Some sewing... no, fusing

Not so much going on around here though I have the time to do things.

Yesterday I started a new project from the Woven Quilts book that Liz sent me. It was really quite easy but of course I'm only at the first step.

Chose two fabrics and apply fusible backing to both. I had to go hunting for the fusible backing since I can't find the brand the book recommends. A little smaller but it all ironed into one piece.

As an aside. Do you want to hear something ridiculous. I can't find my ironing board! It is not very big that is true, but the house isn't very big either so where can it be? I used it when I taught my two English students how to make pillowcases, and that was at the end of July, so I've been minus it for over three weeks. I can't even remember if I asked the girls to put it away after we finished sewing or if I put it away myself. Either way, the girls wouldn't have opened up closets to store it someplace so I can only assume than I'm losing my marbles and put it away unconsciously. And I must be blind too because no matter where I've looked I can't find it. I did my ironing on a bath towel yesterday.

After ironing the backing (and removing the paper) I drew lines on the fabrics and then cut random squiggles back and forth over the drawn lines. Next, wove the strips together and then ironed everything once more onto batting. That's where I am today. Liz is supposedly doing the same thing on her side of the world and we will see what we come up with in the end.

Next step is to decide on an applique pattern to be fused onto this woven backing and then machine applique everything, including the cut woven lines. We are still debating whether we want to use tulle or zig-zag or what. The book gives a flower pattern for the applique but I don't know how much we'll follow the suggestions.

Oh, Tetsu told me I needed to make an amendment to my post yesterday. Yes, the hospital that his mother is in does things like that but it is an old hospital and though quite large, it is privately owned. The huge university hospitals and subsidized hospitals can be considered state-of-the-art and are clean and very modern. That is true. Not as calming perhaps as some American hospitals with carpets and sofas and cheery wallpaper, but clean. Even the better national hospitals that were built years ago have pipes and wiring along the walls though so not very appealing to the eyes no matter how technologically advanced.

Today I need to make a run to Obachan's hospital to pick up the towels and pajamas that she's used and bring them home to wash. In some hospitals the family practically lives in the hospital room doing laundry and feeding the patient and running bedpans back and forth but at least Obachan's hospital doesn't expect me to do that. Now I need to make some prints of our visit with Takumi to take her as a gift. That should brighten her day!