Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2012, and cheating on homework

I'm sure you have heard about the Tokyo Dome quilt show before,  but in case you have not, I do love to see the quilts there.

Now, that said, it's through the eyes of other kind souls, because although I have visited Japan a few times, I have not been there at the time this show is going on.

Jan, of Be Mused blog has a beautiful blog all year long, but she is generous enough to take amazing photos and she has started posting some of them over on flickr.  I have no idea how she takes these photos.  The show is so crowded, but she manages to get a full photo of the quilt as well as several detail photos.  All I can say is my hat is off to you Jan.  Thanks so much for putting so much thought into this so we can all enjoy.

Also this year, Julie of My Quilt Diary (another awesome blog!) has shared some of her photos.  She has not only one, not only two, not only three....but four posts dedicated to photos of the show and notes about the quilts.

Of all the photos I have seen so far, there is this one fish quilt that stands out from the rest.  It is so striking.  It makes me want to try to quilt something with a similar spirit. 

As for other people who attended the show?  I'd love to hear about your experiences, and see your photos.  Maybe I'll get there myself someday.

My new teapot and trivets above from Alder and Co.  It makes less noise that my old pot when it boils the water.  I got it with my friend Susan in mind who has no love of noisy kettles.  If you are wondering if she is a true friend, you will know that she is since she spent the evening knitting my homework swatches for a knitting class I'm taking at Stitches West in a couple of weeks.  Is that cheating?  Oh how I love you Susan!!!

Oh how many feet you meet!

I finally made a pair of socks for myself.  


I have made several pairs already for my family, but this is the first pair for me.  Funny how sometimes I get a lot more excited to make stuff for them.  I did follow through and actually finished knitting a pair for me.  Last time I tried this, I only made 1 sock, and you can imagine how useful that is.


The yarn (by Blue Moon Fiber Arts) was a gift from my quilting friend (thanks m.a.!) and it was really fun to knit.


The pattern is by Cookie A and called Monkey.  It is so popular I think most knitters on this planet have already knit these socks.


In between clothing laundry duty this week I slipped in a load of Liberty of London fabrics.  They were all quarter yards so of course they ended up in a giant ball when the laundry was finished.  They are all ironed and in a neat little stack now.  Just waiting for me to play with them.  Oh so pretty.

This weekend was pretty slow given our little one had a fever for the better part of it and is still trying to get back on his game.  

Speaking of game, I played tennis with my 6 yr old and he gave me a decent workout.  I may have created myself a little tennis partner.  Who knew that was possible.  It all starts with love!

Blue and White Japan by Amy Katoh and searching for the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival

By this time in January, the Tokyo Dome quilt show is in full swing and plenty of bloggers have been there and shared their photos.

This year I haven't seen any photos pop up yet, so I am wondering what kind souls will be posting their photos.  Have you seen any pix?  AHHHH!!!  I'm going to die if I don't see some photos soon!!!  Don't tempt me to go there myself next year!

To keep the Japanese Quilting tendencies happy, and after reading Lis' blog post over at Piece n Peace blog, I broke out my copy of Amy Katoh's book called Blue and White Japan.

I have the version that was published in 1996/1997.  There are other versions that were printed more recently.  It discusses why blue and white are the most perfect combination of color, and at some level I have to agree.  It's clean, simple and very easy on the eye.

Lately I've been gravitating to the color combo of turquoise and olive green, but ok...it's certainly not as peaceful as blue and white.

Anyhow, if you are looking to learn about indigo or Japanese textiles, this book is awesome.  I want to visit the shop in Japan someday.

In other news, I've recently become obsessed with knitting striped yarn from Twisted Limone  - an indie Brit dyer.  It's so wild and colorful.  I cannot help but be seduced.  I named my project, "She Blinded Me With Legwarmers".

Modern Architecture Applique Quilt Block: inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright

Last weekend I taught our applique class at Verb (now carrying Liberty fabric - w00t!).  The block is our 9th block in a series inspired by modern architects and the work they have done in Northern California.

