Festival of Broken Needles

How quickly the years go.  It doesn't seem very long ago that I was writing a post about the Japanese tradition of hari-kuyo, the Festival of Broken Needles, and here we are on 8th February again.  You can read the post here, with all the details and there are some great photos of a ceremony here.

This year I have been putting my bent, blunt and broken needles in a little cylindrical tin and today I've thanked them, wrapped them and settled them down to rest.  The little bag is decorated with Cretan Stitch and Herringbone Stitch and is my TAST2012 piece for the past two weeks.  I've put a loop on it so that it can hang with my other TAST "baubles" (which are now on various themes, not all Christmas).  I loved doing the Herringbone, I could get quite a good rhythm going but the Cretan made me think - thread under the needle, thread over the needle, oops, try again....it needs more practice as I think it's a nice stitch.  This week the TAST stitch is......Chevron Stitch.

Australian designer, stitcher and all round textile wonder woman, Lynette Anderson, has posted about her meeting with our sensei, Bryan, take a look here.
Another great report on the Tokyo Quilt Festival is here.   Better make yourself a cup of coffee!

Happy Birthday Sam

My DGS Sam is four years old today!  Al and I went to his party and then back at his house I tried to take a photo of the young family.  It was a nightmare to get all four people looking good, especially as they were all so tired but here we have birthday boy, Sam; my DD, Saz; her lovely BF, Rick and his DD, Ezri.
I have failed completely with my TAST2012 stitch for the week.  It was Cretan Stitch and as tomorrow there will be a new stitch I think I'll try to combine the two in a little project this week. 
Al is having a little op. on Wednesday (on his toe) and we don't know how he'll be afterwards, I might be on nursing duty!!  Hopefully I'll still have time and energy to sew.
We've had a little snow today and the forecast for the week is cold, brrrr, winter is back.  Tomorrow there is a blank in the diary so my plan is to catch up with blogs and emails, if I've seemed to be ignoring you I hope to be in touch tomorrow, watch this space as they say.
I've been doing a lot of reading and research into places to visit in Tokyo while I'm there in April.  Carin sent me this link:http://www.amusemuseum.com/english/index.html It's definitely on my must-do list, enjoy.

Still Waters Run Deep and FNSI morning report

Quite a productive evening and a very enjoyable one too as DH didn't go out after all and so we both sat by the fire while I stitched and he read, very companionable.  This followed a lovely lunch with DD, DGS and DSiL to be!!!  It was only my second meeting with DSiL to be but it was apparent that things are going well and moving quickly, good for them I say. 
Back to FNSI.  I did some Feather Stitch for the TAST2012 project but, rather than a new piece this week I added the stitch to my existing Malta cloth (a piece I started after doing Jude Hill's cloth weaving course several moons ago).  I think it works well, evoking the patterns in the stone of Malta's buildings.

 I finished my "fat quarter frenzy" quilt which has now been christened "Still Waters Run Deep" and is destined for one of the guest beds at the bach in Norfolk.  I'll take it with me when we open up at the beginning of March and hopefully we'll soon have family and friends joining us and sleeping beneath it.

The rest of FNSI was spent knitting and that's what I'm going to do now.  DH has just made a pot of coffee, it's raining outside and blowing a hoolie, there's a casserole in the slow cooker and at 1.20 this afternoon they're showing Breakfast at Tiffany's on television so that sounds like a plan to me.  Have a good one whatever you are doing.

