Triangles

 This is a triangle quilt using scraps that I have saved from bindings and scraps.  It was so satisfying to use them.  I started with an equilateral triangle and then added the scraps to two sides of the triangle.

 This is a closeup of the quilting.  I used my walking foot to quilt it diagonally.  As you can see it is not so perfect.

This was given to Jessie for her Christmas present.

Polyester is not so bad

 This is a picture of the lanai daybed that I reupholstered using polyester fabric that was stored for at least 50 years.  The colors are still vibrant and the material looks and feels brand new.  The blue plaid and yellow pillows really brighten up this area. 

 The blue throw is actually a remnant piece of wool that I just edged and included because it matched so well with the polyester. 

 The fabrics came from this pile of polyester fabrics that have been stored since the time Mom worked at Danneman's when we lived in Delaware from 1970 to 1974.  Danneman's was a fabric store in the Blue Hen Mall.  Mom told me the story of how she decided to go to work when the kids (me) started high school and she had the free time.  She had taken business classes after high school and Dannemans was the first store that she went to apply for a job.  I asked if she got an employee discount because I noticed some fabrics had an extra discount taken off.  She said that there was no such thing as employee discounts and she usually bought fabrics when the remnants were on sale.

This is a bag the fabric was stored in.  At first I was just going to throw all the polyester fabric away.  But since making these pillows, I am going to put it back in the closet and see if there are other projects that I can use these.

Third Degree

 This is a lap size 37 x 44 picture quilt that I made for Glenn and Debbie.  The pictures were taken during their grandsons Tae Kwondo 3rd degree black belt demonstration.  I took the photos on my Samsung phone and photo edited them to crop and center the 9 best shots.  The photos were printed onto Office Depot transfer paper.  Then ironed onto muslin fabric.  The border fabrics are all fossil fern 4 inch, 2 inch and 2x4 inch squares sewn together.

 The quilting pattern is called a jigsaw puzzle piece pattern.  I could not iron the fabric well between the photos.  Because of this there were a  few places where the fabric puckered up.  I machine quilted around the photos and around each fossil fern fabric.  I thought about outline stitching around the figures, but decided not to.  I have noticed from past projects that where there is a seam in photo transfers, that is where there is a separation if the quilt is washed or after a few years of use.  It is better to use a product like Quilted Treasures which prints on fabric, Bubble Jet set which prepares fabric to be printed on, or Spoonflower which will print your custom made fabric.

This is my favorite shot.  It shows Coreys hand on 3 cement blocks that he had to break with his hand.  Ouch.  Yes it hurts. But he did it.  Now we have to call him Master Corey.

Ipad case

 This is an ipad case that I made for my brother Glenn.  It measures 10 x 7 for an ipad that measures 9 x 6.  It is made with thick denim and microfiber.  Yes.  Not the usual fabrics that I am used to.

 There is a strip of black Velcro on the bottom of the case to secure the cover.  This was hard to sew on since I had to scrunch the completed case onto the base of the sewing machine.  I was able to sew two straight lines.  The ends of the Velcro were hand stitched to secure it.

 I did not put the top of the loop Velcro on the top of this because the microfiber was loopy enough to catch the bottom portion.  If you notice the inside is not straight across.  There is a scoop to allow for easier access to the ipad.  Larry gave me this idea.  He said it should be like an envelope with access from the long side instead of the wider side.  Details.  Details.  I stitched around the top flap with black thread on top and lime green thread in the bobbin.

This was all my brothers idea to use the denim since it is such a durable material.  The microfiber inside will keep the ipad clean.  I was planning to make him a handmade hexagon case with the leftover Japanese fabrics from the Cranes quilt.  I had already started on it when he gave me the denim and microfiber.  Oh well.  Maybe I'll still finish the hexagon case.

Cranes at Sunset

 Cranes at Sunset measures 60 x 65.  It is made with fabrics from the Temari Bolts of Fabric sale, my Moms stash and Japanese fabric from Bernice.  There are Ikats, Kasuri, Handwovens, indigo and other small pieces of fabrics.  I think the variety of color against the dark blue background makes the color just pop.

