Oh Boy, Oh Boy

A new baby boy is about to make his entrance into this world... though he is half a world away from me.  A new baby boy with a big sister - who was the recipient of this fun Dick and Jane quilt.

When I originally bought this fabric - it was a bundle of half yard cuts.   I used quite a bit for Nanami's quilt, but had quite a bit left over, including the little quarter circle wedges I had cut out in making the blocks to her quilt.  I had played with those shortly after that, adding them to white quarter circle wedges and making some pieced circles.

I thought the pieced circles were fun - and liked that it would make the two quilts "connected" - so the kids can figure out which wedges came out of which blocks on the other quilt.  I still had some of the background fabrics left from Nanami's quilt -the red, green and yellow - and I added in some nice grey and royal blue to round out my squares.

The circles are just raw edged applique.  I stitched them on to the base blocks, then during the quilting, I stitched around them again with the brighter quilting thread.  The quilt has been washed twice, and the edges are already starting to softly fuzz up nicely.

For the backing I could have used the same yellow as I did on Nanami's, but I wanted to show off a few of the fabrics uncut - so you could get the full impact of the Dick and Jane text and illustrations.  I used some wide cuts, some strips of the green and yellows, and a few "color bars" to get things to the width I needed.  It is a bit busy, but lots of fun.

The quilting is just a grid of the blocks, and then each circle.  It worked up fairly quickly, and doesn't overpower the busy fabric on the backing.


For the border, I was able to eek out enough of the "building blocks" print to frame up the quilt.  If the quilt had been any bigger, I would have been in trouble as I barely squeaked it out on this one.  I like how the colors play around the quilt to frame it.  This fabric is also NOT in Nanami's quilt, so unique to this one.

For the border - I wanted something blue but had run out of the blue I used in the blocks.  I have a bolt of this blue/white print that reminds me of Japanese indigo fabrics, and I thought that would be fun to use.

This little quilt is on its way -and should arrive before he does.

 

Dick and Jane go to Japan

A few years ago, Toshi and Miyuki came to NY and got married.
Two summers ago I picked up fabric to make a baby quilt for them.
Less than two (but more than one) year ago, their daughter Nanami was born.

And as of today - the quilt is FINALLY done... sewn, quilted, bound and washed to crinkly goodness.  I finished the flimsy back in September - and love how the quilting really made the pie wedge pieces pop so much more so than without it.

I brought this quilt with me to SC in April and handed it off to The Chipper Quilter to do her magic. I send many of my quilts to Darling Jill Quilts, but she specializes more in overall designs and I knew this one needed a bit of custom detail attention.

I will let the photos speak for themselves:

Now to get it packaged up and on it's way.

 

Quilts for Japan

Janet at QuiltsALott has been in touch with the editor of the editor of Patchwork Tsushin Magazine, Naomi Ichikawa, Naomi lives in Tokyo and her mother and brother survived the tsunami in Sendai. She passes along this information:

"It is still bad situation now in Japan. We are still nervous about shaking and radiation,but no way to escape. I start to announce to the quilters to send us comfort quilts for the people who are suffered.I would like to do it to the world quilters. We will deliver the comfort quilts to the people who are very difficult situation. Could you please help to announce it to the quilters? We accept any size of quilts(baby to adult).new or unused.

The deadline would be the end of May or later.

Send the quilts to: until the middle of April;

Naomi Ichikawa
Editor of Patchwork Quilt tsushin Patchwork Tsushin Co.,Ltd
5-28-3,Hongo,Bunkyo-ku,Tokyo,Japan zip:113-0033

after the middle of April

Naomi Ichikawa
Patchwork Tsushin Co.,Ltd
2-21-2,Yushima,Bunkyo-ku,Tokyo,Japan zip:113-0034

I will appreciate if you help me."

