World Embroidery Day 7/30

 

Today is World Embroidery Day! This designation began with the Swedish Embroiderers' Guild on July 30th, 2011 and has grown world wide since then. 

How will you celebrate? Do you have a specific project you want to work on? Of course, I have many projects to choose from!  I might start a new project, or I might work on one of my neglected projects. Come back on Wednesday and I will post about it with my Work In Progress Wednesday report.

World Embroidery Day Manefesto

Textile reflects our world; embroideries can show the expressions of our time. Embroidery and textiles can focus on the social injustices between countries.
By the means of embroidery we can draw attention to the necessity of engaging in the force of textile in global trade and with it in world peace. Textiles is a power and let us use embroidery as an inspiration for people to engage in creativity that leads to a better understanding between countries and between people.
To embroider is a peaceful occupation. It can be traditional made from a common remembrance, drawn designs, from a pattern, or from your own imagination. You em- broider for joy, beauty, decoration and for the creation of identity.
Stitches can be decorative, beautiful, comforting, repeating, healing, telling, plea- surable, rebellious, caressing and perfect.
People embroider out of joy, as a hobby, professionally, for the bare necessities of life and as an act of freedom. You embroider together with others or in meditative solitude.
We want to acknowledge embroidery as an act of free creativity, which can lead to free, creative thoughts and ideas. We want to tie our embroidery threads from the privi- leged northern hemisphere together with stiches that are sewn by embroidering sisters and brothers all over the world.
We want to be part of a joyfully creative peace movement.
The initiative came from Skåne Sy-d, a local group of Broderiakademin, the SwedishEmbroiderer’s Guild. The first World Embroidery Day took place in Vismarlöv, 30th July 2011. The importance of embroidery must be made known and World Embroidery Day will spread around the world. Make 30th July a day filled with creativity for the sake of Peace, Freedom and Equality.
www.broderiakademin.nu

Small's SAL for July - 2023

Thank You, Mary (at Mary's Thread) for hosting this link up. If you also want to join, check out this page on Mary's blog to find out how. 

This month, I finished the Lizzie Kate freebie called Strawberry.  The chart can be found here. I like the tiny beads.

Friday Finish - Mini Nine Patch Quilt

This finish is a result of my Summer One Thread A Week Challenge.  I often quilted more than just one thread, but always at least one thread.  This lap sized quilt is about 38 inches by 50 inches. The blocks were from a block exchange when I belonged to the Shawnee Quilt Guild in Illinois more than twenty years ago. 

Crown Princess Kiko Tested Positive for Covid-19

 

Covid is still infecting people across Japan.  Several people I know personally were infected in the last week. 

Yesterday I read that Crown Princess Kiko tested positive. The Imperial Household Agency said she will rest at her residence until the end of the week.  Her husband, Crown Prince Fumihito (brother of the Emperor) and their children, Princess Kako and Prince Hisahito, have tested negative. She has cancelled her attendance at ceremonies through Sunday. 

Many people want to downplay covid, but I am still taking it seriously and want to avoid becoming infected. I wish the best for the Crown Princess and her recovery.

Work In Progress Wednesday - Summer One Thread A Week Challenge

My stitching challenge continues to encourage me to make progress on my unfinished projects. 

SnowDays - I worked on the mosaic stitch gray line where the scissors are pointing.

Scarf - I added individual chain stitches in blue where the scissors are pointing.

Cross stitch and buttons - I added more beads to the upper wings.

Virgin Queen's pocket - Betsy Morgan 

I finished the stitching on this piece, with my initials and year where the scissors are pointing. I will now take this piece out of the One Thread a Week Challenge and prepare the finishing into the pocket.

Dogwood afghan - I started the third square.

Nine Patch Quilt - All that is left to do is stitch down the binding.

Quiltworks - Ruth Dilts

This project has been getting more than just one thread a week.  Sometimes I worked on it for whole evenings.  I'm happy to say the stitching is finished, so I will take it off the One Thread Challenge.  I have no plans for how I will finish finish it yet.

Paisley Purse - Deborah Forney 

I added a line of beads where the scissors are pointing.

Sneek Sampler - I'm still unstitching the mistakes.

I'm happy with this week's progress.

Tokyo Disney Drone Show at Abekawa Fireworks Festival

 

Yesterday, several of my students told me about the Disney 40th anniversary drone show at the Abekawa Fireworks Festival held Saturday. One student showed me part of it he had recorded on his phone. He said it was very exciting.

From the Disney website:

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tokyo Disney Resort, a special drone show will be held at several fireworks festivals across the country. In this show, approximately 700 drones will take off into the night sky simultaneously and create large, sparkling depictions of familiar Disney characters, synchronized with beloved Disney songs. Scenes celebrating the 40th anniversary will also be incorporated, delivering the dreams and smiles for the guests who attending the firework.  