 Here is a closeup.

 Yes the points do not match.  Oh well.  I was lucky to get the pattern from a friend of a friend who took the class from Karen Matsumoto.  The pattern did not have instructions, so I just started cutting away and sewing to what I thought it should look like.

I made a template out of plastic to the size that the block should be.  As you can see, I was off a little here and there.  I cut all the pieces to the same size and sewed them all together.

The greens, reds and yellow pieces were sorted to look like birds in flight.  The border and binding comes from a bolt of kasuri.  The backing fabric is also a Japanese kasuri that used the whole bolt.  The batting came from the Temari sale and was about an inch thick.  I think it was a cotton polyester blend.  The quilting is stitch in a ditch around all the birds and triangles.  I highlighted the border fabric to show the undulating curves in the fabric pattern.  This quilt was given to Bernice to thank her for the beautiful Japanese fabrics that she gave me.

Bon Dance

Sorry this is out of focus.  This is a quilt that I made from the Temari Bolts of Fabric sale.  The fabrics were in 2 plastic bags with other fabrics from I'm guessing the 70s and 80s.  The feel of the fabric is of a soft polished cotton.  I was able to piece the large pieces together to make this top.  First I pieced the middle yellow green and peach section.  Then I mitered the corners of the strips of 3 yellow green and orange colors.

I pieced the purple blue green section together.  Then I mitered the corners of the strips of 3 pink green and blue colors.  I love the vibrant colors.

 This is the back of the Bon Dance quilt.

There was a box of Bon Dance towels with names of the different missions where Bon Dances are held in Hawaii.  Soto Mission is where my Aunt Ethel dances.  My Mom is from Waialua and she has family who dance in the Waipahu area, so I put those in the middle of the piece.

My mom said not to put a batting in the middle as it would make it too hot.  I did put muslin in the middle to separate the colorful front from the back.  This measures 67 x 55.  This will be a gift to my Uncle James.

June Hirano

 These are some of the pieces that June Hirano made using Japanese fabrics and stitching them together with sashiko stitches.  She uses sashiko thread mostly white but also different colors to accent certain areas.  She talked about Mottainai or the Japanese term for recycle or reusing old or things you would normally discard and repurposeing them.

 I was able to attend a presentation that June gave at the Trash to Treasures sale that Temari had last month.  June finds her fabrics from trips to Japan and years of searching for Treasures at Temari sales.  She recently gave a workshop "Sashiko:Repair and Remake" with June Hirano at the Hawaii Japanese Center in Hilo this past weekend on June 3.  Unfortunately, I didn't want to fly to Hilo. 

 This was a densely stitched jacket that she made.  Much like the Japanese firefighters jackets.

This was a blouse that she found at a Uniqlo shop where she added a small rectangle of kasuri and some sashiko stitching.  I've always found it hard to use the Japanese fabrics that I have in clothing.  She makes it look so easy to make.  I've heard that she offers a class about how to use Japanese fabrics in clothing.  Hopefully one day, I will be able to attend it.

Hawaii Quilt Guild 2017

These are some of the quilts that caught my eye at the Hawaii Quilt Guild 2017 show.  It is free May 4-14.  There is still a chance to view the show tomorrow Sunday 1-5 at the Honolulu Museum of Art School.  Although the quilt show was small, there were some beautiful shibori, sashiko and hawiian hand quilted applique pieces.

Kaleidoscope

 This quilt was made in a workshop.  Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the instructor.  This was given to baby Audrey Johnson who is 6 months old and already standing.  I was able to use some Kaffe Fassett polka dot fat quarters and strips of 2.5 inch fabrics.

 The setting has a black and white thread fabric.  The outer border is leftover strips of fabric sewn together.

Hexagon flowers

 This is a baby quilt that I gave to Kai'alohi Jolie Alohamaikalani Hollinger Arai born on April 28, 2016.

Her 1 year old birthday is coming up soon.  The variety of fabrics came from fat quarters from JoAnns.  The fabrics are bright and cheerful.