If you prefer to mail domestically, you can give through Quilters Newsletter:

Quilters Newsletter has long enjoyed a friendship with Patchwork Tsushin, a leading Japanese quilt magazine. So when Editor in Chief Naomi Ichikawa emailed to say her magazine is collecting comfort quilts for those impacted by the recent earthquake in Japan, we wanted to join the effort. QN will gather quilts from U.S. quiltmakers then forward them to Naomi and her staff, who will deliver them to those in need. (If you live outside the United States, email me as indicated below, and I will provide information on how you can send quilts directly to Naomi.)

Here’s how you can be part of this important worldwide response:

• Send quilts of any size from baby to adult to:

Dana Jones
Quilters Newsletter
741 Corporate Circle, Suite A
Golden, CO 80401

• Mark your box: “Quilts for Japan.”
• Send quilts as soon as possible and no later than April 30, 2011.
• Enclose your name, address, phone number, and email address with the quilts.

The gift is in the eye of the receiver

This holiday season I had two different people ask me what I wanted - and I don't think they expected the answer I gave them.

One was my brother - "what do you want for Christmas" he asked.
"old shirts" - I said - "old shirts I can take apart for the shirting fabric for a quilt project I have in mind."

He may have thought it was crazy - but this is what was under my tree:

Boy do I love my brother! There were four shirts rolled up in this little bundle!

The next bundle was a "thank you" gift from our bride and groom from Japan. Toshi offered to bring me something from Japan... and I sent him a link to a fabric store that carried Japanese style fabric and said "if you can find something like this..."

Well - they did - and then some!!! WOW!

The bundle before I opened it - even the furoshiki is great fabric!

The contents all stacked up.

The smaller fabrics - probably about 1/2 yard each.

The larger pieces -I think about 1 yard each.

Most of these are cottons - but have a nice texture to them like a homespun or a "raw silk".
Now to find the right projects for these!!! Hmm.....

Thanks everyone for thinking outside the box!!!!

Omedetai

It's finished! (except for the label) - the last stitches went in around 3:00 this afternoon - it took a trip through the washer (with a Shout color catcher just in case) and dryer - and was still warm when I gave it to the bride and groom to be.

Hubby is holding it for me - you can just see his toes peeking out and he had his arms up above his 6'2" height - so it is a nice size - not huge but transportable back to Japan with them.

We had fun talking about the different fabrics in it and how they are connected to different parts of the family.

I am thinking of calling this one "Omedetai" - which translates to "Happy Event."

Post-Christmas project

This year my sewing did not end with Christmas... and not because I had unfinished Christmas presents (I did - but not worrying about them right now)... but because I have a wedding quilt in progress for a wedding on the 29th.

8 years ago I was the coordinator for a foreign exchange student from Japan - language training, work experiences and living with a host family were all part of the program - but we had an additional little bonus because Hubby's parents ended up serving as Toshi's host family, so he became not only my student, but also my "little brother." It was a busy and fun filled 6 months - during which we purchased our first home and moved -Toshi even lent a hand during early renovation projects.

We have not seen Toshi since, but a few months ago he called Mom and said something along the lines of "guess what? I am engaged and we'd like to come to visit after Christmas and oh - while we are there we would like to have our wedding in your town." Their flight comes in tonight - and the wedding is Tuesday evening - they head to NYC for a bit of a honeymoon the next day and then back to Japan.

So of COURSE they had to have a wedding quilt!!

Thanks to the wonderful Red Rover pattern from Mary Quilts, I was able to raid my stash of reds and white/creams and put together a fun top that has fabrics from here and there in the family in it. The backing is one I picked up over the summer during a shopping trip with Shellie that reminds me of Japanese summer kimono fabrics.

Being sick the past 2 weeks really slowed me down - and led to a lot of spun patches and unsewing and resewing - but as of this afternoon it is all sandwiched and awaiting the machine quilting (diagonals).

The photo above is the initial block layout before the rows were assembled.

I'm Here... and I'm a Winner!!!

