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Having fun around Yuza-machi
As well as doing some serious sashiko studying, we had time for some fun days out while we were staying with Reiko-sensei in Yuza-machi, including a trip to a kaiten sushi restaurant in Tsuruoka. It...
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Chikuchiku sashiko in Niigata
After leaving Yuza-machi in the snow, we went to Niigata on the Inaho Express with our friend Keiko. There was snow everywhere.It was very windy and the Sea of Japan looked wild.We visited Akiko Ike's...
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In search of Hida Sashiko
We spent a lovely day yesterday in picturesque Hida Takayama, hunting out sashiko. First stop was the post office, to send a few things home - books and shoes we don't need here. It snowed lightly...
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Super stripes in Hamamatsu
One of the great things about having the Japan Rail Pass this time has been the amount of traveling we have been able to do. From Hida Takayama, we went to Hamamatsu, where my favourite striped...
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Akie Ginza's sashiko centre
On Sunday, we had another adventure, traveling by bus and train to Akie Ginza's sashiko centre at Hinohara village, west of Tokyo.  I think quite a few textile tours go there, but getting there...
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Setagaya Boroichi revisited
We went to Setagaya Boroichi on the second day this year, with our friends from Yuza Sashiko and Reiko's sister and brother in law.There are many different stalls at the boroichi, not only antiques and...
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Meiji Jingu, Tokyo
We left our Reiko's sister's house on Tuesday and made our way over to our final hotel in Nippori. It made sense to do a bit more sightseeing on the way.We saw Mt Fuji in the far distance from the...
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Hiking in Kamakura
We decided to use the last day of our JR rail pass to visit Kamakura (please click the links throughout this blog post to read more about the city). One of the difficulties with visiting Kamakura for...
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Tokyo Great International Quilt Festival - getting there
On Thursday, we were staying in Nippori, so our route to the Tokyo Dome was a bit easier than the previous year, when we stayed in Asakusa - a few stops on the Yamanote line, followed by the Chuo-Sobu...
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Tokyo Great International Quilt Festival - part 1
 We bumped into a lot of people we knew, and a lot of people I'd only met online before, while walking around the show. Next time I'll have to make a name badge, so people know me (something Patricia...
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Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2017 - part 2
The first category we looked at was the 'Wa" category, which is for quilts on a Japanese theme, 'Wa' being the ancient name for Japan. In this category, the quilters' names are only presented in...
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Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival - Part 3
'Flowers of the Four Seasons' -'Japan’s top quilt artists express their sentiment for flowers in their new pieces.'This was an invited exhibit and not part of the competition. As in 2015, some of my...
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Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival - Part 4
'Framed Quilt' is a category we no longer have at any of the UK shows, although there used to be a framed category at the Great Northern Quilt Show. It would be a good category to reintroduce, as...
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Spring Quilt Festivals - Edinburgh and Harrogate
I am going to be at the Spring Quilt Festivals at Edinburgh next weekend and Harrogate the following weekend.At Edinburgh, I've got a trading stand rather than a demo stand, as I can't be there all day...
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Spring Quilt Festival, Harrogate
I will be at the Spring Quilt Festival at Harrogate every day from Friday to Sunday, and the Sashiko from Scotland samplers will be on display once again. This time, I'm hoping to get a chance to see...
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Sashiko from Scotland - tour continues
We had an excellent weekend at Harrogate and now the sashiko samplers are hanging at the next Spring Quilt Festival at Duxford this weekend. I won't be there, as I'm going to the SECC on Sunday to...
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Cinnabar and Nutmeg
Sue Webb posted these photos of her version of Cinnabar and Nutmeg on the UKQU Facebook page today and said it was OK for me to copy them here. She wrote -Finished piecing my largest ever quilt last...
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Super Strips x 2
Two very different versions of my Super Strips quilt appeared on my Facebook news feed earlier today, within a few minutes of each other. Carol Fieldhouse started hers in one of my workshops a few...
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A Japanese Quilt Blocks sampler
Irene Shaw made a amazing sampler quilt from 'Japanese Quilt Blocks', posted these photos on Facebook yesterday, and said I could share them on my blog. She wrote -This quilt I made for my son as a...
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Exeter, Prague and other quilty things
Coming up at the end of the month is your last chance to see the Sashiko from Scotland samplers together (at least this selection), as it will be the last of the Spring Quilt Festivals in Exeter....
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