The "Quest" begins

"To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping" - Chinese proverb

So I am new to quilting.  To be frank, I don't really have any idea what I am doing, but I am hoping to learn along the way. I would also like to mention that I am new to blogging and I will be doing my quilt ENTIRELY by hand because my apartment is WAY too small to have a sewing machine and my boyfriend would kill me if I brought home another piece of machinery....

A little background information from me. I am Canadian, originally from Corner Brook, Newfoundland but for the past 7 years I have been living in Japan. Handmade products are not as popular here, but the popularity is growing now due to the economic downturn and also the Japanese people's obsession with "eco". I anticipated my difficulty in finding the correct materials. But, I figured, what's a quilt but a bunch of material of different sizes sewn together with a back put on? Right? So I should be able to find material anywhere right? Well, it's turning out to be difficult already!

Most handicraft stores in Japan are for making crocheted animals, kid's bags or accessories. Quilting is rare, I believe due to space issues and also the fact that they use duvets mostly.

I was lucky however that I was able to find a wonderful blog floatingworldviews that told me about Tokyo's Fabric Town, a loooong street with around 50 different fabrics and textile shops. To my surprise and happiness, I was able to find TONS of fat quarters and charm packs. I found the cutest hello kitty fat quarter that I had to step away quietly from cause I thought I was going to die.

I decided to make 2 quilts. I am making one using English Paper Piecing style because of my lack of a sewing machine. I am also making a baby quilt for my friend's baby. They just found out that his wife is pregnant and she is only 2 months along so gender is still unknown.

I got inspiration for both quilts online. For the EPP quilt I am going to make my own pattern because it's a rare form and the style I want is not available to purchase in pattern form. Finding hexagon shaped graph paper is next to impossible, but I did find a website that you can use to make graph paper online and print it out. I then colored it with the pattern I wanted, which is a black background with a cherry tree on the left side and falling cherry blossoms scattered in the air and on the ground (bottom of the quilt). It is going to take TIME, and I mean ALOT OF TIME, but the process is relaxing and soothing.

The baby quilt is the mixtape quilt from Oh, Fransson!'s Elizabeth Hartman. I had to adjust the pattern to fit centimeter measurements. Good thing math was my best subject (along with art!). I also used her technique of Map of the States to ensure I was using a good combo of colors.





Well, here it goes!