Running behind

I think these are the letters for the end of July and the start of August, but I'm not sure :) I didn't think that I would get behind, aiming for one letter a week, but I have! Even going away for one weekend throws you out. I have almost all of the rest of my letters planned, now I just need to create.

Japan is my place alphabet.

J for Japan.

I for Inari 'shrine'.
This is Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine used in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha. It is one of the most recognisable places in Japan and just as popular with Japanese people as it is with visitors.


N for Narita Shrine, the suburb closest to the main airport in Japan located in Tokyo.


Y if Yakyuu Geemu (Baseball Game).
My husband and I went to a game in Tokyo, and watched the Tokyo Yakult Swallows win.

Quilt completed!

First Alphabet Finished

A few edges needed straightening, but the baby quilt has been put together. My friends were delighted (and so was I, because it was a small quilt otherwise) that signature panels from the baby shower were included. It ended up more white than I expected, but on the whole not a bad effect :)







These are the actual alphabet letters:

And the back panel:

Now to get a move on with my Place alphabet!

Last letters?

I'll have to go back and check, I'm not sure where I'm up to! Must have nearly finished posting the first set though.

V for Violin

X for Xylophone

Z for Zigzag (a little random, I know)

Other May letters

All of my baby quilt letters are done now! About to sew the quilt top together.

Here are the other 3 letters for May:

H for House

I for Icecream

K for Kite

Another week. Noted.

Musical notes for a musical mum and hopefully musical baby!

Time is running away from me at the moment

 Y is for Yellow. U is for Underwater.

R for Rainbow

I thought about a lot of different things for this square: ring, rose, etc. But Rainbow it was, when I found this piece of material in my stash.

All of the squares are done now and I'm about to sew them all together. Then it will be a matter of fitting the signature panels around the outside.

Updated letters

I've tweaked a few of my letters that didn't feel pretty enough.

G for Gecko

A gecko is a nocturnal and often noisy lizard which has adhesive pads on the feet to assist in climbing on smooth surfaces. It is widespread in warm regions, Australia and a big white one lives in my bedroom! 

G for Gecko 

P is for Pink!

It's a quilt for a little girl. Enough said :)

P for Pink.

C for Croc(odile)

Continuing on with the baby quilt.

I had a few options for C, but when I saw this fabric I had to use it. In the Northern Territory, Australia, crocodiles are part of our lives. This baby will definitely see a few in her life!

So here is C for Croc(odile) 

 

The block is a bit bigger than the 7cmx7cm, but I've started to join pieces together anyway, with other coloured bit between letters. This won't stand out so much.

A for Apple

My baby quilt is coming along. I'm actually going to the baby shower today, to present what I have to the expectant mother as a promise that it is coming :) I got stuck into it a couple of weeks ago and laid out most of the quilt top, with backing fabrics for the letters that I haven't done yet. It is going to be bright and cheerful!

Here is the next one: A for Apple

I was also not sure about my F for Fish block, whether it was clear enough, so I've done a second: F for Flower. Just in case the first one doesn't work.

S for Squirrel

Though not an indigenous animal to Australia, I thought that a squirrel might be nicer for a baby quilt than a snake. I'm enjoying embroidery more as I get more practice with it.

S for Squirrel

T is for Tree

T is for Tree, though I think it needs more embellishment. Hard to do so when you are trying to make a quilt that will last.

W is for Words

The random letters continue. Shaping up to be an interesting baby quilt.

Rrrrrrrh!

D is for Dinosaur

I loved this fabric when I saw it.

I bought it for a friendship quilt project where I had a swatch of green fabric to match with at least 7 different other fabrics. I took my brother with me and ended up with three different kinds of dinosaurs! It was great, because it made it such a different block from what I would have probably chosen.

Thankfully there were leftovers and now I have this cute little block: D for Dino(saur).

I've started thinking about the layout of this quilt when it's done, whether to:

1. Put the alphabet blocks side by side, creating a middle section to then put a series of borders around;
2. Find extra picture blocks to put between the alphabet blocks;
3. Put thin, plain strips between the alphabet blocks to set them apart more.

The finished quilt should be around 70cm x 100cm. Given that each alphabet block is only 7cm x 7cm and I'll lose at least 0.5cm seam allowance when I join them, there is going to be a lot of space to fill with other fabric. Perhaps extra picture blocks will be the way to go.

F for Fish

F for Fish

I'm not sure about this one...

 

I thought this was a great idea when I started, but then it turned out not as legible as I thought! Bit of an underwater feel though. Fishy fabric, F for Fish.

Two weeks in a row

Two more blocks for the baby quilt. Trying to keep with the blue theme.

K is for Kyoto

Kyoto

Kyoto is located in the South of Japan's main island, Honshuu.

It is synonymous with Geisha and the old world culture of Japan. It was previously the imperial seat, now located in Tokyo. I have visited Kyoto three times now and loved it each time. It has some of the most famous temples in Japan, including the Love Shrine at one of the biggest.

This square is made using kimono silk from Japan. You see the red umbrellas at a lot of locations in Kyoto, usually outside tea houses and at shrines.In Summer the weeping willows that line the banks of the river spill green down from the trunks and you can walk through them like curtains.

I remember seeing a geisha (maiko) walk down the street in Kyoto the first time I visited and being stunned by her. She was tiny, in a bright blue kimono, but she had such presence even though dozens of people were pointing, taking photos and crowding around her. Despite it all she kept a small smile on her face and kept walking on to her destination. It felt like a special moment to have seen her in the real world.

K for Kyoto

U for Ueno

Ueno Park is a public park in the Ueno district of Tokyo, Japan. 

In spring, it is famous for both cherry and plum blossoms that are strategically planted. I traveled through Ueno all the time, because the bullet train that I caught down to Tokyo stopped here. It's a busy hub but the park is often just as busy.

 U for Ueno Park

(上野公園, Ueno Kōen)

 

A is for Akihabara

Project Two: Japan

Most people who know me are aware that I lived in Japan from July 2010 to March 2011.

I lived in Shirakawa City in Fukushima Prefecture and was present for the Category 9 earthquake of March 11, 2011.

Japan will always be a part of me and I miss it every day, so I have decided to base my second set of letters there. My "place" is Japan and each place is somewhere that I have been.

Here is the first one: A for Akihabara, the electronics district in Tokyo.

Hopefully you can see the buildings, light and trees.

M for Mermaid

Rather than doing my letters in alphabetical order, I have been creating them at a whim. My inspiration for this week was the fabric: leftover from a baby quilt that was finished just last month.
 M for Mermaid.

It appears that this set of letters will be based on blue and I'm liking the trend. The small blocks are more of a challenge for fabric craft due to the need to leave a seam allowance for them to eventually be joined together. However this makes their design and construction more creative!