Thought I fell off the face of the earth? Nah - just been spending a lot more time sewing and a lot less time writing. Also had Halloween in there ...and groups, and Facebook, and swimming lessons for the Munchkin, and cleaning up the yard for the winter, and work... and I think you get the idea.

I've missed the blog though.

Here's Halloween...
The Munchkin in MY costume...

And the Munchkin in HIS costume and me in mine...

And here is my prize - courtesy of Cheryl. She just got to meet PW ... I am so envious...
(sorry about the glare - I am lucky to get a photo taken and posted...)

Three quilt books and one cross stitch - all from Leisure Arts. Some wonderful stuff - especially the Pat Sloan Camera, Color, Quilts! I am loving the one on the cover especially!

But I need a new project like a hole in the head... I am currently working on a quilt for the Munchkin, a quilt for a friend, the turtle baby quilt (which needs machine quilting and binding), and now a wedding quilt for a host brother from Japan (long story...) - plus a craft show, and oh did I mention that said wedding quilt for host brother is due to him getting married HERE... and I am helping to plan the wedding..... plus Lazy Girl Designs just came out with a yummy new pattern for a pair of little bags that will be awesome for little family and friend gifties...

It's going to be a busy fall!

And I am loving every bit of it!

Seeing Red

I've been making progress in dribs and drabs this past week - a quilty project is giving me frustrations and is now in a little heap in the corner - while I have moved on to other things.

Lazy Girl Designs just came out with a wonderful new bag pattern - Claire. You can read lots and lots about Claire on Joan's blog, including seeing the Claire that my Lazy Sister Sue posted, making her the first one to tell us about her Claire.

I was having difficulties picking my fabrics on this one - there are three different fabrics in the cover, and though I had a lot of pairs in my FQ stash that I would have liked to use together, I did not have any trios that did it for me - except for some I have set aside for a gifty project and so are off limits. Having seen pictures of all of Joan's samples as she shared them with her Yahoo Lazy Girl group, and actually having held a Claire in my hands prior to the pattern going to print - I was full of all these ideas and just could not decide.

Today - on my way through JoAnn's in search of children's scissors for the Munchkin, I noticed a cool red floral FQ - where the flowers looked almost like popcorn to me. And if you ask anyone - anyone in my family -they will tell you how much I LOVE popcorn!!! My life in Japan was frustratingly incomplete until I found a source of raw popcorn kernals and could make it the old fashioned way!!! Got me through many bouts of homesickness I'll tell ya!

(oh - and YES - the FQ's ARE on the way to the kids crafting supplies - really - trust me - they are!!)

In addition to being a fun print - this red combo really felt summery to me, and gets me geared up for our annual big Fourth of July picnic - I think our guest list this year is around 50 for fun and food in our backyard. This put me in the mood. Don't know if you can see it well in these photos - but the red on red has almost a starburst/fireworks motif.

Anyway - I found my trio -and got to sewing after the Munchkin went to bed. About 2 1/2 hours later - here she is - my finished Claire.

I opted for less variety in the inside -using a white on white yardage for my lining, and a second FQ of the polka-dots for the inner pockets. I have enough left over for a Wonder Wallet, too!

Oh -and over the weekend I finished up a pillowcase for my father-in-law for Father's Day. He's fixing up an old car, so this fabric was perfect for him. Now to figure out MY dad - who is coming to visit soon after Father's Day. Hmmmmm...... I got nuthin!

Sushi Tuesday

One of my purchases during my quilt retreat/shop hop jaunt to Ohio in April included a yummy lime green sushi fabric. In the midst of all the more traditional orientals, this fun and funky fabric just jumped out at me, and I immediately had a project in mind for it.

See -Tuesday at RIT is known around my office as "Sushi Tuesday" - mainly because our favorite student employee takes full advantage of the weekly "foreign food specials" in one of our dining facilities and is sure to get her sushi on Tuesdays. When I saw this fabric, I immediately thought of her, and wanted to make something for her "Sushi Tuesday" lunches.

