Hatsuyuki - first snow

Woke up to the first snow of 2008 today. Luckily it was more decorative than inconvenient - I took a photo of the back garden with a light dusting of snow (above). It looks more attractive with a light snow covering than without!

Twice yesterday's visitor numbers today at Llangollen, plus a couple of guest demonstrators/stewards, Dot Sherlock (Quilters' Needs) and Maureen Poole. Both had Japanese-themed patchwork projects with them. Dot brought a selection of her small quilts with Japanese patchwork fabrics, including a couple of versions of my "Japanese Circles and Squares" quilt (below), while Maureen was sewing some Japanese Folded Patchwork, as Sachiko Mukari's "Unit Patchwork" is usually known in the West.

To celebrate 20 years in the patchwork fabric business, Dot is putting some of her fabrics on sale at 20% off and this month's is Kona Bay's oriental range. She will be back at Llangollen next Friday, and at Wrexham Quilting Circle at Greaford Memorial Hall on Wednesday night.

I almost finished the alterations to the blue wool tsumugi in my last post. I had planned to widen the okumi panels slightly, but having dealt with the side seam alterations I tried it on, and it seems to fit just fine, so not altering the okumi at this stage will save me some time.

Last night, I tried my "kogin" nagoya obi, which is another candidate for Saturday. It really looks like hand stitched kogin, but it must be woven, as I just don't see how such a densely stitched kogin obi could have been that affordable. The background colour is a warm dark brown, so I will have to rethink my obijime & obiage choices if I go for that. I had a brainwave last night too - if I tie can the obi without the obi makura pad firmly held in place and secure the top of the musubi with a spare koshihimo narrow sash, I should be able to slip the makura out and replace it when I get out of the car. That would mean the back of the obi would be quite flat and wouldn't make driving awkward, and I have more options than my small selection of tsuke (ready tied) obi. I think the kimono deserves at least new faux juban sleeves, if not a new susoyoke as well. The new hadajuban arrived in time and I've tried that on too, so just have to sew the han eri (collar) to it tomorrow. Almost there!

(Seem to have got my paragraphs sorted out today, but can't work out how I did it !)