A Report from Japan Post-Tsunami

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Luana

Another report from our friend and customer Shizuko in Japan.
(note: Medecins Sans Frontieres is the French version of Doctors Without Borders, one of our top charity $ recipients)

*****

In addition to the earthquake/tsunami, blasts at the nuclear power generating plants have become the top news.
Residents within 30-km of those plants are being evacuated. Even my friend in Yokohama is receiving two people (out of 30 needed to
evacuate) from the same company she works.

There are still 380,000 people in the evacuation centers (29 people died there). It is reported that after a week of very trying days, a sign of
recovery has become noticeable ? making self-help efforts toward recovery by helping and encouraging each other. Much needed goods like
water, blankets, powdered milk, foods have been arriving and started finally to be delivered to the people in need. However, due to lack of
gasoline and damaged infrastructure, solid logistics action/assistance have yet to be established.

In one scene on TV, you see piled-up donated goods, in other seen (a hospital located within 30 km of nuclear power generated plants), a doctor
was calling desparately tonight for immediate attention in need of foods, water, gasoline in particular. The hospital has 199 beds and tried to move/evacuate
patients as much as they can, but there are still 150 patients severely ill like ventilated patients and also a half of them are elderly. Before the evacuation,
there were 8 doctors (now 4), 80 nurses/medical staff (now 10) and cook. Tsunami refugees sheltering there are helping, like feeding the patients.
They only have one more days food.

Dr. Eric Barnes, Director General of Japan Medecins Sans Frontieres visited Miyagi and Iwate and expressed his concern on symptom of dehydration.

Well I must stop here.
Thank you for your continued prayers and attention,

Shizuko

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Japan | Comments Off on A Report from Japan Post-Tsunami

Another Report from Japan

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Luana

Our friend and customer Shizuko has sent us another report of what is happening in Japan. Thank you Shizuko!!

***

I thought I would summarize below what I saw through papers and TV during
the day as these might help you plan and organize
your Quilts Japan Project. So, my report is not orderly. Comments by
affected people are from different evacuation centers as
I was unable to take down different names.

In addition to the earthquake and tsunami, the blasts at nuclear
power-generating plants added further concern. As you know,
President Obana phoned PM Kan for the second time since the incident and
extended further assistance from your country, i.e. to dispatch
some nuclear power specialists in addition to the troops that are already at
the cite. He further offered their assistance for a medium-long term basis.

Now at different evacuation centers:
– A nurse has been working practically non-stop like other medical
professionals and she has been unable to go and find her father.
– There are people taking shelters at private houses as they can’t go to
evacuation centers due mainly to the lack of gasoline.
– At evacuation centers, stoves are only used at night due to the lack of
heating oil.
– PET bottles filled with hot water are used as hot-water bottles for the
elderly.

– Government says relief supplies started to arrive from people all over the
country. However, there are no staff to sort things out and deliver them
yet and asking
individual donations are delivered to a support center in one’s prefecture.
Money donation is most welcomed at this time. As I said earlier, many
supply goods are arriving
from different manufacturers, eg. blanket manufacturers etc.

– A Chinese girl was asking for assistance in her language.
– Another woman who lost her identification was asking legal assistance.

– A lovely looking couple was interviewed. She had a backpack; among them
besides basic evacuation goods, she had a small box of needles, buttons, and
thread,
for just in case. Her husband had worked at a desaster prevention center
and she had learned from his work. They both said they cannot go feeling
sorry
and will start again.

– One week has passed, a professional says it is obvious that children
require special attention on mental care. Some started to show the symptoms
of PTSD.

– In some areas, it snowed today. A woman was gathering the snow into a
garbage bag in order to use it for toilet.
– There are some areas still isolated.
– a man calls for getting communication means in case of medical crisis.

– A doctor at Red Cross Hospital says that they are facing limit of its
operation, due to the lack of oxyten, drip infusion, surgical instrument,
etc. , that means the death
of patients.
– Home visit nursing care has been stopped due to the lack of gasoline.
– A staff calls for food, water, medicine… as well as manpower.