A friend of mine gave me this yummy peach fabric to coordinate with the sushi fabric -and so I made a Hobo Lunchbag, a chopstick holder and a rolled up placemat - and rounded out the set with a small square sushi fabric knapkin.

The chopstick holder is a variation on a bag I received while I was in Japan that held a folding fan - the tie is attached to the top flap so no matter what size chopsticks you put into it (the wooden disposables tend to be smaller, while laquered chopsticks are usually longer) you can adjust the tie accordingly. I used black grosgrain ribbon, so that gave it a little texture, and picked up the black in the sushi print nicely. I used the same ties on the placemat, simply sewing them into the side seam before turning the placemat right sides out.

"go"

This was block #5, and when digging through my scraps and composing the colors for this block, the yellow and green reminded me of something I had encountered while living in Japan - something called the shoshinsha. Since this quilt is becoming bits and pieces of "history" I thought that would be a fun and subtle way to include "Japan" in this quilt.

Of course some things are so subtle that I'm the only one who gets them.

Oh well.

The blue bubbles - if I remember correctly - are also found in DragonBen's baby quilt.

(BTW - this is block #5 - and "go" is Japanese for "five"... yeah - geeky me)

Noshi Quilt

I have been meaning to post a photo of this quilt for a while, and a recent conversation with some friends over Japanese themed quilt ideas prompted me to finally get the photo taken and share this quilt with everyone.

I can't take credit for this one - this was a gift to me shortly before leaving Japan in 1993. It was presented to me by a friend of a friend - and when I saw the amount of hand work that went into this quilt I was floored. I knew the artist - but not well - and her generosity with this gift blew me away.

The noshi ribbons are all hand appliqued. The ties are all hand embroidery. The piecing I believe is hand done - and the quilting is all by hand as well.

For many many years this quilt languished in my trunk - I just did not know how or where I wanted to display it. It was finally hung on our bedroom wall about 6 months ago - using a curtain rod and clips - and I rotate it every month 90 degrees to avoid it stretching. The beauty of this design is that it is equally stunning no matter which way it is hung (currently I think it is "upside down" as the artist's signature is at the top left and upside down)

For those that don't know the significance of "noshi" I have copied some background information below:

"Noshi" is said to have been a contracted word for "noshi-awabi", which is made by shaving a shelled awabi (abalone) into ribbons and drying them in the sun. Since a long time ago, though we cannot clearly tell when it takes its rise, Japan has had a custom of attaching "noshi-awabi" when people send gifts or congratulatory presents to others.

The reason for attaching a noshi was, according to some folklore researchers, to symbolize the immunity to evil things: the sender's pure mind and the harmlessness of the gift. In the past, Japanese people seldom ate animal products and even avoided them on sorrowful occasions such as mourning. Animal products were associated with the happy events, and as a representative of them, noshi-awabi, once perceived as "the best gift", were attached to the gift they send to show their goodwill. In addition, there is a legend that awabi provides perpetual youth and longevity. That might have also affected the rise of this custom.

Today, the original significance of noshi-awabi has been lost, but the custom survives. A typical noshi is composed of a narrow piece of yellow paper, which is a substitute for noshi-awabi, folded in a special way in a piece of white-and-red paper to form a hexagon. Very often, noshi is replaced by a "noshi-gami", a piece of paper on which an image of noshi is printed, or the word "no-shi" in hiragana (the Japanese syllabary) are printed. We use a noshi for a happy event, not for a sorrowful one, just as in the past.

Reference;
Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth, Japan encyclopedia, Cambridge, Mass. /London, 2002
Ajio Fukuda et al., Nihon Minzoku Daijiten, Tokyo, 2000

Recipe Time - "sushi" sweets

So what's a gal to do when she wants to pull out her dish ware from her life in Japan and share a nice meal with her in-laws, but she knows they don't care for sushi?

Make it sweet!!