This block specifically was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Hanna House which is located basically on campus at Stanford University.  It was a real blast to make.  You'll have to let me know if you think it captures the spirit of the home itself.

I went there and photographed it, and wanted so badly to take a tour of it.  I hear that photos are only allowed outside, not inside.  They also only let you tour it if you are over 12 yrs old, and since the company I keep on the weekends has almost another 10 years to go before that point...my hope is that they keep the place in good working order so eventually I can take the tour.

Teaching this hand applique class is perhaps the high point of the month for me since the students are all so creative and lovely.  They inspire me and make me wonder about what will be next once all these blocks are complete.  So many many choices.

The block shown above is 99% made out of Japanese taupe fabrics.  I slipped a piece of Liberty of London fabric in there because I could not resist.  It reminded me so much of Wright's designs.  I picked it up on my trip to Purl Soho and it's called Green Ebs on their site.

Why did I even visit Purl's site?!  Now I am wanting some Elephant fabric.  I digress....

While driving around I'm listening to this awesome podcast called Stash and Burn - it's more knitting related that sewing, but it's super well done and very entertaining. 

The Mystery of the Middle Finger

At the dinner table the other night our 6 yr old boy said, "Mommy, I heard at school today that if you show somebody your middle finger, it means something really bad."

I of course told him he was right and that he probably doesn't want to be holding up his middle finger to people.

Of course it can't be left at that.

He says, "So, does it mean the 'S' word?"

I ask in a very quiet voice so the 3 yr old cannot hear me, "do you mean stupid?"

He nods.

I tell him that it's way worse than stupid and that he should put it out of his mind and not worry about it.

The next morning we are getting ready for school and he asks me out of nowhere, "Mommy, does it mean dam?"...(or damn for that matter)

I try to find out if he knows what 'dam' implies, and he says that he doesn't understand what that word means either.

So for now, the meaning of the middle finger continues to be a mystery to us in this household, but we are not very satisfied with that ending.  Oh well.  Get used to disappointment.

This weekend we have Thomas the Train layouts to build, ice skating to be had, and hand applique class to be taught.  I think everybody is looking forward to it.

Hope your weekend is shaping up just as nicely.

How to configure your quilt studio: out of Legos!

We've been keeping busy lately as usual.

I am still hand piecing small triangles to make more patchwork balls.  So relaxing and rewarding to see them come together.

We visited the Exploratorium in San Francisco with the kids and none of us were sure who had a better time, kids or parents.  Usually parents can drag kids along to certain places where they will tolerate being there, and vice versa.  In this case, we all had a blast which is a rare treat.  You can see my 6 yr old in the above photo using their wall of bubbles.  If you look long enough you might even see me in there.

We did not have time to stop in at PeaPod Fabrics, ah...next time I'll make time for those beautiful Japanese imported fabrics.

I also was aimlessly wandering around in Target tonight and picked up THE MOST amazing LEGO set ever.: Lego set 3639!  It's called Emma's Fashion Design Quilt Studio.  It includes a storage unit for your quilt stash, a desk with a laptop and a veggie sandwich, a cutting table complete with iPhone, quilting ruler, pink coffee mug, and Ott light, a camera (for taking photos for your blog), and a fashion sketch area quilt design wall.

You know I love Legos, but this one takes the cake.  It's ME, in Lego form!  Serious cuteness.

In the vein of keeping busy:

• I'm teaching hand applique again next weekend on Sunday, 1/22 at Verb - Northern California Modernists at Home.  You guessed it, more modern home applique blocks!  Would love to meet you, come join us for some fun.
  
  
• I'm becoming a student at Stitches West and trying to figure out how to design knitwear (scary!)
  
  
• I've been listening to a new podcast called Knit Knit Cafe - very informative and super adorable mother/son team.  Ben and Abby rock.
  
  
• I'm waiting with bated breath for the new/old camera my DH found on eBay - watch out, it makes ViewMaster photos!  I'll be armed and dangerous shortly.

With that, to those of you who are having a long weekend in celebration of the great MLK, do enjoy your extra day off!

The Mecca of Purl Soho: Japanese Fabric & Liberty of London Fabric

While I was on vacation over the holiday I visited the Purl Soho warehouse in Tustin, California.

