Free Block of the Month Wall Quilt - Pattern 9

Hello from Japan!  

It's time to give you the next mini quilt in the free 

"Shining Like the Dawn"

block of the month pattern. I prepared this before we left Australia, and just as well, as we've had so many exciting adventures that we haven't had much spare time in the couple of weeks we have been in this amazing country!

The last of our mini-quilts has the simple message “Commit” - a modern word but a very old concept! You can apply it to whatever situation you find yourself in, but you can’t go wrong if you commit your way to God.

You can find the free pattern here. Next month I will give you some instructions for making the actual wall hanging.

One of our sons and his older son have been holidaying with us in Japan and it has been so much fun to do lots of sightseeing together.  We visited the Nogeyama Zoo and were surprised that there is no entry charge.

Yokohama is a very modern city as you can see from  this diorama:

However, here and there you can find some of the "old" Japan and its interesting architecture. This is just down the road from where our daughter lives: 

We spent a magical evening at the Sankeien Gardens which are also within walking distance. Each September they have five evenings where the gardens are open for the Harvest Moon viewing. We sat out in the open to listen to a string trio playing the beautiful music of Bach, then wandered through the gardens which were delightfully illuminated:

We paid a visit to the Sand Art Exhibition and were blown away by the incredible detail that the artists have been able to portray, just with sand.

These are really huge sculptures, much larger than life:

We've made some new friends and caught up with some old Aussie ones, reminisced and laughed, learned how to find our way to and from the city, got lost a few times and have had great family times together, making happy memories. It will be sad to say goodbye to our son and grandson tonight. We hope we can negotiate our way around for the next 10 days without their expert reading of maps and the GPS while our daughter and son-in-law are at work!

I brought lots of stitching with me but I have done a miniscule amount. As is usual when I visit our daughters, I have been given a pile of mending and alterations ... accompanied by a big smile! I've just finished making some kitchen curtains and I'm told there is still more on the "to do" list!

Have a great week.

Val