We had Hubby's family over for dinner one night - a few years back - and although I can't recall what the dinner menu was - Sweet Sushi was our dessert.

This glorious selection was made up of various cake rolls (Hostess/Little Debbie type stuff), a rice type granola bar (I think - don't remember exactly), and fruit gummies for garnish. Oh - and our "soy sauce" was actually chocolate syrup.

I just wandered through the grocery store looking at boxed food and thinking - "hmm - that looks 'sushi-ish'" and adding them to my cart. It was loads of fun.

I did find that it helped to freeze the cake rolls prior to slicing to keep them from squishing down and getting all deformed.

Toshi and 9/11

(I will need to add a photo to this post later - all my pics of Toshi are at home)

Hubby and I moved from SC to NY December of 1999 (Christmas Day in fact). Shortly after we arrived here, my former employer in SC asked me if I would do some freelance work here arranging a program for a language immersion/home stay for an individual from Japan as part of a corporate training program.

And so Toshi came into our lives. Toshi was my client, and my student, but various circumstances also led him to become my little brother and my co-worker, as he lived with my in-laws and did volunteer work at my office. Toshi helped us move after we bought our new house, learned how to strip woodwork, helped us down a can of Reddi Whip one evening, and became a Survivor addict (first season, I think).

Toshi's stay here was only 6 months long - and on September 10th, 2001 we celebrated Toshi's birthday and got ready to say goodbye, as he was flying to Detroit on the 16th for a final group session as part of the program, and then returning to Japan.

I don't remember if Toshi was at work with me on September 11th or if he was at home. I remember hearing from our receptionist something about a plane hitting the World Trade Center, and calling my husband, who works for a TV station, for more information. "I can't talk now," he said. "A second plane just hit." I found out from him later that not only were they seeing things a bit before the rest of us, as the raw feed came in and then was sent back out again, but that he also saw much much more on that raw feed than was ever broadcast. He still does not like to talk about it.

The TV at work was instantly moved into a conference room, and although we all tried to work you would see people frequently wandering down the hall, and then back again. I stood in a darkened empty conference room, alone, and watched the second tower collapse. And all I wanted to do at that point was go home.

Although my thoughts were on the victims and the families, I was also instantly wondering what this meant for Toshi, and for his travel to Detroit, and then on to Japan. So many things were uncertain, airports were closed, and I was concerned for his safety. I was responsible for his safety.

As more information came out, and things started to become clearer, we began to receive communication from Toshi's employer, and the coordinating company for the immersion program, on what we should do. At first we were told to stay put, and then once the airports began to open again we were told to send them on to Detroit if their flights were running.

Ultimately, Toshi's flight did fly that day - but without him on it. He and I talked it over, and although he said that he felt confident enough to fly, I realized that he was listening and watching all this coverage that was not in his native language and although his grasp of English had improved immensely, I wanted to be sure he was fully informed. We spoke about it in Japanese for a while, and he ultimately said it was my decision.

And I could not put him on a plane.
I knew the risk was pretty much past, and that he would be on a little plane from a small non-hub airport, but I still could not do it.

Luckily the family that he was to stay with in Detroit was very understanding. They offered to drive and meet us halfway. So my SIL, Toshi and I piled into my car on a sunny September day and road-tripped to Cleveland, to a Bob Evans just south of the city, where we met up with his next hosts. Nearly four hours there, and four hours back.

Four hours to say goodbye.
Airports are easier. This was like peeling a bandage off - really really slowly.

Every 9/11 I think of Toshi. He has not been back to visit since then, and I have not been over to Japan. Letters are sporadic and short, and I often wonder how his memories of 9/11 affect his memories of his entire stay here.

Flashback Friday - The Lantern

During the time I lived in Japan ('85-'86 and '90-'93) I was able to attend many Japanese festivals both in Kanazawa and in other areas I traveled to.