Courageously,
– An elderly woman says hearing the voice of “Are you OK” gives her strength
to live.
– Another says she feels lucky to be served a warm soup – gives her feeling
that they are cared and gives her strength.

Thank you for reading this rather lengthy report.

Arigato
Shizuko

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Japan | 1 Comment

Japan Earthquake Devastation

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Luana

Our customer and friend Shizuko in Japan has just sent me this update:

Dear Luana,

The devastation is still so difficult to watch, but I thought you might be interested in knowing what was like today in general.
Since I don?t have much free time, I usually watch a summarized version of news today.

The biggest topic is the concern over the blasts at nuclear power-generating plants ? commentators always have different view.

There are still 400,000 people at evacuation centers. Many relief supplies are arriving, but unable to distribute due to
– administrative systems also damaged/suffered
– severed roads,
– lack of gasoline
– damaged communication tools
– no distribution center
– not enough information
– lack of media information, etc.

As a result,
People at non-designated shelters by government, like staying at a temple, are unable to receive support (like food for instance)
A man was being interviewed: Somone passed away at home, but unable to go due to lack of gasoline.

On the other hands, people are making their best effort to help each other like making soup ? ingredients from less-damaged houses.
Making rice balls by volunteers.
Some babies were also born.

At one place where they were being interviewed, an American helicopter has suddenly/unexpectedly arrived and delivered various
kinds of canned goods.

In Tokyo area:
– scheduled interruption of electric service and public translation continue.

Thanking you for your prayers and caring thoughts,

Shizuko

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Japan | 2 Comments

Call for Quilts – Japan Earthquake Victims

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Luana

What a difference a week makes…

Last week I was sharing some delightful closeup photos from the Tokyo Quilt Festival, and a week later we are watching the news and trying to comprehend the enormity of the still-unfolding tragic events in Japan.

The best thing we can all do right now, and over the coming months, is to donate whatever we can afford to *trusted* disaster relief organizations. Not just today, or next week, but next month, and even a year from now. Mark the one year anniversary on your calendar now – March 11, 2012. I guarantee that Japan will still be struggling to recover a year from now. It is interesting to note that the 6 month anniversary will fall on Sept 11 – the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.

For those of you who want to help right away, but can’t afford to donate money, I know there is an intense desire to take what you DO have (fabric, and time, perhaps?) to make and donate comfort quilts to the victims of the quake and tsunami.

eQuilter is partnering with Mission of Love to send a container of disaster relief supplies, and donated quilts, to the victims of this disaster in Japan. It is going to take a little time to work out the details, but knowing the relief effort must be sustained past the first few weeks and months, I trust that we can all work together to send something meaningful to those who have lost so much.

We will ask you to either ship the donated quilts directly to Mission of Love in Youngstown Ohio, or deliver them *in person* to eQuilter in Boulder Colorado. DO NOT ship them to us in Boulder – any shipped quilt donations should be sent directly to Mission of Love.

Shipping to Boulder will only delay the arrival of your quilts in Youngstown Ohio. eQuilter will be happy to cover the cost of shipping quilts from Boulder to Ohio, but only if they are dropped off in person at our warehouse.

Feel free to send us some feedback on when you can get the quilts to us or Mission of Love. We want to give you some time to make simple quilts and get them to MOL in time to be packed securely in the container, but we don’t want to wait 6 months either!

After 9/11, eQuilter sent out a call for donated quilts, and with the help of Mission of Love and hundreds of compassionate quilters, we collected and distributed 3000 quilts to families and especially children who had a loss on 9/11. The most crucial part is making sure the quilts are personally handed to the victims and survivors – not piled up and forgotten in a warehouse somewhere.

Other ideas for how you can help by making quilts to help Japan:

Watch for other Japan fundraiser events in your local area, and donate a special quilt to be raffled off to raise funds.

Go to your next quilt guild meeting, and talk about either making a quantity of children’s comfort quilts for this project,
or
plan a fundraiser raffle quilt for your next big guild event, and have several people donate blocks which will be made into an exquisite group quilt…with a Japanese theme.

If you have a local group that is volunteering to go help with recovery in Japan, ask if they could take a few comfort quilts to distribute to victims.

