craft, sewing, Uncategorized

Finishing the quilt: best laid plans

My plan, after being diagnosed with conjunctivitis on Sunday, was to rest as much as possible on Monday (which I don’t work) and return to working at the elementary school on Tuesday. I’d still be contagious for two weeks but could prevent spread by washing my hands often/not touching my eye/ touching no one and almost nothing.

At that point I knew my head cold symptoms were part of the eye issue. After all, the nose is next door to the sick eye socket.

I didn’t know that conjunctivitis could also present flu-like symptoms.

Monday my eye was crusty in the morning but looked much better. Yay, Medicine!By midafternoon a was starting to show a fever and body aches…and figured I might need to take a day off and contacted people…and by the evening I had a full fever and so many body aches I couldn’t pick things up off the floor. Was in bed by 8pm and woke up every few hours to change out of sweaty bedclothes and remove more quilts from my bed.

Including my now finished quilt! YAY!

At the start of Craftsmas I was determined to finish the scrap quilt I’d made the prior December. I’m not a trained quilter nor do I think much ahead about lights and darks and balance. I just trust my years of art to serve me and figure…they are my scraps, they’re related…even if just to me.

I’d finished the top of the quilt in 2017 and put it away for most of 2018.

In the last two weeks, armed with fabric for the bottom/ batting I picked up in 2017/ and cloth for the edging, I set to work.

First mistake I made. I cut the bottom fabric THE SIZE I wanted the quilt to be, with a little length at the top and bottom. I should have left at least a 5-10cm border to insure I wouldn’t lose details like the squares that are just at the side of the design.

Pinning before tying a quilt is best done with curved safety pins created for the purpose. These turn out to be easier to find in America than Japan. I could get them on Amazon but they’d take a week to get to me. Straight pins it was.

When the task of tying was finished (a three day process for me but it would have taken longer if it hadn’t been vacation) it was time to trim the excess fabric and batting (which I only had at the top and bottom) and edge the quilt.

I then took the bias tape I’d made. Well, not real bias tape. Quilts have straight edges so I could do mitered edges without cutting the fabric at 45degrees. I joined the strips of fabric as one would join bias strips. I pinned and  machine stitched everything on  one side.

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Then I hand finished the folded over bias-styled binding on the other side. Pining before whipstiching…until a friend reminded me that I have Wonderclips and needn’t be risking all the pin pricks.

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Finished and on my bed!

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When there’s better light I’ll take photos of the boxesand some of the other creatures who live in my quilt.

For now this is folded up because nighttime is coming and so is my fever.

 

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craft, Doll, Social, Uncategorized

New Years Eve

It’s New Years Eve.

My  破魔矢 ”Hamaya”/ Demon Breaking Arrow from this year is ready to be burned in a bonfire tonight.

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My bedroom and kitchen are clean enough for guests. I’m spending my third New Years Eve in a row with Jamie. I’ve known her since we were both wee cosplay dorks at cons in America. 20 years?

I’ve pulled out one of my futons. it’s folded up beyond my desk.

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None of these dolls were here last year. Contemplate that for me.
The desk, however, I bought sight-unseen from another foriegner before I moved to Japan…17+ years ago. It’s been painted many colors since.

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Jamie will come over. We’ll get snacks and catch up. Then we’ll head to a shrine in Kashiwa to count in the New Year. I’ll burn my arrow.

I don’t usually buy Hamaya but I’d been asked to pick up two for a friend in America and then got one myself. That friend turned out to be a full-time scam artist…one of two friends this year who turned out to be harboring secrets so horrible that they traumatized too many people to even contemplate…watching it burn will hopefully be cathartic.

I’ve rid my home of so much from the scammer but never by burning.

In my dance room my quilt is pinned and ready to be tied…and tied…and tied.

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Tomorrow Craftmas begins in earnest and without interruption.

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craft, sewing, Uncategorized

Quilt

For the last week and few days my mother has been here (and we’ve traveled to Vietnam) so crafting hasn’t been my highest priority. Tomorrow she heads back to America and the Craftsmas resumes.

It’s time to line this scrap quilt I made last year. When spring of 2018 started coming I stopped after I purchased the batting. Warm weather isn’t what I need to go forward on a scrap quilt.

Now that my free time is starting it’s time to finish this.

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It’s 160cm wide by 240 long. Ignore the mess. It’s what happens when you have to push everything to one side of the room.

The Mom and I visited the Nippori fabric district and I came back with my quilt backing fabric (and more…) and threw everything into the wash when I got home (and then hung to dry).

Tonight, after she went to bed, I finished the backing.

Tomorrow it moves to my dance room (where I am currently sleeping) to begin tying it.

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