Jen's Pen

Japanese gardens are beautiful in all season.?  We? visited in December in the southern island of Japan, Kushu so the weather was similar to late fall in New England.?  There were no flowers however the garden were beautiful with? the fall maple leaves changing and evergreen trees along with the water elements and the walking paths.?  Here are some photos of the gardens we visited.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Entry Gate in a private garden.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Iso Garden in? Kagoshima City Japan.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Maple leaves in the fall.?  Kagoshima City Japan

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  I love the shape of the trees.

? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Ishi Doro (stone lanters) are very popular in Japanese Gardens.?  They add a relaxing feeling and soft light in the evenings.

I think I will do? a few quilts featuring Ishi doro.?  I did one (below)? is very simple but everyone? enjoys it.

Hope you like it, Jennifer O’Brien

Here are some inspirational photos from my trip to Japan.?  The school kids are so cute.?  I asked to take their photo and they were more than happy to have me take a photo.?  The kids say Ni (two) instead of cheese and show two fingers.?  I love the hats they all wear them.

We went to the onsen (hot baths) at the base of Sakurajima Volcano.?  The hotel was very nice and the hot baths were lovely, outside and nest to the ocean.?  At high tide you can sit in the baths and put your hand in the water.?  It was really special.

After lunch we had a special tea with the manager of the hotel and the tea bowl were just lovely.?  I think some of the patterns might be fun to use in a quit project.

I loved these orchids in the home of a friend.?  They are amazing.

I love the roof lines of the Japanese building and the patterns and decoration used on the roofs.?  ? ? These are family crests.? ? 

These are roof lines of an entry gate.

I am going to do a project using the? roof lines and family crest circles.?  I like the idea of the lines and the? circles.

Thanks for visiting my bog.

Enjoy your day, Jennifer

Hi Everyone,

I am back from Kagoshima Japan.?  It was a fast trip but lots of fun.?  I went with a friend from High School and just having her on the trip with me was great fun.?  I can not remember the last time we spent time together like that.?  The WOW Quilt Art Show that we at JT Trading are sponsoring went off great.?  All the 32? quilts, 8 from each country – Japan, USA, Australia, Turkey,? are very interesting and everyone loved the Friendship sentiments that went with the theme of the exhibit.? ?  The team coordinator from Australia, Cathie Uno,? was also visiting.? 

Here are some photos of how a show goes in Japan.?  It is interesting to see that no matter? where a show is held it goes up the same way -

Sakurajima Volcano in the harbor of Kagoshima City welcomes us -

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Beginning set up -

Some walls are moved into place -

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Now we break for Lunch.?  This was the lunch box we had.?  Really good.

The Kagoshima Quilters Association created a lovely show poster and also sent out postcards of this same image -

To open the show they always have a formal ribbon cutting? ceremony.?  From left to right – Kagoshima City Representative, Cathie Uno from Australia, Hiroko Matsuda – Kagaoshima Quilters Association-Japan Host, Michele Rocray from USA,? Jennifer O’Brien (me) from USA, Head of the facility where the show was held.? ? 

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Here is the WOW (Women of the World) Quilt Art Display hanging in Kagoshima Japan

We even made the paper.?  In the paper they tell everyone your age.

My company JT Trading Corp is sponsoring the WOW (Women of the World) Friendship Quilt Display.?  This group of quilts came out of a fabric challange? where invitations were sent out to a? group in 4 countries,? Turkey, Japan, Australia and USA.?  Each group leader chose 3 fabrics and invited 8 quilters from their group to take part.? ? All 32 participents recieved a fabric packet with 3 fabrics from each country along with some embellishments.?  The rules? were to choose a friendship sentiment to help reflect the meaning of the finished quilt.? ? Use? a minimum? of 2 fabrics from each country and include up to 3 of your own choice and use any of the embelishments.?  Over the next 2 years the collection will be? traveling to the guild shows in all of the countries.?  The first one will be with the Kagoshima Quilters Association ? in Kagoshima Japan Dec 11-13.

