New Kona Bay Collection!!

Shiisa Quilts will have the new Nobu Fujiyama Collection!! We're scheduled to receive new releases in January, March, May, July, September, and November 2008!!




The prints are stunning!!

We'll offer pre-orders for the January series when our website comes online... Watch for it in December!! :)

Yomitan Monokatari

Okinawa has MANY wonderful Izakaya and I certainly have not even scratched the surface in visiting them!! :) But one of my favorites is Yomitan Monokatari (Story of Yomitan).... so that's where I requested to have my going away gathering with my friends from work....

One of the very cool things about Story of Yomitan is that all of the dishes are original pottery creations. We had to check Julia's pockets on the way out because she was so amazed by each dish as it came out!!

The ambience is terrific, but the food is great, too! Everything is local and very fresh.... I think when you order octopus someone from the kitchen runs down to the reef and catches one for you!! One of the daily specials Saturday night was tempura of dragonfruit shoots.... interesting... texture sort of like fried okra, so not one of my favorites!! :)






The awamori (sake) jars on the wall are all handmade by local potters -- some are made by Jorge who was my pottery sensai... "Regulars" (no, I'm not one of those!!) may buy more awamori than they can drink in an evening, so they would have the rest stored in their personal jar....



"The Jans"







OK Sue... no one will notice that the Kanji is upside down... but the English is a dead give-away!!

The Last Time...

Wow!! It's now less than a week until we leave Okinawa -- so we are truly down to "the lasts... "

Rebecca and I went out last night for a farewell dinner with the EI staff -- at our favorite itzakaya in Yomitan... what a wonderful gathering place it is! So I had my last Pinapuru-A Go-Go (an awamori cocktail with fresh pineapple juice -- YUMMY!!)... and I think Rebecca knows that she's unlikely to get such wonderful fresh octopus anywhere in Bloomington!! LOL .... and I ate tempura of dragonfruit shoots for the first (and last!) time... interesting -- they sort of have the same consistency as fried okra....

Today we're having lunch with the Arbogasts -- Jason and Kaori and Justin will join us at Chili's (Jason's favorite on-base place!)...

David is spending lots of time with his Oki friends...

This week at work will be mostly just checking out... and Friday we will be on the plane!! Fortunately the tropical depression that was forming into a possible typhoon has dropped off the map... this is the ONE time that I don't want a typhoon!! :)

More finished quilts!!

I went to the guild workshop yesterday, but instead of working on the project of the day, I just finished up two quilts that were UFO.... I'd have LOVED to work on the project, but since my "stash" is on its way to our new home, and I didn't really want to buy MORE fabric to do this one... I exercised a little restraint!! :)

Here's my latest!!

This one is a Stack n Whack... and is actually a "bonus quilt" that I made from leftover kaleidscope blocks... I like this one WAY BETTER than the original! If you've never made one of these -- all of the kaleidescopes were cut from the same fabric, which is used for the border... hard to believe, isn't it??




and this is a very special quilt for a very special new person!! Nora Margaret is my newest grand-niece.... I hope she will spend many happy hours on or under this quilt!!

Shiisa Quilted...

I absolutely love what Mary Breshike has done!!

Typhoon Nari approaches Okinawa

We're preparing for another storm... not expected to be very "impressive"....


I tried to post a pic but it's not working... so here's a link...

Ryuku Bingata

Rebecca and I are taking a bingata class... What's bingata?? It's an Okinawan folk art that involves dyeing fabric... very fun!!



Here's a link to a site that explains the process...

Here's another site with good description of the process...

I forgot to take the camera tonight, but I'll try to remember to take it next week!!

Oh.. by the way... 18 days to go!! :)

Sneak Peek #13

This just in from Quilting Treasures!! Nice stuff!! Are you getting as excited as I am?? I can't WAIT to start cutting in to these!!

Fresco Leaves...

This kaleidoscopic array of rich, saturated tones makes this soft texture a must have for quilters. The design is nearly a solid, but has a subtle leaf motif that appears to be fossilized into the cloth.





