Obi and Kimono

Vel came back last night around 6:00. Even though I was trying to take the advice to let cats be cats, I kept looking out the window and hourly going out and calling him. By evening I was exhausted.

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Okay... I am finally thinking about what to do with all the obi that I brought home last week... I have an idea but actually this might be crazy.

I have checked shipping prices and find that it costs me about $10 a kimono or obi to send overseas by surface mail. Japan does not use a checking system so it would be difficult for me to receive money from people. I do not feel a need to make money off of my friend's mother-in-law's obis but I don't really need them myself. Enough people offered to buy some that I am thinking of asking people to donate $50 to Red Cross Relief for Japan. If anyone has an interest in an obi, then I would specify it for that person and after a donation was made I would assume shipping fees to that person. (Can I say, make a donation after you've read this post? I know people have already made donations but I don't think I can just send out kimonos to everybody.) I have about 20 of these things but this would be MY donation (in a way) to Red Cross and I know my friend's family would feel happy knowing the obis went to a cause for Japan.

What do you think? Does this sound feasible? $50 seems a lot for a couple of these things... the pure black ones or the brown men's one (it even has a couple moth holes in it...) so if anyone wants those I'd leave the donation amount open. As for the non-interesting pink roll of kimono fabric at the bottom, that is my least favorite but I'll have you know that there is still a price tag on it that says it is about $250! Wow! I'm afraid I wouldn't buy it for that!

Anyway, I have put these pictures on my sidebar and if anyone is interested, please let me know. First come, first serve. If I don't get takers then these will go to someone I know who uses Japanese fabrics for bags.

Obi










From here on, these are kimonos.

And this is a half kimono coat.


I sure didn't plan to get into the kimono trade business.

Escapee

Tetsu and Choco and I came back from our morning walk and two of the cats had escaped. Vel and Mi. Mi came running back past Choco, through the yard and jumped back in the window when I called her. Vel is still out in the wilds somewhere. Vel knows how to open sliding doors and windows. And because I know that Vel knows how to open windows, I always lock the windows. So why was the window unlocked and open? (And no, my first thought wasn't a break-in.)

When Lorraine and I came home after the big earthquake I found many of our sliding doors and windows full open. The cats were too spooked to try to escape (and Vel was locked up anyways) but I could imagine the doors sliding open as the house shook. But could an earthquake unlock the doors?

Because Vel does sometimes open the doors I ALWAYS keep them locked. I know I do! But yesterday afternoon we had another large tremor that had cell phone alarms going and books falling. I'm thinking that the shaking knocked the lock off AGAIN and this morning when Vel was let out of his room he tried a couple doors, found one unlocked and made his escape. (Taking Mi with him.) Another window was unlocked and open upstairs too.

Years ago Vel fell off the veranda and was lost in the woods for 5 days before he came back... I hope he has sense enough to come back earlier this time and that he'll be careful while he is out exploring. Of course he dislikes enough of our other cats (Toi and Patora in particular) that he may decide to move elsewhere. I hope not.

Watermark

Some friends came over for patchwork yesterday bringing bags of supplies and tools. Everything got put out on the table and sewing began. And the next we looked, Toi was trying out the different sized bags and boxes finding one that suited him.

"This one is a great size... and insulated. (It is actually a shopping bag for groceries.) What do you think? Does it go nicely with my coloring?"





"Now this is a little tight... but I do like the color and besides it is right in the midst of all the sewing so I choose THIS ONE!"

The box was a little mis-shapen when Toi finally got out of it.

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Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Ochiai called me.

"Tanya, I've been meaning to tell you but I keep forgetting. Do you know that your watermark on your pictures still says 2010? I really think you should change that. It is already April of 2011!"

Did I laugh at that! Nope. I hadn't noticed that I was four months behind. If Mrs. Ochiai hadn't mentioned I probably could have gone another year or two! How about anyone else? With all the pictures that I've posted, did anyone else notice that the watermark was off? Or maybe you are all just too polite.

Thank you Mrs. Ochiai! As of Toi's pictures I've change my watermark to 2011!

