My Prayer for Sendai

My Hearts and Hands for Sendai quilt block is finished -- ready to head off on its journey and become part of a larger quilt to benefit Sendai, Japan.

You'll have to forgive me now because I'm going to get a little deep. It happens sometimes when I've spent many hours with a project that comes from my heart. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I believe that embroidery is a spiritual exercise.

I believe that great love and energy has been generated by every person who picked up a needle and made a block for one of these quilts.

I believe in the power of your energy as you read this blog post and bear witness to its message.

I believe that all that power...the power of all those communal stitches and thoughts...has, indeed, already helped someone in some way.

I never underestimate the power of human connection...the power of us. And the power of our hearts and hands to help Japan.

I had the good fortune of living in Japan for close to three years in the early '90s and feel a strong connection to the land and the people. I enjoyed all of the many festivals that occurred in my local village and tried to participate in as many as I could. But one of my absolute favorites was the ceremony of Toro Nagashi at the end of O-bon.

O-bon is a festival that honors the spirits of deceased ancestors. O-bon occurs in either July or August and lasts for three days. On the last day, there is a lantern lighting ceremony called Toro Nagashi where floating lanterns are lit and released into a river in order to guide the spirits of the departed to their afterlife.

I remember the mood being fairly somber as families wound their way through the streets down to the river bank...many of the young children dressed in kimono.

Just seeing all of those lit lanterns making their way downriver...

Well. It's quite a beautiful sight.

And you definitely feel a profound sense of honor and respect for those who have left this earth.

I knew I wanted to include those lit lanterns on my river in this quilt block -- to honor the thousands and thousands of lives that were lost.

And Mt. Fuji as Japan's most sacred mountain...and symbol of national pride...

And the moon reminding us of the passage of time. That Japan has existed for a very long time, through countless lunar cycles, through countless disasters, and will continue to persevere through countless more.

The bridge...connecting...

Connecting one state of existence with another. Connecting the losses of the past to hope for a brighter tomorrow. Connecting all those whose lives were lost to their afterlife.

And I tried to use Japanese textiles...kimono silks, sashiko quilting, and shibori...to remind us of the great strength and beauty and resourcefulness within Japan.

Made by my hand in the West, sending great love and hope to my friends in the East.

If you are interested in making a financial contribution as part of our fundraising/quilting effort, visit this post to see how you can donate.

I'm heading to New York city with Jack for the day tomorrow but when I come back on Tuesday, I'll try to put together a few Japanese fabric packs for sale...all proceeds to go to Sendai.

See you then.

Past Posts about this block:

Cherry Blooms

The Great Wave

Building a Bridge

When there are no words...

Cherry Blooms

Just a quick pictorial update.

I've had my nose to the grindstone and I'm getting much closer to being finished.

Luckily, Leslie Ehrlich said I could send the block to her next week so that bought me a few, much-needed extra days.

I tried to stitch the cherry blossoms on the left with Au ver a soie stranded silk in a similar manner as those I stitch in Japanese embroidery. I learned that I didn't like that approach. I think I would have much preferred flat silk or using a long/short stitch with one strand of DMC..

That's water under the Japanese bridge though...I don't have time to change it now.

I'm thinking of beading that beautiful hand-painted silk on the right...and then I just have one final motif to work out.

Until next time...

The Great Wave

This is probably one of the most widely recognizable pieces of Japanese art in the world today.

It's called The Great Wave off Kanagawa (circa 1826-33) by Katsushika Hokusai and it is a woodblock print that is fairly small...only 10" x 15"...and it comes from a series in a Hokusai's sketchbook, 36 Views of Mount Fuji.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami-ura) by Katsushika Hokusai

You probably didn't even see Mount Fuji at first. I know I didn't. I didn't realize the mountain was in the picture until I started studying the image for my Hearts and Hands for Sendai block.

I love the movement and enormity of the wave and had always thought it was a picture of a tsunami. But it most likely was not. (Here's a link to a great article on the subject if you're interested.) It's just a great wave off the coast of Japan in Kanagawa prefecture. It does, however, perfectly convey the vulnerability of man (the fishermen in the boats) within the power of the sea and the Great Wave...

And so it was from this wave that I got the inspiration to depict the destructiveness of the Sendai tsunami. On the south side of the bridge would be destruction...on the North side of the block...hope for the future.

I had these little bits of salvaged embroidery in my stash...And to me they looked very similar to the crest of the waves in Hokusai's Great Wave...

At first, I just kind of plopped them in the blue space but I couldn't get the depth of field I wanted so I decided to layer the water a bit...and then those scrolly-things started to look more like crests of waves...