Living Color from Judi Martin -- this gorgeous collection in rich jewel tones combines traditional, contemporary end ethnic pattern... If this doesn't inspire creativity, I don't know what will!! All of these patterns are coming in multiple colorways...

One Last TIme

There are a few "indulgences" that I've made into habits here in Okinawa, simply because I can... I'm comfortable with the fact that they'll most likely not be part of my regular routine when I move to Bloomington...

But today, Rebecca and I went to Cocok for our last pedicure... complete with nail art, of course.... It's really pretty decadent... and very fun!! And to sit there in the big comfy recliner watching the divers entering the water on the sea wall... while the young woman massages your feet and legs with wonderful aromatic oil.... OOOOOOOHHHHH, I'm gonna miss that!!!

25 Days... and counting!

Wedding Kimono

I knew that I wanted to get a wedding kimono for display at the shop, so I had planned to go up to Sachi's antique shop in Motobu, but then I found out that Sachi was going to be at the Marine Corps Gift Shop today, so I went over there instead!! I was really lucky to find TWO!!

I don't have a great way to display them right now... but they'll be beautiful on my kimono stand -- or hanging on the wall!! Aren't they gorgeous???

In Transition....

ah... the joys of moving halfway across the world!! :)

The movers arrived at noon on Tuesday. I have to say that Japanese movers are wonderful at carefully packing your stuff... they create a cardboard base to wrap the legs and bottoms of the furniture... wrap it all in paper... and then in bubble wrap...

About an hour after they came, Theresa from Teak Home Furnishings arrived to deliver the last of my bamboo furniture that I'd bought a few months ago. When they had originally tried to deliver my bed, they couldn't get it up the stairs... so she agreed to put it in the warehouse and deliver it to me on moving day... Once the bed arrived, we realized that it also would not fit into the standard crates!!! So the lead mover called the company to order a custom crate which arrived in a couple of hours!! Altogether we are shipping 10 crates -- about 10,000 pounds!!

Now the kids and I are in the temporary lodging facility on Kadena. They initially put us in quarters which would have required one of the kids to sleep on a sleep sofa -- with a thin foam mattress... :( I went in to the office yesterday and suggested that I didn't think that was going to be a good plan for 30 days... and they gave us an extra room... so now everyone has their own bed!

Internet access is a little less convenient... no access in our rooms...

28 days to go!! :)

A "Moving Update" :)

Well... we're almost down to the wire here :)

The movers arrive Tuesday morning... there's no typhoons on the map, so that's GOOD! I love typhoons, but not when I'm trying to move furniture!

The rest of my Chinese antiques were delivered on Friday on the same day that my unaccompanied baggage shipment went out... Funny story -- I stopped in at Oriental Place on Thursday to make my last payment... and there was a new bed (well, not a NEW bed, but a new antique bed)... so... I had to look... and think... I already had a wedding bed in the warehouse, but something really drew me to this bed instead -- and then I discovered why!! The front legs of the bed nestle into carved shiisa!! The bed is BEAUTIFUL -- more than 100 years old... well loved... well used... and very VERY unique... so.. Yuki agreed to let me swap this bed for my wedding bed (thank you, Yuki!!)

The other furniture that arrived? a beautiful quilt stand (really a kimono stand, but it makes a GREAT quilt stand!!), a gorgeous armoire with inlay made of cow bone... a desk...

Add that to the two altar tables that I haven't yet posted pictures of -- and all the stuff I HAVE posted pictures of... and.. you kind of get the picture?? I can't MOVE in here!!!

Also... getting ready for the move, my fabric stash is all in one place rather than a bit in this chest and a bit in that... so... yeah... the addiction is pretty apparent!! But, now that I'm buying fabric for the shop, I haven't bought any personal fabric in... um... a couple of weeks!! :)

Sneak Peek #12

A small order from Benartex... along with the tone-on-tones...

Sneak Peek #11

Fabrics from Seattle Bay!!

From the Springtime in Seattle Collection...




and lovely blenders from Tapestry of Leaves!!

Sneak Peek #10

Here's some samplings from Kona Bay's Miyako, Nami and Sumie collections... BEAUTIFUL!!