One week to go

 One week until I fly (assuming Heathrow airport is back to normal operation after the big fire that completely closed it recently) and I am officially now in the 'oh sh*t why did I ever think this was a good idea?' phase of preparation.  I know from experience that once I get there it will be fine. But in the meantime I am full of worries and anxieties about everything from overpacking to feeling burned out once I've been there a while.  In case you are catching up, I'm off on a two month trip to Japan with a side couple of weeks in South Korea.  This is also the week where I need to get through my 'to do before I go' list, finishing up craft projects and not starting any new ones, stop ordering anything online, cancel my online sale postings, sort out paperwork for things that will happen when I'm away.  And I've been printing out all my confirmations and advance research to take with me.

There have been some interesting discussions in the travel groups online about how to take your trip information with you on a longer trip.  For many these days, particularly younger people, it's all digital and all on their phone - cue agonised posts when they lose or break said phone or can't recharge.  Some people use apps in the cloud that they can at least access from a cyber cafe if their phone goes.  But a number of us of all ages still print everything for quick reference and just in case of phone issues.   There are equally interesting discussions about how much research and pre-booking to do before a trip, which is a broad spectrum with people at one end who grab a last-minute flight and arrive eagerly at their destination with just their passport and credit card, to people at the other end like me who want to do as much research as humanly possible and pre-book all the main requirements.  There is no right answer, it's down to your personality and comfort zone.  I'm very risk averse, and would rather enjoy myself when I get there, and not have to spend time all day peering at a phone screen trying to work out where to go and whether it's open. I would also rather avoid the known tourist traps and disappointing sights, and instead visit the best sights and the hidden gems.  And of course these days you often need to prebook well in advance for the big sights. The downside is that my pack of printed documents is over an inch thick and will be heavy on the plane when I have to carry all of it (due to the risk of a checked bag going missing).  But day to day I only take with me what I need that day plus some overall itinerary information.  I also email myself everything important as a back up, in case I somehow lose my hard copies.  Additionally, I find going through my itinerary to assemble my paperwork is a great way to doublecheck I haven't missed anything or mis-booked anything (I have been known to mistakenly book a hotel for a wrong date!) since I do my own bookings.

Anyway, on the craft front, I finished my little Japanese redwork zipper pouch.  This apparently simple pouch turned out to be a bit difficult.  The patches on the front, which I had assumed were all the same width, are in fact all tapered, in addition to having curved top and bottom seams.  So I had to dust off my very rusty hand-piecing skills and trace individual templates for every piece then hand stitch the two panels together.

I could do some of the main assembly by machine including adding the narrow piping, then the bias binding finishes and the zip had to be done by hand.  But I'm fairly pleased with how it's turned out, it's cute and looks like the picture.

 

While working on the redwork pouch, I came across a video tutorial, possibly Korean, for a canister-shaped pouch with similar assembly methods. I realised that I could adapt it to feature my embroidered houses panel that I had just finished.  So I've been working on that the last few days.  This is the side piece of the canister with the zip installed.  Again, there is a lot of hand work to do the finishing work, which is enjoyable to do in front of the telly.

I've quilted my Primrose Cottage tablerunner in a crosshatch pattern, so I just need to bind it now.  And I'm almost finished quilting on the longarm frame my Lori Holt My Happy Place quilt - I just need to stitch the borders. I'd like to get it done and off the frame before I go.

We went to visit DS and his girlfriend yesterday, and at their request I took along 7 or 8 quilts for them to look at in case they wanted any of them.  They surprised me by asking for four of them: two smaller ones including my Spoondrift BOM by Janet Clare, and a Stack'n'whack kaleidoscope design by Beth Reynolds, and two bedsize quilts including the supposedly 'Easy Stars' quilt and the big William Morris gridded squares quilt I made several years ago.  His girlfriend doesn't come from a quilting or crafting family, but has embraced the idea of wrapping in quilts for warmth while working at the desk, watching TV, on the bed etc.  DS of course was brought up right :)  It felt good to pass them on to a good home and see them right away being enjoyed and used.