It is a great place to hang out and get inspired.  An entire warehouse of imported Japanese fabric, Liberty of London Fabric, and a room full of yarn that is larger than life. 

I ended up adopting some Liberty fabric (I couldn't help myself!) and a few other pieces of fabric as well. 

Somehow I missed seeing their new submarine fabric.  Gee, my kids would have loved it.  Oh well, next time.

The Purl Soho staff was as sweet and friendly as ever.  If you order from their web site, the gals who work here put a lot of love and care into making sure you get just what you ordered.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jennifer while she was helping me with my order.  She is one of the genius Purl Soho partners that keep all of us fabric and yarn junkies happy by making sure Purl is well-stocked.

I picked up a little piece of this apple fabric by Kokka and I am wondering if I should not have gotten a bit more of it.  It is just wonderful.

Some Spud and Chloe sweater yarn also jumped into my arms and insisted I purchase it.  My darling sister gave me Rebecca Danger's Big Book of Knitted Monsters for Christmas and I intend to make a bunch more of them.  My knit nite friend Susan got me addicted to them.

Grab your Viewmaster and Go!

Did you have a Viewmaster when you were a kid?

I did.  I remember loving it.  I sort of don't remember what themes the photos were that I had, but I think I had a zoo animal pack at the very least and I kept it in a thick cardboard cylinder shaped box. 

Original debut of this toy was at the 1939 World's Fair and since then 1.5 billion reels have been produced.

My kids get a kick out of presents that I make for them, so this Christmas I made them a Viewmaster Tote.

The fabric I used is from Melody Miller's Ruby Star Rising collection.  I've had the fabric for a while and think it is pretty difficult to find at this stage of the game as yardage.

Bag handles I used are available from SuperBuzzy (awesome online Japanese fabric shop - they even include candy with your order) and are from Leicen's Candy Pop line.

The insides of the bag are Timtex interfacing which give it that stiff construction (4 layers on the bottom - that was really fun to sew through).  I put pockets on the inside that hold the 6 extra Viewmaster reels.  Because the reels come in 3 packs, and I was making 3 totes, they could borrow each other's reels to see all the images.  

On our 7 hour car trip from Northern California to Southern California over the holidays, my sons literally played with this toy for the first three hours, and for some significant time after that as well.  It was so cute.  They really appreciated the toy and the work put into the tote.

It looks like I'm not the only one in love with Viewmaster though:

• Hardcore fans can have wedding invitations custom created with reel photos of the happy couple and a Viewmaster shipped to each of the lucky guests.  If only I could get married all over again!
  
  
  
• Hang a pop art retro poster up on your wall to show your Viewmaster enthusiasm
  
• Dress your 3 yr old girl up in a head to toe Viewmaster dress.  Why don't they offer these in adult sizes?!
  
• For around $25 you can star in your very own 3D Viewmaster reel.  I'll let you know as soon as a Quilt Otaku reel becomes available.
  
• Become a serious Viewmaster photographer and tote your Viewmaster camera around with you on your next family vacation.

I realize this post is already way too long, but I cannot also resist the urge to include a link to this adorable hexagon/pentagon patchwork ball with tutorial that I saw linked to from Ms. Miller's blog created by Kristy Daum.  I'm adding this to my rapidly growing "To-Make" list!

Ring it in...hello 2012!

2011 was a good year and in many ways I'll be missing it.

For the holiday we did a little travel to see family which was really fun, but we saw old friends too and had quite a busy time.

For Christmas my DH gave me a new drop spindle from Golding Fiber Tools which I knew would be pretty.  It is crazy or maybe just a leap of faith to purchase a spindle without trying it but people say that these spindles are very nice.

I was thinking gee, they are beautiful, and I'm sure they spin well, so why not try one.

Well, let me tell you...they are certainly worth all the fuss people make over them.  I am not sure my other spindles will be getting much love from here on out.  Sorry!!  This Golding is my new best friend for spinning.

I did not end up finishing the sewing project I was working on for the kids before the holiday but I DID finish it just in time for our road trip.  More on that next time with some photos.

