MOONSTITCHES

Artful Blogging

Or the lack thereof... A little kindergarten related business around two weeks ago and I found myself unable to start blogging again. Quite rusty these days... Some of you wrote to me about discovering MOONSTITCHES in Artful Blogging (scroll down), so nice of you to drop me a line! I haven't yet answered you all (fully blown writer's blockage), so let me send you a quick Thank You right now! I always hoped my copy of the issue would arrive some day and I actually had something exciting to blog about, but no, it didn't show up - and I was doomed to keep silent. Lame excuse to abandon this place, I know.

The magazine still is not here, but anyway, it seems to be a lucky for me (had a bird droppings experience earlier the day) and the blog, here are the things I have been making lately.

A market bag. Cut in February when I read about Jennifer's Daikon Ultimatum. There was no pattern, I just tried to get as much as possible out of my little piece of KIVET (MARIMEKKO). Exposed selvedge, naturally. At the bottom it is constructed like a simple paper bag which I did because a common bottom would have stolen too much of the precious selvedge. So happy to have been sewing this WIP finally.

Also I made a smock that has been lingering around here in a cut out state for almost as long as the bag. For that I used a pattern from Swany Kamakura which I got about two years ago when I purchased these. Hmmmm... there are a lot of beautiful fabrics on my shelves which never got used. Too bad.

I altered the pattern, made a different closure, thought a little more colour would be suiting this rather pale Lecien (Birds - My Folklore) I had on stash.

Hope you are all well!

Quilt WIP, ninth part

I am a little scared of preparing the sandwich in order to quilt it. Because I am not... ready for quilting. The top is, the back, too, and I have made a large enough piece of batting. I's my first large quilt, so naturally I am not too certain it will go smoothly. Then I still haven't decided which pattern would suit. So, I rather sit here, showing you the latest developments of the quilt instead of bringing it forward.

From strips I had left over after making the leaves, a 16 cm wide, long row was pieced, bringing two parts of backing fabric together. The quilt measures about 135 cm x 227 cm, so I had to piece the back to make it wide enough. The backing fabric's colour is something like this, called indignant over there, which I cannot quite see though, calm is what comes to my mind when looking at it. As a reoccurring element the dots are making their appearance on the back, too, but that's all. Quite simple.

Hope you'll be having a lovely day!

Back from that other planet...

... called Golden Week. I don't remember any Golden Week with such bad weather like this year (as far we here in the Kanto area are concerned). Rain, too chilly, unsteady or not enough wind for the giant kites... Of course the sun came out again when everybody had to go back to work, really too bad.
So, with the child back to the kindergarten and the husband out of the house again as well, this blogging girl is resuming course, too. Hi!

Here a few photos from the day we went to see the kites...

Very much longed for kakigori (shaved ice) season has kicked off.

A kite.

Back with new photos of the leaves quilt soon!

... and Quilt WIP, eighth part

It's Golden Week here in Japan, and today, Sunday Edit: tomorrow, Monday (I thought it was the fifth already) it's kodomo no hi (Children's Day), a holiday on which Tango no Sekku, the Boy's Festival is celebrated.

Samurai dolls like this (photo taken earlier this week while we were in the Yokohama area) are displayed in the houses and carp streamers hung from balconies or mounted on huge poles in the gardens to pray for the families' sons' health and success in life.
If you happen to live somewhere in our area, there's the Giant Kite Festival at the Sagami River, lots of carp streamers, said giant kites and festival food... worth a visit.
Three favourites from Monday's walk:

And the update... all but six circles are attached, joyously. I liked the appliqueing by hand and also it's so nice to see the whole thing is actually coming together. Next step after finishing the circles will be stamping a label. Or embroidering one. Not sure yet.

Enjoy your weekend!

Windows, 28

Yesterday we had a national holiday here in Japan (midori no hi - Greenery Day   Edit: Showa Day, things changed last year, as I just learned, Greenery Day is now celebrated on May 4) and spent a long day in the Yokohama area, walking a lot and riding the train, too, of course, and even a Ferris wheel.
Above photo I took on yesterday's walk.
Resembles in a way what I have begun this evening - appliqueing  little spots of Liberty on the quilt top that got sewn together this morning.
Thank you all so much for being here and over at Flickr to see how the leaves are doing. I am really back on track with the Liberty quilt now and very much looking forward seeing it finished. And it's so much fun doing this together with you!

As for the Month of Windows, I think I will just keep posting photos every once in a while because I have much more I'd like to share with you. The same goes for the numbers I have been collecting during last year's December - ever since, actually, never stopped.
If you have anything you would like to see me photographing here in Japan to show you, please let me know.

See you tomorrow!