Here is a sampling of? the quilts from this exhibit -

Hiroko Matsuda – Japan? ? ?  My work this time represents my great appreciation for our sincere friendship that? has expanded throughout the world? ,? ? involving? ? many quilters.

Mizuho Takeda – Japan? ? ?  Eternaru friendship. Nothing is more treasured than our friendship

Patricia Pineau – Brookfield, CT – USA? ?  “Doll Maker”

Angela Liptack – Ridgefield, CT – USA? ?  “Friendship is a sheltering tree”

Jan Style – Perth Australia?  “Chains fo Friendship”

Gay Kershaw – West Australia? ? ?  “Friends, Like Flowers, Garther Together

Betul Canatar – Istanbul Turkey?  “People who share the same feelings understand each other not those who speak the same language.”

Sevtap Alkan – Istanbul, Turkey? ?  “Friendship is being able to walk on rough roads, looking out for one another.”

If anyone knows of a venue that might like to have this display please email me at Jenobrien@aol.com

Hope you enjoyed the sampling of the show, Jennifer

Hi

Quit Market was early this year Oct 10-12.?  JT Trading always has a booth and this year we felt the show was really good for us.?  Everyone we spoke with was interest and took time to talk.?  In past years it felt like everyone had somewhere else to be, very hectic.?  This year? I tried to? have the booth look clean and? easy on the eyes.?  Not to much in a small space.?  We were keying on 606 Spray and Fix Fusible adhesive and the different blends of Matilda’s Own wool batting.?  I felt the outcome worked really well.

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The Spray and Fix info was on the left and the batting on the right.?  We used a sample of patterns for the shops to introduce the fusible 606 and we showed our hankie quilt featuring Australian hankies I picked up on our trip 2 years ago (time sure goes by) and Matilda’s Own Wool/Cotton batting.? ? To make the quilt,? just 505 Spray and Fix the hankies to a backgroud fabric.?  Stitch them down around the edge.?  Asseble the quilt with alternating snowball blocks, layer and baste with 505 and machine quilt.?  Really fast and easy.? ? ? 

Here’s one of my favorite quilts from the Houston show – by Stacy Hurt

Its a Cheetah.?  Close up it looks like a modern abstract piece but get back away from it and it is a great Cheetah.?  Really special.

That’s all for now, Jennifer

Hi

PA National Quilt show moved back to the Philidelphia area this year.?  It was in Oaks, PA.?  The Expo Center was? not a very pretty building but the space is great.?  Lots of parking.?  Wide? ailes between quilts and vendors.?  The quilts were lovely.?  They had very good quality and quilts from? around the world.
The Milford (PA) Quilters Guild had a nice exhibit of quilts made by a two person team of quilters one from the Milford Group and one from their sister group in New Zealand.?  Here are a couple of the quilts from this challange -

I really like the way the blocks were used.?  In the first one they were used as they were made.?  In the second one they were cut in half.?  I think this is a fun rule to work with.?  I also like how the show gave a photo of the original block on the information card.

Look at this machine quilting.?  Just beautiful.

It is nice to have this show back in? the Philly area.?  While I was there I learned to do free motion? quilting on my Singer Featherweight.?  I will have that in my next blog.? ? Next we are off to Quilt Market in Houston, TX in October.

Happy travels and quilting, Jennifer

Hi Again

I just got back from taping a segment for Quilting Arts TV.?  Look for us with Pokey Bolton during Series 500.?  I had a great taping my segment of “Landscape Quilts From Your Own Photos” and meeting all the other talent doing their segments.?  Below is a photo of the setup of the studio before taping and then one of me and Pokey just before the cameras rolled.

Ready…Set….

Go……

See all the sprays we used in one project.

