seeing yellows and reds

We are in full autumn leaves mode here - I just love this time of year.

Our front yard is at its best during these weeks.

Raking can wait...

In the past two weeks I've started a part time job, and hosted a gathering with family from Ireland, Ohio, Washington State, North Carolina, and New York!  Three generations, sharing memories of Grandma Mary Lou... and lots of great food!

Here's how the teenager of the house sleeps when the house is filled to the brim with company:

I have to admit after such a busy time, I am relishing a quiet Saturday.  Today I took myself to a quilt show organized by the Women's Alliance of our local Unitarian Church:

The quilts were draped over the pews - white gloves for those of us who wanted to touch and turn the quilts.

I put in my Kimono Friendship Quilt from our time in Japan:

The show coincides with our town's 300th year anniversary. 

   

xo
C.

Organized for hand work - your favorite needle?

How do you organize yourself for "on the go" handwork?  I feel like I've finally got a minimalist system that works for me.  Julie Fukuda has a neat post about this  with an idea for a chatelaine.  I always admired her little sewing tin (to my mind, very wabi sabi) and have since tried using similar containers, but for actual "on the go" I tend to always come back to this little indigo pouch I purchased in Japan.

This pouch works for me because it sits on my lap or next to me in a chair without falling off, it can squish into my purse easily enough, and it's just a pleasure to use.

Isn't the little cat adorable??  That little touch of sashiko, and the silk striped tail - so cute.

I love the cheery red interior, and I just keep a few pins and needles tucked there.  The key for me is just a few, so that I can account for them.  It's very anxiety provoking to lose a pin or needle during a church meeting or in a waiting room!

Plus... thread, small scissors, thimble, and a few batches of patches (well now that has a nice ring to it).

What needle do you prefer for hand piecing??  I like these Richard Hemming & Son Large Eye Sharps size 9 and have used them for years for hand quilting too.  However..... I have ordered some other needles to try, and find I really like this John James GoldnGlide Quilting Size 9 as well.  It really does glide through for hand quilting and piecing.  It feels a little too small in my hand though.

I also ordered these John James Sharps and will have to try them, but they are longer than the Richard Hemming Sharps.  There is so much variety across brands.

I'd love to know your opinions.  I have a couple of glass vials of Roxanne quilting needles as well, which seem teeny tiny.  What do you use, for hand piecing and for hand quilting??

 I have finally basted my Sashiko Sampler:

Crazy how hard it is to accurately show the indigo blue!  Perhaps when I upgrade my iphone I will do better. 

Turn my head for one minute and Dandelion steps in... 

I will miss him (sort of;) when Noelle takes him back to Boston next month. 

Sashiko Sampler border auditions

The sashiko sampler all tacked up on the wall... ready to audition borders... 

The pieced blocks were taken from Susan Briscoe's Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match, as were all but four of the sashiko designs.  I loved making this quilt.  I used several pieces of vintage katazome indigo in it.  And "mixing and matching" designs was indeed a lot of fun. 

So - borders.    Probably not this stripe....

Probably not this gorgeous brilliant blue indigo...

I do like how using the same dark indigo used throughout will make the blocks "float":

With that decided.... all that's left is to measure, cut, measure and cut... and sew on these borders... but I can think of 100 ways to productively procrastinate;)... 

More sashiko

Tachibana - orange blossom 

Oh how I enjoy stitching sashiko.... sitting by the fire, while watching TV... in dentist waiting rooms... at book group...

This way I'm slowly working on my sashiko sampler...

I wish the beautiful indigo showed better in these photos.  Perhaps it's time to upgrade to a "real" camera?  I'm using my old iphone - I love the convenience.

Mitsu Ichou three gingko leaves 

 Some of these patterns are from Susan Briscoe's book Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match.  Others I got from my sashiko teacher in Tokyo.

Here is one of my favorites, Tortoiseshell (looks like flowery hexies to me!). You can see where I mistakenly extended the pattern when I was tracing it.  Those lines will wash right out.  I may redo the block - the stitches aren't as uniform as I'd like.  But then again..... when it is pieced into a whole quilt... it won't really matter... and I'm not a perfectionist.

Tsu no kikko - tortoise shell

 I will alternate these blocks with pieced blocks like this:

Little by little.... I love working with this indigo!

Quilts Japan 2012 at NEQM - part two

Here are a few more quilts from the show at NEQM - it's there til mid April - if you are local, be sure to see it!  There are many more, and they are all so interesting and special.

First, Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii (what a title!).  A reminder that many of these quilts must have been created around the time of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  

Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

 The indigo and white combination - so classic:

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

 Even in a classic two color quilt, bits of other color are used to great effect:

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

Another beautiful border here:

detail from Flower Calendar - Where are all the Flowers? Flower Offerings Prayers - Keep Going! Japan by Emi Nii. 

Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita: 

Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita

I know I have seen this quilt in person before.  It is famous, I believe.  The blocks are simple; the placement is genius.

Quilted (or perhaps, as the description implies, embroidered before sandwiching) in bright concentric circles, with sashiko-style stitches:

detail from Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita

detail from Hope by Kiyuko Miyashita

And on the other end of the emotional spectrum, Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito: 

Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito

Vintage indigo:

detail from Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito

I just love these varied light indigo pieces, and the organic sashiko stitches:

detail from Stripes and Kasuri Harmony by Reiko Saito

As I mentioned earlier, the competition is open internationally.  Here's a quilt from the USA (imagine landing in Lowell MA, via Japan!).  It is At the Circus by Marianne Burr - just stunning!  

At the Circus by Marianne Burr

detail from At the Circus by Marianne Burr

 Beautiful stitching, glowy silks.

detail from At the Circus by Marianne Burr

detail from At the Circus by Marianne Burr

Lastly a stunning example of beauty, balance, attention to detail using vintage fabrics.   Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi:

Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

Notice the reverse applique:

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

detail from Flower Baskets of Patterns by Yukiko Uozumi

That's it from me, a little Japan fix in the middle of winter!  It's a small show, but so worth seeing.  There are many more that I did not photograph.  I may go see it again before it closes April 12.