Patchwork Thursday after the earthquake

Yesterday was the first time our patchwork group got together since the earthquake last month. (We had met on the 10th, the day before the earthquake.) Everyone was worried about Lorraine and wondering how her feelings were towards Japan now and whether she would ever be back to visit.

Lots of tales of the past month. Mrs. Ochiai has decided it is safer to walk up 5 floors to her condominium rather than risk being caught in the elevator and so she has gotten a good workout this month. Mrs. Harada (who lives on the 14th floor, closer to Tokyo) doesn't have that option but actually there was very little damage to her home. Something about the newer buildings being built to sway softly with earthquakes. (I have heard this from other friends too who live in high rises. There was NOTHING in their houses broken whereas I was picking up things from my squat little house for days.)

But, as I mentioned yesterday, we all have reacted differently to the earthquake and the following changes in our lives. I spent the time sewing and got quite a lot accomplished, but a couple of my friends said that they found it hard to concentrate and couldn't put their hearts into any handwork. So only half of us who had homework this past month got it finished. The others begged off because they were too rattled to sit down and sew. Maybe more done this month (if the aftershocks would calm down.)

Mrs. Okutomi was one of the handwork people last month and she spent the time machine quilting two quilts for her home. At last month's meeting we were basting these for her and this month she is finished! Such pretty quilts and such lovely quilting. Can you tell that I am standing there trying to get pointers on how to machine quilt a large quilt? I was also trying to get advice about sewing machines because, gasp!, my sewing machine is struggling right now! It seems that in the fall from my sewing table my machine got jarred enough so that the straight stitching dial now points to zig-zag and when I want to do zig-zag (rarely) I have to put the dial at button hole. My poor machine! But at least it sews! Mrs. Okutomi uses a Bernina, top of the line, but I don't think I'll ever have a chance to play on one of those.

And we also worked on more applique leaves for the bazaar quilt... ironing them down in place before appliqueing. Yes, we are on the floor again. I think we should pitch in and buy Mrs. Furui a standing ironing board.

Fear? Pride?

Sorry. I missed yesterday. Wednesdays are my busiest days with me going in to the next town for kindergarten from 9:30 am. (Meaning I leave home around 8:45 so that I can confer with the teachers beforehand.) It has been a long vacation for me since I opted to skip March's kindergarten graduation soon after the earthquake (no gasoline). Some of the mothers told me yesterday that they'd thought I'd gone back to America. That took me by surprise and made me a bit disgruntled.

"I'm not giving up on Japan!"

You would be surprised how touchy a subject this is right now. People who have left for other places think the people who are staying are foolish... and if truth be told some of those who have moved feel a little guilty it seems because at least people I know write long e-mails justifying their decision.

"You don't have to explain. We all have different opinions, different situations."

But it is true that there are also snide remarks about the people who have fled and their "neurosis". Maybe a little sour grape thinking?

"They don't have children who go to school like I do." or "They have always been spooked easily."

(I have a feeling I'm going to get blasted from some people who read the above. But that's the way I see things right now and that is the sort of conversations we are having.)

Radiation level categories were raised yesterday and the news is as usual, confusing.

"Yes, we are at level 7 for dangerous radiation levels. That is the same as the horrendous Chernobyl accident but no, Japan doesn't have the same radiation levels as then and the Japanese people are not in any danger."

Confusing...

But basically the people who are here aren't really changing their lifestyles. Still taking the dogs for a walk, still buying vegetables in the supermarket.

"For all I know I might be hit by a car tomorrow so why worry about radiation levels in 30 years."

This is another phrase I hear often.

There are numerous evacuation centers in our area for the people from up north. I don't know if the people have lost their homes from the earthquake and tsunami or if they have been evacuated from radiation zones. I do hear of some amazing people who are jumping right in to do what they can...

A Nikko Bangladesh hotel owner who has turned his hotel into a temporary home for evacuees... (Some Japanese hotel owners were at first afraid to do this because they worried about how future guests might feel coming to a hotel that had housed "toxic" evacuees. The Bangladesh man spurred other private hotels to do the same.)

Children in evacuation centers who have started their own handwritten newspaper (complete with editor, reporters and distribution leader) about center news... The colorful pages brighten people's lives.