Be sure to put your name, address, and a message of Hope on a label, on the backside of the quilt. Even if you don’t hear back from the recipient, they will surely read your message of caring. Use a permanent waterproof pen like a Pigma or Sharpie, write on a light colored fabric, use a double-sided fusible and hand-tack for security.

Fabric suggestions:
Asian fabrics are nice, but young adults and children in Japan love Western fabrics. “Shabby chic” florals and “cute” prints are very popular for adults, bright happy prints are great for the kids, and traditional Asian prints might be most appreciated by the older generation.

To all of you who are willing to make and donate a quilt to a total stranger on the other side of the world who has suffered unimaginable loss – we will work to make sure your gift of love goes into the hands of those most in need.

I’d like to suggest that you make small personal-sized quilts for a child or small adult.

That could be from 46″ x 60″ for a child’s cot quilt, to 60″ x 68″ for a lap quilt, or 65″ x 85″ for a small twin size.

Consider backing it with flannel if you have it on hand, for warmth. Don’t be afraid to piece together the batting from your batting scraps (butt the ends together and join with a zigzag stitch) or even piece together the backing.

It is hard to believe that just 6 weeks ago I was in Japan, visiting with my quilter friends in Tokyo, and marveling at the handwork of the talented quilters there. One of our featured Japanese designers – Keiko Goke – lives in Sendai which was hardest hit. She is fine, but enduring loss of power, empty grocery stores, and the general chaos of the situation.

I have emailed my friends in Japan to let them know that we are all thinking of them, praying and sending them love, and that we will do whatever we can to help with the recovery.

We will keep you posted, via our newsletters, as the details of this project come into focus.

As I write this, it is National Quilting Day, and it seems like the perfect time to ask you to make a quilt full of love, for someone in need.

 

(1-30-11 photo of Luana with friend/translator Akemi, and JCQA show coordinator Yasuko Saito)

AkemiYasukoSaito_W

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Charity, Japan, Quilts | 9 Comments

No Words Can Express…

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Luana

I know that all of you around the world join us in expressing our profound sadness for what is happening in Japan. If you are following the news, you know that the initial earthquake and tsunami are just the beginning of the story. The aftershocks are continuing even as I write this, and we don't even know the extent of the damage, or the total loss of life. Like Haiti, they will be rebuilding and recovering in the hard hit areas, for a decade or more.

We are all asking the question – what can we do to help? I know you are all thinking the same thing, so let me share a perspective on what we can do to help now.

First of all, I am sure it is obvious that what the survivors need now is not quilts, but disaster aid. We all need to donate as much money as we can, to trusted relief agencies who will make sure the money goes *immediately* and *DIRECTLY* to those in need.

Relief efforts are going to be long term, and at times like this fraudulent disaster relief donation websites spring up, so make sure you give money through trusted organizations.

Here are some links for you to investigate this weekend:

Organizations providing relief resources in Japan
Doctors Without Borders
SOS Children's Villages
Oxfam Japan
International Medical Corps
CNN: Japan earthquake: How you can help

As for the requests to donate quilts for survivors, we don't want to start up a project like this until we can guarantee that we have a shipper, and even more importantly, a trusted source on the other side who can guarantee that the quilts will be handed directly to those in need. I cannot possibly stress too much the importance of this point! I am working with Kathy Price at Mission of Love to see what we can do together, but it is too early for me to make a commitment until we have a guaranteed distributor on the other end. Kathy and I have both seen supplies piled up and moldering in warehouses, not being distributed to those in need, and that situation is practically criminal!

For disaster relief on the other side of the world, such as New Zealand and Japan, the best thing to do initially is to donate funds for relief such as food, shelter, medical supplies, water, etc. It is so expensive to ship quilts there, so it is best to put that money towards relief funds for now.

Mission of Love worked with us on Haiti relief, and they literally were the first to land and deliver disaster supplies in Haiti after their earthquake. In areas like Haiti where they are still desperately trying to survive post-earthquake, in New Zealand as they pick up the pieces from their recent earthquake, in Australia where they are still recovering from their floods and fires, and even for those who have not recovered from Katrina in the US, we know there are always plenty of places for us to give, and help. That is not even mentioning what is going on in Northern Africa right now.