During the biggest festival in Kanazawa, the Hyakumangoku Festival, these red lanterns with the plum blossom logo of Kanazawa were hung all over the city. Smaller lanterns were carried by the children through the city the night before the big parade with candles in them.

Through some 'connections', I was able to bring quite a few of these lanterns home with me. The small red ones served as the centerpieces for our wedding reception, filled with white tissue and held open by an ingenious little stick contraption my dad came up with.

The rest of the lanterns were hung around my in-laws back yard for our cookout/rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding (it was July and very nice that evening). We even lit candles in them, adding to the overall effect.

Unfortunately the candles burned a bit too long - and more than a few lanterns went down in flames -unrecoverable. Luckily no one was burned.

A few of the lanterns only got singed a bit. These my mother-in-law carefully put away - to be brought out and re-hung from time to time in her garden.

Last month - right around our 14th wedding anniversary - she had them out in the garden again. I was amazed and impressed to see how well they have held up over the years, singes and all. This one hung out through a few wind and rain storms this summer, and is still intact.

A bit worse for wear in places, but with a good strong connection between both sides holding it all together. Kind of like a good long relationship. (Not necessarily the profound word imagery I was thinking of when I took this photo -but I think you know what I mean).

Happy belated anniversary, sweetie!!

Turtle of the Day - the Dratyl

I picked this guy up in one of my two visits to Hong Kong. I think it was my spring trip in 1991 - where I called my Sister Terri one morning, found out she and a friend were heading to Hong Kong (from London) the next day, and while she was sleeping London time, I was scrambling Kanazawa time and finding a ticket to fly to Hong Kong and meet them. Surprising, especially since it was the start of Golden Week in Japan. (I was back in Hong Kong for Christmas 1991 with Brother Bill - but that's another story)

I have always called this one Dratyl -part dragon, part turtle, but I really knew nothing of it's mythical meaning when I bought it - I just thought it was a fun and different kind of turtle, and a cool way to remember my trip. It is made of soapstone, I think, so you can scratch it with your fingernail, and it is VERY heavy (it was in my carry on - believe me - it is HEAVY!)

That was an interesting trip - it was early in my stay in Japan, and really the first time I just took off traveling without a travel buddy to "hold my hand" so to speak. I also got to Hong Kong airport FOUR HOURS before they did, with no idea of the hotel we were to stay at, no travel guides to Hong Kong at all, no local currency, and only a vague idea of their flight numbers and route. All sorts of "what do I do if..." scenarios went through my head. Seriously this was way out of my normal style of planned and researched travel - as was very very evident when I realized upon landing in Osaka very late in the evening after a fun filled few days in Hong Kong that A) the last train for Kanazawa had already departed and B) I had no clue of any place I could stay the night (it was about 3 hours by train to get home from Osaka).

I had met a family in line at the Hong Kong airport that was from Kobe - and they must have been more astute, or less jet lagged, than I because they realized from our conversations that I was going to be stranded, so they waited for me on the other side of customs and offered a place to stay for the night. We took an airport taxi/van back to their apartment and I ended up spending the entire rest of the weekend with them, sightseeing in a very beautiful area. They took me around some newly developed areas where tourists don't go very frequently, and then on the last day they traveled all the way back to the Osaka train station with me, made sure I had my ticket, loaded me up with travel food and snacks, and stood on the platform as the train pulled out of the station.

I often marvel at that experience -not something I would ever dream of doing now -but at the time it felt safe, comfortable and perfectly natural.

I wonder if I dug through my box of stuff if I could find their address - and if they remember that crazy weekend the way I do?

Turtle of the Day - Little China Boy

When I flew to Japan in 1990 to begin my three years of teaching with the JET Programme, one of my seat mates on my flight out of Atlanta was a young man named Rich from Florida. It turned out that Rich and I were being posted to the same city, and we quickly became fast friends.