I was looking through my posts from last January to see if I was crazy enough to make any resolutions.  I may have been smart enough not to do that.  Whew.  No guilt.  That was smart. 

If I were to resolve to do anything differently this year, I think it will be to try and enjoy the ride.  Things seem too busy these days.  Time seems to be rushing past at a faster pace now that the kids are getting a little bigger.

Okok and I'll confess that in the deep dark recesses, I have a personal hankering to buy a little more Japanese fabric...I'm thinking it would be fun to pick it out myself in Yuzawaya.  We'll see if I pull that off.

Happy New Year!

The stockings are hung...but I'm still sewing...

Are you still trying to finish up those Christmas gifts you decided it was a good idea to make? 

I'm sure you are smarter than that.

Really, who on Earth would still be sewing on Christmas Eve Day??!!

Only the crazy people.  OK so count me crazy.  The last minute is sometimes the only minute that I have.  Who knows if I'll finish or not, and I actually don't mind if I don't make it.

In the end, the kids will have a cool hand made gift - eventually.

Hope your holiday plans are cooking up beautifully.  I'm still here with my needle and thread...and loving every moment of it.

The above patchwork ornament was made for my sister's new baby who is celebrating her first Christmas this year.  She's like a living doll.

Merry Christmas!! 

-Marisa

Little Elf Under My Tree

I took a few photos of my little one playing with the Thomas train under our tree.  He loves to operate it even though sometimes it comes off the tracks and he needs a little help to get it going again.

This time of year we try to cut over to some Christmas themed kids books during evening story book time.  Even though Velveteen Rabbit was first published in 1922, it starts off with the rabbit's arrival in a Christmas stocking, so I like to re-read it.  So timeless.  My older one just loves it.  

I'm about to start to play with my patchwork ornaments.  Most of the shopping is done now, and the time for resting with family feels like it's getting nearer.   I'm looking forward to not having to wake up early, and to have little boys bouncing around in my lap.

Busy times for my friends these days:

My friend Sharon of Knits are for Kids is off spinning up a very colorful storm.  Check out her latest hand spun yarn here, and her flickr stream here for some beautiful photos.

My friend Susan of So Sue has been off taking in the sunshine in Hawaii, but managed to tear herself away from the beach to review some local quilt shops for you here. She's also been doing some beautiful paper piecing (adorable).


On my to-do list for an eventual trip to Southern California is to stop in at Down Home Country Antiques as Dawn of Collector With A Needle mentions.  You know I'm a sucker for an antique quilt.


When I was reading this post at Quilting with the Past, I got interested in making some knit ornaments from the "55 Christmas Balls to Knit" book.  I have some yarn imported from Norway that would be perfect for these.

Going In Circles

We just had our end of the year party for my knitting/quilting group.

It was a blast.  There is always an exciting white elephant exchange where beautiful and coveted items are lovingly exchanged and stolen and re-stolen among friends.

We had a nice warm dinner, and some naughty but nice ice cream and key lime cookies for dessert.  

Even some charming husbands joined us, so it was a nice way to basically wrap up our creative year.

I ended up spinning some yarn for the exchange, and it went to a very good home.  That's me at my Matchless wheel above, spinning around and around and around

Photo by my beautiful and talented photographer-sister.

I'm always curious to see what people do with my yarn.  I'm still learning about how it will turn out as a garment.

It feels like Christmas is only around a week away.  Oh right...it basically is!  I'm ready to spend some serious time with the kids.  That's what I'm asking Santa for. 

Did you ask for anything special this year?

It's begining to look a lot like...well, you know

Our household spent the greater part of the weekend decorating for Christmas.

- Lights on outside of house: Check!

- Christmas tree:  Check!

- Stockings hung by chimney with care: Check!

It's full steam ahead towards the holiday season, my favorite time of the year.

We had our monthly gathering of my small quilt group last weekend and I took a photo of the beautiful ornaments that my friend Carol made (above).