Thanks to all those compassionate hearts who have been moved to ask – "How can I help?" – Lets move carefully and make sure that our efforts truly go to those in need. I'll keep you posted as I learn more, and thank to those of you who have generously offered to donate quilts.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on No Words Can Express…

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Luana

Japan needs our help! Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, thousands are missing, and the aftershocks keep coming. Here are 10 different, legal, nonprofits who have committed to sending aid to Japan. Please do what you can – even if it's just posting it to your blog or FB wall – everything helps.

http://media.causes.com/ribbon/1032753

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Luana

Japan Tsunami aid and relief: How you can help –

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/11/tsunami-aid-and-relief-how-you-can-help/?hpt=T1

The world is already mobilizing to help victims of Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami on Japan.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies accepts donations via text message.

http://www.ifrc.org/en/

Text "redcross" to 90999, and you can make a $10 donation to the organization. It will show up on your next mobile phone bill.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Luana

One of the questions I get often from quilters, when I am visiting shows around the country, is about how to use large scale prints in traditional patchwork quilts.

For a fresh contemporary look, the answer is…just cut it up and put it in a block!

However many quilters have gone through introductory classes where they were taught to only use small and medium scale designs, when cutting up small pieces to go into a pieced block.

Here is one section of a quilt from the Tokyo Quilt Festival, which illustrates the creative use of large scale colorful prints in a patchwork quilt. In this case Kimie Yanagisawa has used many different designs and colors of Kaffe Fassett floral prints, in this beautifully colored quilt design that she calls "Start Again".

This is representative of a much larger trend in design – where segments and fragments of images are cut up and then put back together in a collage, which mimics web pages where fragments of many images are grabbed randomly and arranged into a larger overall image that represents all the options on that website. This is going on in web design, graphic design, home dec, fashion, and quilt design too!

So all of those old rules of patchwork design are being tossed in the air like so many fabric scraps over Eleanor Burns' shoulder…and when we see these randomly cut geometric shapes with a portion of the original floral design for instance…it has a unique and sometimes whimsical look… elevating the quilt design above all those old (*yawn*) rules invented decades ago by the Quilt Police.

This is where the *ART* comes into patchwork quilting. We choose our block design, our colors, we cut up our fabrics in unexpected ways, we play around with our block layout to create secondary shapes that we didn't anticipate when we started the process (unless we laid it out in EQ7 first!)- and Voila! – we've created something fresh and inviting, with a nod to the past, but a definite warping of creaky old rules that just don't apply to modern design.

Analogous-colored fabric designs work really well for this type of color experimentation. This means instead of using solid, tonal, or multi-color fabrics, we choose fabrics that have 3 or 4 colors clustered together on the color wheel.

Examples:
Blue, Turquoise, Jade, and Pear Green

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=253

Violet, Plum, Magenta, and Orchid Pink

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=130

Red, Coral, Tangerine and Mango

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=254

In Kimie's colorful quilt, notice how she has used large scale analogous florals as a focal point in each block. She has grouped similar analogous colors together in larger groups of several blocks, and contrasted them with Cream ground florals to give a light and bright contrast of Floral Colors and Cream.

Go to my photo page where I have uploaded several other closeup shots of this colorful quilt, illustrating several ways that one can play with analogous color in a patchwork quilt.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/

For those of you who love to shop our Annual Birthday Sale, I've added some more bolt ends to the sale categories.

http://www.equilter.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=40

We still have 800 products in 10 categories, from 30% to 70% off, plus a Screamin' Closeout Deal on 3-lb Scrap Packets.

Be sure to throw them in your shopping cart and check out quickly for best selection!

KimieYanagisawa6_W

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Luana

Gosh it is scary how fast 12 years flies by. For my 40th birthday I convinced Paul to finish the basement so I could have a nice big studio. I had taken about 20 quilting classes, and was toying with the idea of getting a longarm machine. In the meantime Paul was managing a local business and I had 2 and 9 year old boys running around the house.