The TV news stir up either fear or pride in our hearts.
(picture from the Internet)

Hiding place

Japan is still having earthquakes. My cell phone alarm goes off regularly, sometimes in time to move elsewhere, sometimes right in the midst of a shaker. "NOW you tell me!"

Yesterday started out bright and sunny but by late afternoon we were getting thunder and lightning. I brought Choco back in the house. A few minutes later the sky was dark and it was pouring down rain. Whew! Choco is happy to be out of that. English children began arriving for a 4:30 class and things went normally (with flashes and rumbles) until 5:15... when the house started shaking, things started falling and my cell phone alarm went off again.

"Okay guys, get away from the book shelf."

A couple of kids moved next to me.

"And get away from the game cupboard."

A few things crashing in the other room. I had my arms around 6 kids.

"Let's make a break and everybody go to the dining room (a whole 10 steps away) and get under the dining room table."

So 7 of us piled under the table, ousting Toi from where he had already taken shelter.

"The kitty went into the other room. Is he going to be okay?"

"The kitty can fit under the sofa if he wants to. He'll be fine."

I have a small dining room table... We all looked like ostriches with out heads in the sand and our backsides sticking out! The kids are getting so used to earthquakes that no one looks scared anymore. I reached over to the snack cupboard and pulled out a box of chocolate chip cookies.

"We might as well have a picnic while we're under here."

And we ate cookies as the house continued to shake off and on for the next 15 minutes. So much for English class.

What with thunder and lightning and rain and aftershocks, the next class decided they wouldn't come after all.

Since then the house is shaking regularly. The news says that after yesterday's first shake, there have been more than 50 aftershocks! It's getting to where I no longer think of the house as being stable... The house is shaking? Sure, isn't that what houses do in Japan?

Our aftershocks aren't huge but still it makes for light sleeping. We wake up tired in the mornings. Think what the people farther north who are getting stronger shocks are feeling. All this jumping at sounds and grabbing at furniture and looking around you for falling objects must be very hard on mental health...

On the news last night we were being warned that the possibility of a huge earthquake occurring directly under Tokyo in the next 30 years is at 87%. Goodness! Between the possibility of falling ill from radiation affects 30 years from now and another major earthquake within 30 years, long life doesn't look so appealing. Of course no one says the next earthquake will come AFTER 30 years... that's between NOW and 30 years. Sigh...

End of vacation

Pre-school and kindergarten (and school in general) start from this week so I will be back to my regular busy schedule... I am looking longingly at some of the projects that got started during the days after the earthquake but I guess the going will be slow from now on. Blogging too?

I spent quite a bit of time the past month making up 48 string blocks for a donation quilt. And then I took the blocks over to Mrs. Furui's and she helped me put them together and add a very pretty border. We both spent a lot of time trying to decide how donation quilts should be quilted. Hand quilting is very nice but so time consuming... And for the string quilts, I think there is too much thickness. In the end I guess I will quilt two halves on the machine and then do some time consuming connecting on the back. That system is working out fairly well on the Alphabet Soup quilt I've been making but have yet to show connected...

Mrs. Furui has a top made for a donation quilt (doesn't she do lovely soft colors) but since she doesn't do machine quilting she will go at this by hand. I'm not offering to machine quilt it for her because I don't do so well myself (and I don't want to take responsibility for messing up her pretty quilt) and I have enough in my own piles that aren't getting done.

And mentioning machine quilting, Shasta wanted to know how I go from flower to flower on the Alphabet quilt. I don't! I just jump around from motif to motif leaving long threads behind me to clip and hide into the batting later. This jumping technique was one shown in the Happy Village book and it was eye-opening.

"Just jump to a new place? What about thread ends later? How about the quilting coming undone?"

If you do a few stitches in the same area when starting and ending a motif (or whatever it is you are quilting) then it serves as a knot. The hiding of the threads come when the quilt is taken off the machine and I'm sitting in front of the TV. This is another time consuming task but fairly relaxing. I love my "cheater needle" where the threads can just slip in from the top!

Off to the pre-school I go!