She has been making these for friends since the 1970's or so I believe.  She's promised to teach me how to make them, so I'm very excited about that.  I secretly wonder if you could use very thin handspun yarn instead of DMC floss...but maybe I should walk before I fly here.

Anyhow, thank you Carol for the beautiful ornament (she gave me the red one shown here, and I have a couple others from past years) and for allowing me to photograph these beautiful creations.

I love to make patchwork ball ornaments, but have been a bit behind in making them for the kids every year.  Didn't manage to make any last year...wondering if I'll end up having a few spare cycles this year to come  up with a few.  They take me around 3-4 hrs each, but they are hand pieced and quite relaxing to sew up and even more fun to stuff.  Time to break them out methinks. 

Hope that the spirit of the season is bringing some extra happiness your way.

Holiday gift for quilters: 2012 Quilt Calendar

It isn't always easy to get the quilter who has everything a perfect holiday gift.

I've found that a new calendar is always appreciated and a beautiful one can be the perfect addition to your creative space.

This year I have a special treat for you:  two versions of the calendar!  Quilts and Yarn.

It's a labor of love to put these together since it takes me a lot of time and thought, but flip through and check out the photos if you have a chance.

The quilt calendar is light and airy looking, similar look to the photos I shoot for my blog.  The yarn calendar has a darker pallet in color and is more dramatic. 

To see all the photos included in every month, click the button below, click the title, and then click "Preview".  Enjoy!

 -----------------------------------------------

Quilts

$29.99

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 Yarn

$29.99

Thanksgiving - thank goodness

This Thanksgiving was like a lot of others that we've had:  lots of food, lots of family...which adds up to a lot of love and relaxation time.  Thank goodness for all the yummy food and for grandparents watching kids while parents (me) take a nap.  Ah...I do love Thanksgiving.

We are lucky to have the chance to spend some time with our extended family this week and to enjoy being away from the usual routine.

My son found my dad's typewriter and typed a little note in the above photo.  The typewriter was a novelty to him.  It was kinda magical putting one letter at a time on the paper.  Funny how it doesn't seem so antique to me.  Ok, I'm old now.

I did a little bit of knitting during quite moments which was fun.  I'm off to the races, starting a hand quilting project as soon.  More on that next time. 

If you haven't watched the Marcel the Shell video yet, you must, but if you live on this planet, I'm sure you already have.

My kids are starting to make their lists of gifts they want to send to Santa already.  A spy kit seems very popular with the 6 yr old. 

The haven't asked me for a necklace made out of Barbie doll body parts yet, which is I think a good sign, since they are boys. 

I think the holiday season is officially upon us.  Yeah!

1st Grade Humor

My son says, "Mommy, what's your name?"

I say:  "Mommy"

He asks, "What's this body part?" (pointing to his nose)

I say: "Nose"

Him:  "What's in my hands?" (holds up both hands making a little cup of air)

Me: "Nothing"

Get it?  Mommy knows nothing!

Ok, try that on your friends if you need to lighten up the mood.  Isn't first grade the best?

Our weekend is basically house chores and the quiet before Thanksgiving. 

For my eyes:  Looking at all the finished modern house blocks in taupe fabrics makes we want to finish up the rest of them.  I think they all go together pretty well.

For my ears:  I've been listening to a couple of podcasts and some music

• Knitmore Girls episode 136: I wrote in and asked a question about plying spinning fiber and they answered my question on the show.  How cool is that?! 

• Spin Doctor eipsode 26:  half way through this episode, but it talks a lot about using dye on fiber and is pretty interesting.  Very informative interview with Deb Menz.

• The Gotan Project:  a band that makes tango music, I'm enjoying their Revancha Del Tango album. 

• The Nights Lights: cool chill music, good for dinner time.  Discovered by my DH.

For my taste:  Orenchi Raman is the hottest new noodle house in silicon valley.  Always too long of a wait to get in.  We are trying to try it by storming the place before it opens.  I'll let you know if it's worth the bother.

How to keep your kids in line

My friend Marianne made a couple of mochi mochi knit toys for my boys and they have become really attached to them.

They begged me to get the book and knit every last creation that it has patterns for.