The announced locations and dates so far include:

• Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture: Abekawa Fireworks Festival on Saturday, July 22 at 19:30
• Otaru, Hokkaido: Otaru Ushio Festival on Sunday, July 30 at 19:40
• Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture: Ishinomaki Kawabiraki Festival on Saturday, August 5 at 19:20

I would have like to have seen the fireworks, but I also wanted to avoid the crowds, so I didn't go. I was told people came from all over Japan for the drone show, in addition to the fireworks.

Here is a youtube video of the fireworks at Abekawa - - -

No Free Cheese, No Price Hike

 

Saizeriya is a popular inexpensive family restaurant chain in Japan. I always have to smile when I hear the name. When I first moved to Shizuoka, one of my students told me that he and his family had gone to the restaurant to eat. This was the first I had heard of the restaurant and to my English brain, I thought he was saying "Size Area".  I thought it was a strange name for a restaurant in Japan. I soon found out the real name of the place.  

Saizeriya has offered olive oil, grated cheese, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and other condiments free of charge in its restaurants. Recently, the price of cheese, as well as many other items, has gone up. In April, the restaurant forecast its profits would decrease by 26% in the following three months. In an effort not to raise prices, the restaurant has decided to eliminate the free cheese. 

I expect many restaurants are dealing with decreased profits due to increased food costs. I think eliminating the free cheese is a reasonable thing to do to avoid raising prices. What do you think?  Have you heard of this happening in other restaurants?

Japan Passport Falls to Third Place

 

Since 2018, Japan has had the strongest passport in the world, based on the number of locations its holders can access without a visa, which was previously 190 countries.  Singapore now has the top spot, with 192 visa-free destinations. Germany, Italy, and Spain tie for second place, with 190 visa free destinations each. Japan ties for third place with 189 visa free destinations, along with six other countries (Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden). Australia ranks 6th with 186 visa free destinations. The United States ranks 8th with 184 visa free destination. Afghanistan holds the lowest ranking with 27 countries.

This ranking is based on the passport power ranking released by Henley & Partners Holdings Ltd. and covers 199 passports and their ability to get visa free or visa on arrival status at 227 destinations. Check out this link to find where your country ranks.

Crime in Japan - Woman Arrested for Ice Cream Theft

 

Yes, it has been hot lately, but no matter how hot it gets, I would never resort to stealing ice cream treats.  

On July 16th, a truck was delivering a shipment of frozen treats to a store in Ama City in Aichi Prefecture. While the treats were being taken into the store, a clerk noticed a woman stealing five items from the truck. When the 21 year old clerk confronted the 56 year old woman, she became violent and bit his hand. Despite his injuries, he was able to restrain the thief and the police arrested her for the attempted theft and for assault. 

She admitted to the crimes and said she wanted to eat ice cream because it was hot that day. There was no further information in the news story, but I want to know more. Why would she risk being arrested over such a small amount? I think most of the frozen treats could be purchased for 100 to 200 yen each. Doesn't everyone know there are security cameras outside of convenience and other stores? What was this woman's mental health condition? Which of the many delicious cold treats was she trying to get away with?  

Is there any type of frozen treat you really love?  Would you risk going to jail to get it?  I feel sorry that she felt she needed to steal ice cream on a hot day, but one thing I love about Japan is that this is the type of terrible crime that makes national news. There is no crime worse than this to report about. 

Friday Finish - Apple Pin Cushion

The current stitch group project is either a pumpkin or apple pin cushion. Here are my just finished apple and previously finished pumpkin.

Stay tuned for the other stitchers finished pin cushions sometime soon!  The free pattern for this project can be found here.

Heatstroke Alerts in Japan

 

This week Japan issued heatstroke alerts all over the county as near record highs are being recorded. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture reached 39.7 C and Hachioji in western Tokyo hit 38.9 C. The highest temperature ever in Japan was 41.1 C, first recorded in Kymagaya, Saitama Prefecture in 2018, later matched in 2020 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. 

The Japanese government issued heatstroke alerts for 20 of the 47 prefectures in Japan, affecting millions of people. People are told to stay hydrated and use air conditioning. Heatstroke damages the brain, kidneys and other organs and can also trigger other conditions such as a heart attack or breathing problems. 

Every year, I read about elderly people who die in their homes, not wanting to turn on air conditioning because of high electric bills. Check on your neighbors if you can. Go to public places with air conditioning, like the public library or shopping areas. Be careful! It's hot out there.

Work In Progress Wednesday - Continuing with Summer One Thread Challenge

New start - Lizzie Kate freebie

SnowDays - White and navy threads where the scissors are pointing

Scarf - I stitched three lines of running stitch in red, blue, and yellow.

Cross stitch and buttons - I added one thread of seed beads on an upper wing.

Virgin Queen's pocket - Betsy Morgan 

I finished the needle page.

