Here are my New Year's resolutions ( a bit early, but it's never too early for resolutions):

- Do some sewing daily.  This may be making garments and costumes or finishing up a few quilts in progress (in progress for at least 3 years).  

- Continue making crafts daily, especially mixed media and art journaling.

- Work on genealogy including updating Family Tree Making, uploading an updated family tree to Ancestry.com, communicate with family members to learn new information, e.g., John Mullenix has more information on our grandfather and his WWI service, try to locate more information on the Baldwins, get in touch with Cindy G.

Making the New Year's eve costumes reminded me of how much I love making costumes.  Although I had resolved to making some apparel this year, my mind kept going back to costumes.  I got interested in 18th century women's dress.  There is a Facebook page for 18th century dress and some sewing patterns.  I've decided to start with the shift.  I will be making mine out of linen.  Everything should be hand sewed.

A shift is a long shirt (or chemise) worn as the innermost layer of 18th century women's clothing. The basic shape remained the same from the 16th until the early 20th century. It was worn by all classes and served as vest, drawers and nightshirt.  I will be using Simplicity Pattern #8579 for this garment (View B).  I also bought the American Duchess book to guide me on how to sew the dress.  However, it does not cover the undergarments so I will be relying on information found on the Internet for that.

I haven't posted anything in nearly a year.  For Rick Gossard's New Year's eve steampunk party, I made a brocade waistcoat for Dave and a brown brocade jacket, a tiered lace skirt and a hat for me.

Here's my last block for On My Window Flowers Bloom.  I see now that I should have chosen a lighter brown for the vase or used a brighter purple for the flower so that it would have stood out more.

I'm trying to keep up with Queen's Garden at the same time working on OMWFB.  Here is block 6 of Queen's Garden.  This is the quilt that I'm doing in solid fabrics.

Here are blocks 3 and 5 of On My Window, Flowers Bloom.  I have some leaves, petals and buds left to be stitched down.  Then on to block 4.

Here's what I've been working on during the past 6 weeks since my last post.  I've tried to keep up with Queen's Garden (except for the stitching which I can work in during small bits of time) and the first two windows of On My Window, Flowers Bloom.  I'm working on the third and fifth (?) windows now.  They are mirror images of each other with, what I'll call window 4, in between.  I've haven't decided on colors yet, but I think they'll be pink.  I have the templates done and the fusible ready.

I have all the pieces fused down, but I won't be able to get it all stitched down this weekend.  The weather is great and I need to get some garden work done before I go to Reno on Monday.  Also laundry, grocery shopping, etc.

My Dia de los Muertos quilt is completely finished now -- binding sewn down, hanging sleeve attached and label sewn on.  Now I'll just put it away until next Halloween time when I'll hang it.

Yesterday I started on Esther Aliu's 2018 BOM:  Queen's Garden.  I won't get January's block done before February's comes out (the 15th of each month), but I'll get a good start on it before on leave on the 12th for a week in Reno.  I'm doing it in subdued solid colors.  It looks rather boring now, but I'm hoping it'll be like a blank canvas for Julia Quiltoff to do her magic on.  It'll also help when I get the flowers on those stems.  Maybe tomorrow before Anthony gets here to work in the garden.

I've completed the four floral blocks of Diamond Hill.  This morning I began to bind the Dia de los Muertos quilt.  I'll do the hand stitching while watching TV in the evenings.

My plans were to complete my Jinny Beyer quilt and then go to something else.  But, as usual, I got sidetracked.  Esther Aliu's groups have an allure that I can't resist.  She hadn't posted the new free BOM yet, so I started on one from 2016 that I hadn't made:  Diamond Hill.  I completed the first block and am nearly finished with the second one. 

2018

I've been planning to post some pictures and commentary on our 2017 trip to China, but here it is 2018 and I haven't done it yet.

I think I'll use this forum for something different this year.  Today I got 3 old (they have been hanging in a closet for several years) pieced quilt tops off to the longarm quilter in Kansas City.  She has them scheduled for the second week of January so I suspect I won't have to wait 3 months to get them back as I have with other longarmers.

Every year I make a list of the quilts I want to complete that year, and every year something changes that.  Right now, I'm working on an appliqued and pieced top designed by Jinny Beyer using Jinny Beyer fabrics, so that's my first goal -- complete it.  Then I'll see what strikes my fancy.  I have plenty of fabrics and accompanying patterns waiting in the wings.

I'll try to post as things progress.

May 18, 2016, Wednesday

After breakfast, we took a taxi to Okochi Sanso Villa, a lovely garden located on top of a hill, providing a peaceful glimpse of the quiet Kyoto environs.  Okochi Sanso was the private villa of a famous silent-film era actor, Okochi Denjiro.  He constructed this unique garden villa on the south side of Mount Ogura over a 30 year period.  Here we were served Japanese green tea.  

Then we walked through a bamboo path to Tenryuji Garden. 

Another stop in the Arashiyama neighborhood was Tenryuii Temple. Tenryūji is the most important temple in Kyoto's Arashiyama district. It was ranked first among the city's five great Zen temples, and is now registered as a world heritage site. Tenryuji is the head temple of its own school within the Rinzai Zen sect of Japanese Buddhism.

Tenryuji was built in 1339 by the ruling shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Takauji dedicated the temple to Emperor Go-Daigo, who had just passed away.  It has been destroyed by wars and fires and rebuilt many times.  Most of the structures here now date from the late 19th century, but the exquisite Zen garden -- which includes a large pond, elevated rock grouping, and delicate cherry trees -- is many centuries old.

In the afternoon we had free time so I went shopping at and near the train station.  I bought myself a Geisha doll and small gifts for Noah and Cole.  This shopping area included many American shops.\

That evening we gathered for our farewell dinner.  We had cold bento boxes full of tempura which, due to it being cold, was not particularly good.
 

Japan's Cultural Treasures

May 18, 2016, Wednesday

After breakfast, we took a taxi to Okochi Sanso Villa, a lovely garden located on top of a hill, providing a peaceful glimpse of the quiet Kyoto environs.  Okochi Sanso was the private villa of a famous silent-film era actor, Okochi Denjiro.  He constructed this unique garden villa on the south side of Mount Ogura over a 30 year period.  Here we were served Japanese green tea.  

Then we walked through a bamboo path to Tenryuji Garden. 

Another stop in the Arashiyama neighborhood was Tenryuii Temple. Tenryūji is the most important temple in Kyoto's Arashiyama district. It was ranked first among the city's five great Zen temples, and is now registered as a world heritage site. Tenryuji is the head temple of its own school within the Rinzai Zen sect of Japanese Buddhism.

Tenryuji was built in 1339 by the ruling shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Takauji dedicated the temple to Emperor Go-Daigo, who had just passed away.  It has been destroyed by wars and fires and rebuilt many times.  Most of the structures here now date from the late 19th century, but the exquisite Zen garden -- which includes a large pond, elevated rock grouping, and delicate cherry trees -- is many centuries old.

In the afternoon we had free time so I went shopping at and near the train station.  I bought myself a Geisha doll and small gifts for Noah and Cole.  This shopping area included many American shops.\

That evening we gathered for our farewell dinner.  We had cold bento boxes full of tempura, which due to it being cold, was not particularly good.