Everyone made the taping go smoothly.?  The studio team was very professional and experienced so when I missed a step they were able to pick up from that point and retape.?  Thank goodness we were not taping? live TV.?  You think you have practiced and know your project but things happen and you get nervous.?  Thank goodness you can get a do over.

? Enjoy the fall…..Jennifer? 

Hi

Here is a great tip when working with spray adhesives.?  If you love to use 606 Spray and Fix spray? on fusible web for applique make your own spray box so it catches any over spray.?  It make clean up a breeze.?  I recommend a spray box with a 1/4 inch plastic grid arranged in side.?  The grid stands about a inch above the bottom of the box.?  The grid allows air from the can to move freely under the small applique pieces and nothing moves when you spray.?  Here are some step by step photos so you can see how I do this:

Choose a cardboard box and cut the top flaps off and line with junk paper-

Cut grid to size.?  I use hardware netting from home depot -

To cut netting? use paper scissors.?  Place netting over box and leave an overhang of 3 rows of the netting on 2 opposite sides.?  (See below)? Fold down edges so the overhang? creates a bridge so grid fits inside box and stands above the floor of the box.

Place grid in side box and you are ready to go.?  Place applique shapes wrong side up on grid and spray evenly.

This is great for raw edge applique.?  If you sew along the raw edge to hold the applique in place use? 505 Spray and Fix to hold it in place first.?  I you want a permanent hold use 606 Spray and Fix and fuse the applique pieces in place.?  606 will hold? permanently without sewing.? 

Enjoy working with sprays, Jennifer? 

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In Hershey, PA you can smell the chocolate in the air.?  It is very hard to stay on a diet so don’t try.?  Just buy your favorite candy at the hotel gift show and? quilt the weekend away.? ? ;-)

This past weekend I was at the QUILT ODYSSEY Show in Hershey, PA.?  Quilt Odyssey was celebrating it’s 10th year.?  Iwas invited to do demonstrations in the “Stencil and Stitch” booth.?  This show is a nice regional show with lots of classes (both day and evening),? the quilts were beautiful and they had a good variety of vendors.?  I also like the fact that? they have a special display of antique quilts every year.?  The above photo? shows my little corner for the weekend.?  I had SewCraft and Matilda’s Own Templates and the Spray and Fix line of adhesives.?  Everyone loved the new fusible 606 Spray and Fix and our 404 Spray and Fix that is permanently repositionable like a sticky note.?  I worked during the day and got to a lecture and a class in the evening.

The lecture was by Phil Beaver.?  He does beautiful work.?  It was fun to hear how he ended up quilting for his latest career.?  He had his first quilt in the show.?  It was pieced kind of like a bargello so it was very different? from the applique work he does now.

The class I took was with Marilyn Doheny, Spiro-Graphic-WOW.?  Below are some of her samples.?  She makes some great designs with her 9 degree wedge ruler.?  She has so much energy.?  She taught all day then came the evening classes and she still had tons of energy.?  Here are some photos of her samples, really fun stuff.

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Think about putting this on your show schedule for next year.

Quilting and Chocolate what more can you ask for.

Jennifer? 

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I visited Greenfield Village in Detroit for the first time.?  It is the museum that Ford built and? it has something for everyone.?  The village employs full time craftsman for glass blowing, tin smithing, pottery, weaving and? many more.?  The village also has old Ford cars driving around and giving rides.?  The merry go round is wonderful.? ? You can ride the horse of your choice or even a frog.?  I think I might have to make a quilt of that frog.?  Some of the old homes have great quilts in them.? (see photo)?  Note the penny rug on the floor.?  I had never seen them used as a real rug.? 

I loved it because there was interesting things for both my self and my husband.?  The steam train was fund to ride.? ? The museum with cars, trains, plains? and technology was great.?  It could have taken a full day to just do that? museum.?  We purchased a membership pass? so we could come and go over 3 days.?  That really worked out great.

Dont miss it if you get the chance, Jen?