Dogwood afghan - I finished the second square.

Nine Patch Quilt 

Quiltworks - Ruth Dilts

Paisley Purse - Deborah Forney 

I added the line of beads across the top.

Sneek Sampler 

I don't remember when I last worked on this. The reason I put it away was that there were several counting mistakes. I pulled it out this week and spent time finding and taking out mistakes on the left. (I think there are still mistakes on the right). Correcting mistakes is progress, even if it means unstitching some of what I thought was already done. I hope to soon be putting stitches in not taking them out.

I'm happy with this progress.

Where do foreign tourists want to shop in Japan?

I often hear that foreign tourists, especially those from Asian countries, like to shop in Japan. I'm not a big shopper at home or away, so I am curious about where tourists shop and what Japanese products people buy. 

Interesting for me, Geelee Media Group recently conducted a survey through its website Let's Go Japan, which provides tourist information for people from Taiwan and Hong Kong who want to visit Japan. The survey received responses from 2,634 people. When asked where they wanted to shop in Japan, 89.9% said drugstores, 86.9% said supermarkets, 85.9% said convenience stores, and 76.4% said department stores. 

The next question in the survey asked what daily necessities do you want to buy in Japan? The highest response was toiletries, including toothbrushes, shampoo, and bathsalts at 80.7%.  Next was cosmetic items at 62.3%.  

Another question asked about what types of medicinal products the respondents wanted to buy.  Remedies for stiff shoulders, back pain, and muscle strain topped the list with 71.9%. Another 64.8% wanted medicine for insect bites and skin inflammation. 64.3% listed fever reduction and pain relief items, and 62.9% said eye drops.  Only 1.8% said they don't plan to buy medicinal products when visiting Japan. 

Do you shop for things when you are traveling?  What do you buy to take back home?  I buy snacks or souvenir treats for my friends, but never the kind of things people responded about in this survey. I wonder if this means Japanese products are excellent or maybe it is the current exchange rate.

Monday Morning Star Count

Whenever I have bits of fabric, I cut pieces 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches and make them into hexagons. I had quite a few made up, so over the weekend, I connected six of the same fabric petals to center pieces.  Now I can carry these around and stitch the petals together to complete the flower blocks whenever I have a few minutes free. I still have more individual hexagons and will make up more flower blocks in the future. Here are the ones I made up so far.

No fabric or time is wasted.

Sea Day Holiday

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan, the purpose of which is to be thankful for the sea. As an island country, the people of Japan depend on the sea for food, as well as the health and recreational value of the ocean. 

Umi no Hi or Sea Day became a national holiday in 1996, and since 2003 has been part of the Happy Monday system.  It is celebrated on the third Monday of July, which generally coincides with the end of the rainy season. 

I am thankful to live in a country that gives its residents holidays to be thankful for the natural world. In addition to Sea Day, Japan also celebrates Greenery Day in May and Mountain Day in August.

A Rainy Season Danger in Japan

I admit it - I don't own an umbrella. One of my students told me that proves I am not Japanese. People here love umbrellas.  I'm rather fond of my raincoat and other rain gear. Umbrellas are easily lost or broken.  According to this train station poster, an umbrella is also dangerous!

Friday Finish - Ribbons Zipper Pouch

I finished the embellished ribbons into a little zipper pouch, with hiragana character fabric for the lining. This was a project that I had a hard time putting down. I pretty much wanted to work on it all day long.

It was constructed entirely by hand, including the zipper.

HIt or Miss

I sometimes stop at the grocery store on my way home from work around 7 pm. The store closes at 8 pm, so it is hit or miss on what I will find. Sometimes they are sold out of things I want. Other times things are discounted. This time I did well. Six large peaches were discounted by half of 1000 yen regular price. Eight pieces of salmon sushi were 798 yen regular price, again discounted by half. How lucky was that?

Work In Progress Wednesday - Summer One Thread a Week Challenge

Progress is being made and I'm pleased with what I am doing.  Some projects are getting the one thread, others are getting more time. It's good!

The House - This is my own idea of the house I lived in with my parents until I moved away to go to college. I've decided it is finished and will take it off my Summer One Thread a Week Challenge.

SnowDays - progress made where the scissors are pointing.

Scarf - I added colonial knots in the area where the scissors are pointing.

Cross stitch and buttons - I added blue beads to the upper wings.

Virgin Queen's pocket - Betsy Morgan.  I finished the white section with the row where the scissors are pointing.

Dogwood afghan - progress where the scissors are pointing.

Nine Patch Quilt - I've worked on this quite a bit this week.

Quiltworks - Ruth Dilts. I spent a good bit of time and many threads on this one this week.

Paisley Purse - Deborah Forney 

Beads around the small paisley.

Gift Ribbons - The stitching on the ribbons is finished.  The fabric on the right, with the hiragana characters will be the lining.

Another good week!