Wait For Me Please

2012 is going too quickly already.  I haven't posted for ages, I haven't done my TAST2012 stitch for this week (it's feather stitch and I'm looking forward to doing it, just haven't found time), I haven't done most of the things that were on my list for this week.
What have I achieved?  Well I've had two stitchy meetings. 
On Tuesday it was the first meeting of the year for Country Roads Quilters and we had a good day.  Our theme for the beginning of the year is to be Log Cabin, with some people making quilts, some doing smaller projects and some not doing it at all (nothing is compulsory).  We did a lot of chatting, drunk a lot of tea and coffee and one lady brought in a box of chocolates to share - and we didn't get chocolate on our work.  I stitched down the binding of my "fat quarter frenzy" quilt and so now that is finished except for the addition of a few paua shell buttons which I shall do this evening during FNSI.  I could say that these are to add surface texture and interest but really they're to hide the most wobbly bits of FMQ!!  I'll share it tomorrow in my FNSI report.
On Wednesday morning we had the first meeting of Crafty Time Out.  More chatting, more chocolate and very little stitching!  I did a little knitting (the slippers, still) but we mainly chatted which I really enjoyed.
The rest of the week seems to have been spent at the local hospital, nothing serious, don't panic, but both DH and I have had several routine appointments and they've all taken ages.  You need to allow extra time to travel in case the traffic is bad.  Then parking is a nightmare.  Then you have a several stage check-in.  Eventually you reach the waiting area where your doctor is and settle down to wait (the clue's in the name I guess).  Lots of hours spent waiting this week.  I have started a new book though, Japan through the looking glass by Alan MacFarlane, an interesting read so far.
Good grief, I'm becoming a grumpy old woman.
I'm looking forward to today.  We're having lunch with DD Saz, DGS Sam and ..... Saz' boyfriend, Rick.  He's been on the scene for a while but now it's serious.....might even be a new hat job!!  Aaagh, an another Double Wedding Ring Quilt?  He's a nice guy and excellent with Sam and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.  Then this evening is Friday Night Sew In, it'll be those buttons, the quilt label and then feather stitch I think. 
Wishing you a great weekend whatever you are doing.

TAST2012 - Buttonhole Stitch

After I shared last week's fly stitch project Benta suggested I could hang it on the Christmas tree.  This sparked the idea of doing all the TAST2012 projects in festive colours and fabrics and creating a selection of decorations and baubles for Christmas 2012.  I may not always stick to this you understand but it is my plan at the moment, so thank you to Benta and also to Carin who endorsed the idea.
So, buttonhole stitch, also know as blanket stitch.....
This is a stitch I have used before, both by hand and on the machine, mainly to edge pieces of applique, so in a very straightforward way.  I like Sharon's beaded versions and the way she has built up a textured surface using the stitch and couching other threads. 
This is what I've done:

Considering that snowflakes are symmetrical I suppose my stitching should have been more regular but I like this and it's unique, as all snowflakes are.

TAST2012 - No Reply?

There have been some wonderful examples of fly stitch posted on blogs since we all began TAST2012 last week and Sharon has celebrated her own blogiversary with an interesting post about how she started Pin Tangle in 2004 and how it has developed.  She mentioned the joy of receiving a comment on a post and I would certainly agree with that, it is wonderful to know somebody has not only read what you've written but has taken the time to write a comment.  I find it sad therefore when I have no way of contacting the commentor and thanking them, or answering their query.  I appreciate some people wish to remain anonymous but I wonder if many others know they are showing as a "noreply-comment@blogger.com", especially people who maybe new to blogging having got started when they signed up for TAST.  Jodi at Pleasant Home has written a brilliant guide to finding out, and fixing it.  Click on her red button on the right of my blog and next time you are kind enough to comment on my blog I shall be able to thank you properly.  In the meantime, thank you for all the lovely comments I received after sharing my fly stitch project and here we go with week two of TAST2012 and it's.....buttonhole stitch.

 

TAST2012 - Fly Stitch

Yesterday Sharon B at Pin Tangle posted the first embroidery stitch in this year's Take A Stitch Tuesday challenge. 
It's Fly Stitch. 
I started off with a nice piece of Aida, thinking it would enable me to get neat, regular stitches, which it did, but they were pretty boring.  So I abandoned the Aida and headed for the scraps basket.  I machined some fabric pieces together and then used the Fly Stitch in various ways to create a crazy quilt style heart.

It was good to experiment with using the stitch and vary the size and I'm pleased with the result, for a beginner.  So, week one and I'm still on target with TAST, I wonder how long that will last?!