The Mystery of the Blinking Eye, which took place in New York City.

I haven’t known what to do with them, so I did nothing. Now I think I will even them all at 8 inches square. I hate to cut off the points of the two star blocks, but I think it can’t be helped. I briefly thought about adding a little border around each one, but decided that would be a nightmare. Many are made with odd materials, two have some kind of iron-on plastic stuff, one has little pompoms, one has beads, one has velour and suede. You get the idea. Maybe I will have something more to show soon…

Japan’s Birthrate Falls to Record Low

Last year, the number of births in Japan fell below 700,000 for the first time on record, according to government data. In 2024, 686,061 babies were born in Japan, which was 41,227 fewer than in 2023, and the lowest number since records began in 1899. This was the ninth consecutive low and said to be due to marrying later and the perceived high cost of raising children.

Prime Minister Ishiba called the situation a “quiet emergency”, and pledged to enact family-friendly measures, like more flexible working hours in order to reverse the trend. 

Japan had 1.6 million deaths in 2024, which was 1.9% greater than 2023, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Japan has the second oldest population in the world, after Monaco. Japan faces severe worker shortages as the population ages and fewer babies are born.

Monday Morning Star Count

I’m working on the binding. The hand sewing it on the other side will take a while, but I’m getting closer to the finish.

I also made more hexagons with little pieces of fabric. Nothing is wasted.

Polite and Considerate

 

I was surprised to find this package of face masks with a letter in my mail slot. I really shouldn’t have been surprised, this is Japan, after all. It seems a house in my neighborhood will be taken down and a new one built. In addition to making the nearby residents aware of this, we were given masks in case of dust floating around. Also, they will give you a car cover to protect your vehicle, if you ask for one. I love living in Japan.

Home Grown Watermelon

Where I live, burnable trash gets picked up in our neighborhood two mornings a week. It has to be in the designated place in special bags by 8:30 am. As I was taking my trash out, I saw my elderly neighbor (kitty corner across the street) with hers. I picked up her bag, and took it with mine to the designated place. She motioned for me to come to her garden and gave me this watermelon. How nice of her!

Friday Finish - Two More Mini Christmas Pillows

I finished two more little Christmas pillows. Front, back, and in the bowl with the first three.