After leaving my career as an import fashion designer – moving from New York City to Boulder – and starting a family – I was anxious to start a new business that involved fabric, color and design. Right after I turned 40 when the basement was finished, I got this hairbrained idea about Paul designing a website for us, and then I would sell fabric out of our basement as a part-time job while I stayed home with the kids.

Well as you know, the rest is history. We went to the bank with a 32 page business plan, got a 2nd mortgage, and opened up our online shop on March 10, 1999. Within 60 days we had exceeded our 3 year business plan. I remember about a month after we opened, I was downstairs at 1 am, cutting and wrapping packages. Paul came down, watched me silently for awhile, then said "I think it is ok to hire employees now."

By October we had moved into a 4500 sq ft warehouse, a year and a half later we moved into another 11,000 sq ft warehouse, and a year and a half later we expanded to 15,000 sq ft including my new studio on the 2nd floor over the eQuilter warehouse. We felt like we had a tiger by the tail, and all we could do was just hang on and see how far this ride would take us.

Today we have customers all over the world, and an amazing staff of 38 people who answer your questions in Customer Service up front, order the hottest collections through the Buying Department, pull and cut your orders in the warehouse, and ship out thousands of packages every month. We are all very proud of our position in the industry, and we know that we maintain that position by working hard to keep you happy, year-round.

Most importantly, we are a family business, and we believe in sharing our success by giving back to those in need. Together with your support, we have raised and donated $864,000 so far, and it is very exciting to see that big goal of $1 million dollars coming into focus for 2012.

We know that you put love into every stitch when you use our fabrics to make quilts, sew garments, and craft gifts for your loved ones. As you know, we put a little eQuilter love in every package that goes out, so when you open your package, you know there is a team of 40 people on this end (including Paul and myself) who truly appreciate the opportunity to serve you, and share our mutual love of beautiful fabrics.

Thanks for coming along on the ride with us!

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Luana

One of my Facebook friends Heike posted this on Sunday from her friend in Christchurch, New Zealand:

"Our house is beyond repair – it is on a lean and has many cracks in every room. We have to walk uphill to get to the kitchen. On Tuesday we had a river running through the lounge and now have removed all the wet carpet and put most of the furniture back. We need to try and keep things as 'normal' as possible. We still have no power, water or sewerage and have been told it will be 1- 2 months before we get power. We are very lucky as we are all alive and well."

If you feel compelled to help the earthquake victims of New Zealand, I'd like to share several links with you, sent in by customers and friends.

How to donate to Christchurch quake appeals
donate-christchurch-quake-appeals-4038581

Donations and Information for Christchurch Earthquake Appeal
donations-and-information-christchurch-earthquake-appeal

Want to help those in Christchurch? Here's how to donate

http://www.3news.co.nz/Christchurch-earthquake-The-basics-you-need-to-know/tabid/423/articleID/199425/Default.aspx

Red Cross New Zealand

http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate

Canterbury Earthquake Appeal

http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/about-this-website/

Salvation Army – Earthquake Appeal

http://salvationarmy.org.nz/giving-back/donate-online/disaster-appeals/canterbury-earthquake-appeal/

**************
I would say that those affected by the earthquake need money to rebuild their lives and repair their homes, but here is an additional way to send your healing thoughts to those affected:

Hello from New Zealand!
We are asking for Hearts for the thousands of Christchurch earthquake victims. Not the usual hearts, but "Hanging Hearts". Two pieces of fabric, heartshaped, sewn together, lightly stuffed, and with a hanging loop of ribbon. These can be any size, any fabric, any style! I have made some by sandwiching batting and fabric and cutting around the outside with pinking shears.
We will be arranging a venue where they can all be hung and people can come and take whichever one they like. If you would like to take part could you please send yours hearts to:

Dorothy Smith
PO Box 357
Stratford 4352, New Zealand

Evie Harris
523 Main North Road
Bay View, Napier 4104, New Zealand

******
In addition, a portion of eQuilter sales from our New Zealand Import collection will be donated to the New Zealand Red Cross for earthquake victims. (In addition to our usual 2% of sales donated to charity.)

NewZeaCollage_W

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments