Mixed topics

Leiya says I shouldn't mix topics in one post. Since she isn't a READER of my posts she just looks at the pictures and then gets confused. She was looking at an old post on cleaning and in the same post I'd written about the spiderwebs at the kindergarten and how the teachers were teaching natural science. Leiya was horrified at the spiders' nest that she thought I'd let occupy my doorway.

Too bad. I'm mixing topics today too.

I FINALLY got the binding on Maxine's quilt. I decided to try Mrs. Okutomi's way of sewing the binding on the back and bringing it to the front and then sewing it on with a hem stitch on the sewing machine. No hand sewing. I have long wanted to find a way to bind quilts without the hand sewing for my prayer quilts. They need to be done speedily. Mrs. Okutomi uses fusing tape to hold down the binding before sewing, I used Elmer's School glue (a tip from Sharon Schambler). Mrs. Okutomi's Bernina machine can make a very small V in the zig part of the stitch but my machine's stitch can't be regulated. Mrs. Okutomi makes all her stained glass quilts using the tiny hem stitch feature and the zigs barely show at all!

Anyway, this is what the front of the quilt looks like using invisible thread.

On the back I used regular white thread and it gives a pleasant lacy look.

Mixing topics. Our blueberries are ripe! Just in time for me to miss them... I picked as many as I could this morning and we enjoyed them on our granola.







I've left instructions for Tetsu to pick daily and put them in the freezer for later enjoyment.

And what do you think this is? I have told the principal at the elementary school that I will be absent from crosswalk duty from Monday. I've bowed and apologized to him, I've bowed and apologized to another teacher. I've asked pardons TWICE on my crosswalk duty log and begged forgiveness for this great irresponsibility of throwing out my duties numerous times from different city officials. According to Tetsu that is not enough. I have to FORMALLY put in a leave of absence report complete with the family chop etc. (Only Tetsu thinks this is necessary. The city didn't ask me for it.)

"Tanya, you should know that you can't just take off without making a formal application for the city's files. I will write it for you to submit."

So this morning, Tetsu wrote out by brush, the FORMAL paper for the city to keep in their records. Ah... my husband is a generator of some of the Japanese red tape! I will FORMALLY be absent from my crosswalk post from tomorrow til August 15th!