I then used lots of bits of indigo-dyed gauze to create some rough seas and integrate those scrolly-bits with the wave shapes. Last was to add some floating debris...to symbolize the amazing destruction post-tsunami. I still can't get those images out of my head.

Now I'm ready to cross over to the brighter side of the bridge.

I'm hoping to ship it out tomorrow morning so there's still lots of work to do.

See you next time!

Building a Bridge

Bridges often appear in Japanese art, ceramics and textiles.

Kintai Bridge in Suo Province (Suo no kuni Kintabashi) by Katsushika Hokusai

The bridge, particularly the bridge over water, represents crossing over from one world to the next...from the profane to the sacred, from this life to the afterlife, from the worldiness of "civilized" life to nature.

Bridges connect one state of existence with another. They're transitional. Even transformational.

Nothing's better than crossing a bridge on a long hike or car ride. And I don't know why, but something good happens to me on bridges.

All of the sudden I'm transformed -- my spirit lifts and I feel 10 pounds lighter. I like being up high...I like crossing over...I like the idea of traveling to the other side.

And I don't think I'm the only one. On our drive down to the beach, we were riding next to a young Army serviceman in uniform in this cool little red sportscar (with no muffler) pretty much the whole way. It's about a 120 mile trip and we cross over 5 or 6 bridges on our way to the shore. That sporty Army guy was a very good and disciplined driver. And in spite of his red-racer of a car, I was impressed that he actually went the speed limit the entire way.

Well. Almost the entire way. Everwhere except the bridges.

As soon as he would hit a bridge, he would move into the fast lane, open his windows, and kick his engine into high gear...cruising over the bridges at speeds close to 90 mph! Then at the end, he would slow back down again and go the speed limit. And we would catch back up to him.

I was wondering why he did it. Was it the bridge itself? Was it the fact that I've never seen a cop stop someone for speeding on a bridge? I would have loved to have asked him.

Anyway...that was an aside...back to my block...

I wanted to include a bridge in my Hearts and Hands for Sendai block -- to symbolize the passage from the losses from the tsunami to hope for a brighter future; to symbolize the connection of the thousands who lost their lives to their afterlife; and to connect them to me...East to West.

It took me while to figure out how to build this bridge.

I wanted it to have perspective and to have more depth than embroidering directly onto the block would likely give me. Yet, it couldn't be too three-dimensional since the block will be sewn and manipulated into a larger quilt.

My answer came in the form of heavy weight water soluble stabilizer and some vintage soutache braid.

I love this heavy weight stabilizer because it's transparent which makes for easy tracing and it can be stretched and pulled into an embroidery hoop.

And so I traced my bridge pattern onto the stabilizer and couched the soutache braid over the patttern to make the bridge railings.

And I used the same set up as a stabilizer for embroidering the wood planking of the bridge floor. I like being able to draw a line on the stabilizer to keep my rows of stitching even...

I'm telling you, this is good stuff!

The only down side is that it does take much longer to dissolve than the regular weight stabilizer so I trimmed very very closely before placing it in water.

Ultimately, I am pretty thrilled with the result. Here's a shot of how it will look on the block though it's not sewn down yet....

Next up is the bottom left corner...that's been giving me a bit of a fit.

See you next time!

When there are no words...

How do we communicate when there are no words?

I'm stitching on this Hearts and Hands for Sendai block and I want so much to communicate my sympathy for all the loss that took place...

I want so much to communicate love and hope to all those people who lost their communities, their homes and their livelihoods...to all those mothers that lost children and to the fathers who lost families...and to all those living with the real threat of radiation exposure...

Though I can't travel to Japan in person, my block will be going...and so I decided to use lots of symbols and metaphor on this block to deliver my message.

Having lived in Japan and studied Japanese embroidery, I have come to appreciate the deep knowledge the Japanese have for their own cultural heritage and the way in which they commonly express sentiments about their cultural traditions. Often, my Japanese friends would answer cultural questions with "We". "We believe that..." "We do that because..." and each friend considered themselves part of a collective and had a tremendous grasp on all things "Japanese". Unlike we melting-pot Americans with so many diverse traditions, beliefs and cultures...it makes your head spin!

That being said, the use of certain symbols, colors, patterns and designs, all have underlying significance and meaning to the Japanese people.

I acquired this book while studying Japanese embroidery

And have found it to be a great resource for understanding symbolism and metaphor in Japanese art, design and culture.

And I'm using it as a guide in my attempt to "encrypt" my message to the Japanese people who might view my block. I'm not sure how successful I will be since I am not Japanese, but I hope that the sentiment behind my intent will be understood.

Snow-capped Mt. Fuji is Japan's tallest and most sacred mountain and has come to be linked with Japan's sense of nationhood and is often used to rally patriotic feelings.

