Living in America 8

Satonobo's Life in America, Part 8
Two months have passed since my last blog. Are you all enjoying your Kogin time? As for me, I took Communication classes at Bellevue College in the fall and winter, but I took a break this season. One reason was that I felt like my days were lacking in balance, but more than anything, I wanted to spend more time involved in the Kogin Embroidery Circle. I also wanted to take the time to develop kits and make things for the Japan Fair to be held in Bellevue in July in preparation for my temporary return to Japan. Another big reason was that my children's baseball, Little League, was about to start, so I wanted to have more time and space in my mind. (laughs) My English will be improving slowly, but I'll be living in America for a while, so I'll try my best.
After classes ended at the end of March, I mainly rested for about two weeks during my vacation and my children's spring break. After that, I organized the materials that I had been interested in for a long time, tried new colors for the kit, and touched the large kogin, and little by little, I was able to do the things I wanted to do, and my daily enjoyment increased. At the same time, since January, I have been driving my children to and from school, so my daily exercise has decreased dramatically, and I started to worry about my physical strength and mental instability, so I started jogging at the end of March. It seems that many apartments in the United States (condominiums in Japan) have gyms attached, and I am lucky that my place has a gym, so I can exercise without worrying about rain or pollen. Running clears my mind, and it has only positive effects on my kogin time. It's starting to be fun, so I've signed up for the 10km course at the Seattle Marathon next month. It's a distance that's a little beyond my current level, but it's a distance that I think I can reach if I try hard, and running will have meaning, so I'll do my best! The photo below is the new color of the starter kit. (In the middle)

◆3 months since the club started!
It's already been three months since we started the circle! In the past two months, we've added more than 10 new members, and currently have nearly 90 members in the circle, of which about 60 have already completed their self-introductions. Some of you may not have done so yet due to various reasons, but since we're online, where we can't see each other's faces, we ask that you post your self-introduction so that we can get to know each other better and have a comfortable exchange.

⭐︎Click here for the Instagram circle account self-introduction .
⭐️If you are embarrassed to introduce yourself on the circle account or have circumstances that prevent you from writing, please email me. (satonobou0515@gmail.com)
Thank you for your cooperation in running a safe and secure club.

And what makes me happiest recently is that there are more members who take action to lead the club activities. More people are posting collaborations, and more people are sharing on stories. Some people reply to questions from members with photos, and some people share how they are trying even though it is not going well. I think the realism of the information, such as "I made a mistake so I'll try again" or "I made a mistake but I'll go ahead for now" , gives members a sense of security and encouragement. Instagram is a place where there are many posts of "things you want to show/show off", so some people feel pressured by only looking at the public posts , but there will be people who will feel lighter by sharing their failures and worries and think "I'll just give it a try!" Let's enjoy the content that makes each person comfortable.
And please feel free to share information about your event participation! We also have members who would like to interact offline, so please make sure that everyone is safe and enjoy interacting with us!

Regarding Satonobou's future activities, I will be returning to Japan at the end of July this year, and I plan to sell my kits and works. The Goldfish Nebuta kit for the Nebuta Festival is being sold by koginbank and coccia .
Following on from last year, I will be participating in the Japan Fair held in Bellevue in the US, where I will be introducing Kogin embroidery to the local community. Also, over the next year, I am thinking of continuing to create works with the aim of submitting them to art exhibitions in the US. Crafts are very popular here as a form of leisure, and I think there is a place where I can enjoy myself and contribute to Kogin embroidery and the local community. I haven't even looked into what kind of art exhibitions there are yet, but I'm already excited to buy lots of fabric and thread when I return to Japan for a short visit. (laughs)
I plan to accept provisional orders for sales during my temporary return to Japan in early July. I plan to sell only miscellaneous goods that are ordered in July. I am not planning on returning to Japan next summer, so I hope you will take advantage of this summer's opportunity! (I may return to Japan in the winter, but I'm not sure if I will have time to sell, so I'm just letting you know just in case.)
And then, when I asked people on Instagram if they wanted to meet in person, I got more responses than I expected saying they wanted to meet, so I'm thinking about bringing my own kogin and really meeting them. I'm going back to Japan with my children, so it's not easy, but I might take another survey, so I hope you'll continue to support me.

◆Finally, what does it mean to "enjoy Kogin embroidery without a design"?
I've just realized the ambiguity of the expression "Enjoy Kogin embroidery without a design." I'm very happy that there are people who understand the same meaning as I had in mind, but I realize that there are still many people who have questions. I wrote the checklist below, hoping it will be some kind of guidepost. I don't think it applies to everyone, but please take a look. It might be helpful. Sorry if it doesn't help!

① You don't have the Modoko (basic Kogin embroidery patterns) in your head → Look at the designs of the basic patterns and enjoy Kogin embroidery!
+ Be aware of where your needle is in the pattern. (The pattern will gradually become more than just a line.)

② You know the Modoko in your head, but you can't stitch one type of continuous Modoko pattern without looking at the design (thinking about it in your head) → Have fun while looking at the design of the continuous pattern! You will begin to see the basic movements and ways of thinking.
+ Be aware of the current location of your needle. Treat each Modoko as a single entity and be aware of where you are in each Modoko. (At first, color-code the Modoko in the design, and once you get used to how to do this, the way you see the design will change.)

3) You can stitch one continuous Modoko pattern without looking at the pattern (while thinking about it in your head) → I think you can stitch without a pattern! Draw a rough design in your head or on paper and give it a try!
+ You can also connect one Modoko diagonally (with a little modification) to practice the flow. It is also a good experience to try connecting multiple Modoko of various sizes next to each other.

④ You can stitch a pattern that combines multiple Modoko without looking at the pattern (while thinking about it in your head) → You can stitch without a pattern! If you think "Okay!", just go for it! When you are forced to make the pieces add up along the way, please think to yourself, "This is the birth of a new pattern!" and keep going!

The key to "enjoying Kogin embroidery without a design" is to "use your brain." Not preparing a design means "not preparing an overall design = enjoying spur-of-the-moment embroidery," and having koginbank's Modoko DB or a design book with basic patterns on hand while thinking about combinations will help you enjoy the experience. It's also a good idea to try embroidering designs made up of combinations of patterns using a design book or kit. For me, the world of Kogin embroidery expanded a lot after I imitated Azuma Kogin, and I began to enjoy spur-of-the-moment embroidery.

Huh? What? If you think you don't understand what Satonobo is saying, I'll try to draw it for you. I hope I can do it... Please pray!

▶️Materials Research Blog
▶️Shop (currently being adjusted)
▶︎Digital data sales of PDF kit designs and instructions
・Hinamatsuri 2022 minne sales page
・Minne sales page for Kind-faced Goldfish Nebuta
・Minne sales page for the Brave-faced Goldfish Nebuta
▶︎Goldfish Nebuta Kit (Full Set) koginbank Online Shop
▶️Instagram (We share the simplicity and fun of Kogin embroidery through videos, etc.)
 

Satonobou