Okinawa Memory Quilt

If you are looking for the BSBP8 post click here.

So today I'm talking about sewing yet again. This time quilting specifically.

I am the queen of quilt tops. 

Before joining the Pacific Patchwork Guild I would make quilt blocks, but never put them together. Now I make tops, but never quilt them. Hey at least it's progress.

Anyway, back in 2010 when I first moved to Okinawa I read an article in the newspaper about Okinawa Memory Quilt groups. Then I set out to find one. Sure enough a group of ladies from the PTO started one with their friends. Well, we all joined, bought the stuff, our leader sent out great motivational emails, but when it came time for the due date people started jumping ship. So instead of making 30 cherry blossom patches I only had to make 22. (Which honestly I was okay with because I was behind schedule.) When I turned mine in I received one completed patch from each of the other members of the group. They all show things that make Okinawa memorable. Here it is 2014 and I found them prepping for my move. So I thought I'd share the blocks I received in case they are ruined during shipping and to inspire the fabulous woman of the PPG who I wish I had met sooner.

Here we go: 

(click any picture to enlarge)

Cherry Blossom

This was what I made so many of. The text says "cherry flower" or sakura or 

at least that's what the florist on my street told me. 

I even had him show me the order of the strokes and I sewed them the same way. 

There are beads in the center of the cherry blossom too. 

You know I had to get seed beads in there somehow.

Butterfly and Dragonfly

Fruit Bat

Carp Flags

American Village

Fan

Hibiscus

Kimono

Kokeshi Doll

Latern

Oki car (unfinished)

Okinawa Map

Ryukyu Dancer

Pineapple

This one is my favorite. 

Can you imagine having to do all this hand stitching 22 times?

Roller Slide

Geta

Sanshin

My scanner isn't big enough to accommodate these blocks. :(

Can you see all the beads at the end of the guitar?

Sushi

Taiko Drum

Torii (unfinished)

Tug of War Rope

There is a whole heck of a lot of stitches that give this one great detail.

 Wow...just WOW!

US and Japanese Flags

Considering a whole bunch of these ladies had never sewn even a button I think the work is fantastic. 

We were given an idea and we turned it into little reminders of a great part of our lives.

I wonder if I could get a group to do this at every duty station?