I chose to include Mt. Fuji as a symbol of national pride and I chose to use a piece of sashiko fabric for the mountain to symbolize Japan's resourcefulness. Traditionally, sashiko was developed as a functional running stitch used to reinforce, layer and darn worn cloth and clothing...a tradition of mending, of making do with what you have...and still finding and creating beauty.

And the moon. My very first thoughts on this piece have always included the moon...

So I placed the moon in this piece to symbolize the passage of time...that Japan has existed for a very long time, through countless lunar cycles, through countless disasters, and will continue to persevere through countless more.

The request was that the block be stitched in "jewel tones"...I struggled with this a bit since I am sensitive to the Japanese people's use of color...and certain colors connote different meanings. You will never, for example, see an older woman wearing a bright pink kimono...pink is reserved for young, unmarried girls. That's why I chose to temper the jewel tones with traditional indigo shades and pieces of vintage kimono fabrics.

I love this hand-painted silk kimono fragment. It seems very old and fragile.

I had to interface a piece before I used it since the silk is so delicate and may not last over time without some "help".

The river is made of a ribbon made by Glennis Dolce of Shibori Girl Studios using the Japanese shibori-dyeing technique. Glennis also dyed the moon in this piece as well...

I didn't intend to be so wordy today...it just happened. If you're still here, thanks for hanging in there.

Now...it's time to start stitching...good day everyone.

Switching to Sendai

Just as I am getting to the fun part of my stumpwork flowers for my Breakfast at Tiffany's block, I have to switch gears and turn my attentions to Sendai, Japan.

The Crazy Quilt International Yahoo group has launched The Hearts and Hands for Sendai initiative, requesting volunteers to create crazy quilt blocks that will be used to make quilts to raise funds on behalf of the relief efforts in Sendai Japan.

The block is due June 30 so I need to get a move on! I've figured out my approach and today I hope to piece the square.

Yesterday, while I was pulling together my fabrics and supplies for this project, the doorbell rang. It was the postman asking me to sign for a package from Japan.

Inside was this beautiful Japanese thimble handmade by Chloe Patricia of Ma Mercerie.

I had forgotten I had ordered it and here it was on the day I started to work on my Sendai block. serendipity...

I first read about these thimbles on the blog enbrouderie and have been following Chloe Patricia's Etsy shop ever since, hoping for just the right thimble to come along.

I lived in Japan for three years in the early nineties and, while there, I studied sashiko quilting. I'm thinking this thimble will work beautifully when trying to push those long sashiko needles through fabric.

It was also watching this video, that convinced me that perhaps the use of this thimble was more intuitive for my sewing style than the old fashioned metal one that fits over the tip of my finger.

I'm so glad to have it in my sewing tool box. I really love it. Thank you Chloe Patricia. It's a work of art and I am thrilled with its functionality and beauty.

If you want instructions on how to make your own or want to buy one for yourself, check out Chloe Patricia's blog here or her Etsy shop here. She also runs a monthly photo sharing of thimbles being made by folks all over the world and you can see them all in this Flickr group.

See you tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have a pieced Sendai block to share.

If you would like to participate, you still have time. Get the details here on Kerry's blog KerryKatieCakes.

Hearts and Hands for Sendai

Hello everyone, it feels good to be back here writing a blog post again.

Like many of you, I am deeply saddened by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. So much anguish and sorrow. It makes me wish I was able to fly a helicopter to rescue survivors or deliver supplies. But, since I can't fly a helicopter (yet *wink*), I feel like I need to do something.

So..., when I read about the Hearts and Hands for Sendai project being generated by the Crazy Quilt International Yahoo Group, I was eager to participate. Putting my heart and hands to work sounds like something I can do...(though I'm not ruling out helicopters in the future)...

The project is dedicated to helping those affected by the earthquake tsunami disaster in Japan and is inspired by one of the Crazy Quilt International members and fellow bloggers, Hideko Ishida, who lives in Sendai.

To participate, you must pay a small donation of $10 and make an 8" finished size block using either crazy quilting or sane quilting techniques. The color palette is "jewel tones" and the blocks will be assembled into quilts to be exhibited in Japan where money will be raised by viewing the quilts. The quilts may be eventually auctioned but this will be decided at a later date.

You can view all the details of participation on the Crazy Quilt International blog, on Facebook or here on Leslie's Pinyon Creek Stitchin' blog. If you can't make a block, direct donations will be accepted through Paypal to icqa4u@yahoo.com and will be forwarded to Hideko to donate to the charity of her choosing.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about the great day I had meeting fellow blogging friend, Elizabeth Woodford of Elizabeth Creates...

Until then, good night everyone.