I got a copy of  it, Teeny -Tiny Mochi Mochi by Anna Hrachovec.  Some of the creations are easier to make than others, but I started with the volcano.

It was one of the easier ones.  The kids have a queue of other toys they want, and even my husband claimed the little dino I made, so you know they are actually pretty darn cute.

They are only about an inch or so tall and they go together pretty fast if you don't mess them up and end up knitting them twice (like I did).  More info on my ravelry projects page.

My kids will stand on their heads for more of these.  I think I may have finally figured out how to get them to behave.  Well, at least for as long as I can keep making these little mochi's.

Japanese quilting fabrics: more is more

This block above is the 8th block in the series of California Bay Area modern homes that I'm working on.  

The house itself is located in Berkeley, CA and is known as the Fish House by locals but is actually the Tsui House.  It looks like it would be more at home under the sea than on a relatively normal street.  I used taupe fabrics that sort of looked like the ocean to me.

In other news, I was looking at Deborah Kemball's applique recently.  Have you seet it yet?  It's so detailed and beautiful.

Sometimes I really look forward to the weekend because I have something special going on.  This Sunday, my friend Sharon and I are taking a sweater making class by this famous designer named Ysolda Teague.

It's up at Verb of course, and although I don't really knit sweaters, it will be fun to meet her and to learn something that is really new to me.  And to relax for a bit of course.

Hope you have a chill weekend planned too.  Or unplanned for that matter.

Quilt Borders

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the modern house hand applique blocks I've been making this year.

Even though the house blocks are not all complete, my mind wanders to thoughts of designing borders.

For a quilt like this, only a spectacular border will do.

When I was getting coffee this weekend, I stopped into where I usually get coffee, and they also have the most beautiful flowers. 

This time I could not leave without picking up a couple of stems of amazing Protea.  I think Sierra Azul nursery in Watsonville might carry the plants themselves.

I am not sure if I have the guts to try to grow them, although I would love to try someday (anybody brave enough to have tried this out there?).

Not sure if the entire border will be made up of these little beauties, but thinking about using them somehow in the design.

Top 5 of my weekend:

1)  Finished a pair of socks for my son - only took a single 100g ball of yarn, superwash merino, by A Verb for Keeping Warm in Magic Bean colorway.  Used size 2 needles and 36 stitches.  Easy Peasy.  Okok, I still had to look up kitchener stitch video to finish the toe, but I'm not really a knitter...remember?!  I fake it.

2)  Made carrot ginger soup:  Saute half an onion, add tons of cut up carrots, 1 box of chicken broth, a splash of white wine, and grate in some ginger.  Best soup ever. 

3)  Felted wool Christmas ornaments:  Looks like fun to make these, but not sure I could bring myself to use glue.  Think I would probably sew the flowers together instead.  Very cool tutorial here at Betz White blog.

4)  Dreaming of visiting Napa again someday (sans kids).  Would love to stay at Napa Farmhouse Inn, owned and run by my favorite coffee shop owner:   Napa Farmhouse Inn 1277 St. Helena Hwy South, St. Helena CA 94574,  707-968-5441 - Someday!

5)  Turning the clocks back for Fall - when else can you get an extra hour in the day?!  That should happen every weekend in my opinion. 

Your weekend top 5?  Go!

Yarn Balls: less work than having a pet goldfish

I end up with small amounts of yarn after I finish up a project.  

My friend Susan got me hooked on making little yarn balls with them by winding the yarn around my thumb.  It is strangely enjoyable.  If a yarn ball sits around too long I get the urge to wind it into one of these.  It's an addiction really.  I may soon need a 12 step program.

Anyhow, if you are a fellow detail freak and have some yarn on hand, there's a couple you tube videos that show you how.  The one that is similar to what I did is located here (but there are lots of them out there).

My sister sent me flowers recently and the 'fish bowl' looking vase has become my table center piece.  No cleaning of the tank required.

Life is getting in the way of my quilting a bit this week but will hopefully carve out some time to enjoy some this weekend when I'm not busy eating a Bavarian Breakfast at Esther's Germany Bakery (check it out if you're in the bay area).