In fact, during one of our initial training retreats just weeks after our arrival in Kanazawa, our mutual love of football (although we never got past that Florida/Clemson thing) led us to start up a conversation with an American Football Club team practicing at the same facility. His lack of Japanese language skill and persuasiveness in twisting my arm led us to then spend many Sunday afternoons together as he played and I "managed equipment" and acted as his translator for the Kanazawa Weissenberg Football Club. (Of course it did not hurt any that there were some nice, young, professional good looking guys in the group, either. I had a thing for Japanese men at the time...but that could be another whole series of posts!)

Prior to teaching in Japan, Rich had spent a year teaching in China and he traveled back to China on a few of his breaks. When he learned of my turtle collection, he promised he would bring me back a jade turtle from one of his visits.

This little guy was the result - he's kind of pale in his head and feet, and has a deeper green in his shell, but is overall not very "jade" looking - I think he was the only quality of jade that was in Rich's budget.

I credit Rich with keeping my sanity during my low points of homesickness, lovesickness and cultural frustration during our time in Japan - and I think/hope I did the same for him. He now lives in Nevada - and I have not seen him in about 10 years - but this little turtle is a reminder of a good friend.

I think he disowned me when I sent a Clemson baby outfit for his first child??!! Go Tigers!!

Turtle of the Day - Japanese Water Turtle

When I was living in Japan as an exchange student, I was able to convince my host family to let me study Japanese calligraphy. I soon learned that learning to write characters with a brush was as much an exercise in learning to "paint" as it was to think, and breathe, and be. Kneeling at a low table with my back straight, and the brush forming an extension of my arm, and my heart, I slowly and carefully learned the rudimentary basics of this art. My goal was to gift each family with a frameable piece they could keep. My teacher helped me along, and at my farewell party I was able to make such a presentation. Imagine my amazement when I returned to visit 4 years later and found that one family had theirs still hanging in the living room. To my more educated eyes at that point, it looked very rough and erratic, but they said it truly showed my effort and my heart, and that is why they kept it all these years.

Although I chose not to pursue the study further when I returned to Japan to teach, I always found a fascination in the paper, brushes, inks, and other accouterments of brush calligraphy, and bought some for myself, although they sit unused. According to my teacher, the tools which are essential to a brush painter are called "THE FOUR TREASURES". These are the Ink SUMI, Grinding Stone SUZURI, Brush FUDE and Paper KAMI.

The ink is not ink at all but consists of a formula of soot from burnt pine wood and lamp black combined with glue and camphor which is then molded into a stick. The ink stick is dipped in water and ground in a figure 8 or circular motion, always in the same direction, on the ink stone until it forms a creamy black ink. This takes about 25 minutes and is a time of contemplation. While preparing the ink, the artist focuses and prepares himself mentally to paint. The artist's mind should become tranquil, reflecting on the painting, the brush strokes to be used and the subject. (When I was a student we shortcut through this due to the short time frame of my lessons, and used bottled ink)

Other tools that are beautiful to look at include the paperweight to hold down the paper, and the water bottle to hold water to mix with the ink stone. This turtle is a water turtle - with a small hole to fill in it's shell, and a small spout in it's mouth. Little bits of water are poured onto the ink stone, and then the ink stick is dipped and ground. He is made of iron and very heavy, and lends a quiet air of contemplation to any session of calligraphy.

Turtle of the Day - Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny

When I started this story, I mentioned the tiny shell turtle I purchased on a school trip while in Japan. I had it wrong though - I must have given my friend the white one, because in my teddy bank I found the purple one.

The bank is a story itself - I was given it for my 19th birthday, which I celebrated in Japan. Actually I was given the key to a public locker. You know the kind you put a quarter in (or 10 yen I think?) and get the key? Well - the bear bank was sitting on top of his box inside the locker, with his little sign in his hand.

It now holds a bunch of little memories from that year in Japan -five yen coins, a Hershey's Kiss paper that was WAAAYYY longer than usual, a special coin and grain of rice from a temple at New Year's, and this teeny tiny little purple turtle.