where the tigers are

This logo design(click image to enlarge) was done by Marcin Zeglinski. http://poduski.com/

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Keoni Jones, dropping into a blue wall. Keoni is on a board that older brother Mikala shaped back in Hawaii. It was the 2nd board Mikala had ever shaped. A 2+1 fin set up with a long fin box in the middle.

I recently told a friend who's from this general area that we went by motorbike two hours through jungle paths to get to this spot. He'd been over here before, but by boat. His eyes opened wide and he goes, "You know there's tigers there..."

I hadn't thought about that possibility at the time. We didn't see any though. I do remember that after we took the motorbikes as far as we could, on foot we hiked over these ridges under arching canopies of bamboo so big it felt like something from Honey I Shrunk the Kids. This bamboo was enormous, made me feel miniature.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

Makino Red 56.5cm + Wheelset

Color/Red
Headset/Hatta Swan Super Deluxe
BB/Hatta R9400
Seat tube/56.5cm c-t
Top tube/56.5cm c-c
Rear/120mm
Seatpost diameter/27.2cm
Standover/81.5cm
Model Year/2006
Wheelset/Kilin Nb-R clincher rims, michelin pro3 tires, Novatec 32h low flange fixed/fixed track hubs.
Condition/ This NJS track frame has some small chipped paint spots but is otherwise in good used condition overall.
Price/980USD

A new moo

Although I really enjoy creating on my sewing machine, I still miss stitching creatures by hand. Especially, when one of my lovely customers really wants to order one of those handstitched creatures that have sold out. 

It's impossible to sew the same creatures on a sewing machine, because of the different techniques of sewing and stuffing, but what if I redesign my old creatures to make them machine-sewable? 

That's what I asked myself this weekend after a customer request, and I think I've succeeded with this new cow! Next up, a redesign of my old cat.

volcanoscape

The view from the top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Looks like it could be Mars maybe. This was at the end of the day. I shot time-lapse, frame by frame with my Bolex, hitting the trigger button by hand every 30 seconds. It got freezing cold up here as the sun went down and I wasn't dressed for it. There were a few chunks of ice and snow scattered around where I was. I lasted for 30 minutes, and by the end of shooting this, I could barely feel my fingers enough to hit the trigger button.

I went up there with my girlfriend, and we made the drive up in a rented "all wheel drive" mini SUV. I don't think we had the budget for 4WD, and well, all wheel drive is nothing close to 4WD, I'll say that. There is a really good reason the road up there is marked 4WD only, and there's a good reason the rental car companies don't want you driving there. It is steep, loose rock and gravel, and treacherous. The drive up is pretty intense.

The drive back down as darkness fell was frightening. I remember looking down on the clouds as we coasted down, riding the break on and off just enough to stay in control, yet not lose them. I'd never think of doing it again without 4WD. Later on we heard that three Japanese tourists had died in a 4WD vehicle on the way back down, a couple weeks prior.

Chuck Corbett told me a story of how he made the drive up here in the early 80's in a beater of an old station wagon. The last third of the way up he had to drive in reverse because it was the only gear that could make it.

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

Captain Abun

Captain Abun pilots the boat perched on a little red plastic chair that has been bolted down to the crew’s raised bunk platform. It’s a typical plastic pop out type lawn chair, but with the legs sawed off. The steering wheel looks like it’s from a 1970’s van. The generator sits on the floor next to him. He sits up on this chair, barefoot, with his legs crossed, smoking a cigarette. His shirt says “Short Boarders Fake It. Long Boarders Take It. Knee Boarders MAKE IT!”

this film project on fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hangs-Upon-Nothing-a-16mm-surf-film/246361802068338

sketchbook

Blacky during the midnight ride across the Lombok Strait by Ferry, big swell, and the girl at the point.

Stocking up in Japantown

In Japan I did not use to worry much about felt, I knew if I needed more the little sewing store, across from the school I used to teach at, had quite a large variety of good felt. And if it wasn't emergency I could easily wait for a weekend trip to an excellent Osaka craft supplies store, of which my favorite was the insanely huge ABC Craft.

But here I find myself worrying about my felt stash a lot. It's not that I'm almost running out, it's that I still haven't found a good felt supplier. Of course, they do sell felt in American craft stores like Michaels, and sometimes even nicely embossed or printed felt, but it's always eco-fi felt and it's quality just does not measure up to Japanese felt. I like my felt to be soft, strong and not see-through.

So I conviced my hubbie to come to Japantown with me to check out the new and improved 100 yen store. Well, I'm happy to report that it was an excellent decision! Sure, Daiso Japan cannot to compare to ABC Craft, but it did sell more felt than Michaels, and it was all Japanese felt! Score!

The Owls

As this blog shows, I've been a bit owl-obsessed these last two weeks, and the result is that I now have 36 owls for sale in my Etsy shop! Posting that many new items almost seems to take longer than actually sewing them. Perhaps it's because the sewing part is so much more fun than uploading pictures over slow wifi and typing the same tags 36 times. But it's done and now they're all waiting for someone to adopt them. Use coupon code FSBLOGGER during checkout and your new friend will be shipped to you for free, no matter where in the world you live.

Two days ago, I was happy to finish owl number 36, but now that I see all of them in a nice collage, I kind of want to make a few more owls. I love them all, but my favorite is probably the beige owl in the top left corner. Which one is your favorite?

Vogue Celeste 51cm Plus+

Color/Celeste Green
Headset/Hatta Swan Super deluxe
BB/Hatta R9400
Seat tube/51cm c-t
Top tube/52.5cm c-c
Rear/120mm
Seatpost diameter/27.2cm
Standover/77cm
Model Year/2009
Condition/This NJS Keirin track frame has a few chipped paint spots but looks really great and has no dents. The racer who ordered asked for "Bianchi green".
Comes with a new dura ace 120mm F/F FC-7600 hub set!
Price/1380usd

Makino Purple Flake 52cm

Color/Light Purple with Rainbow Flake
Headset/Hatta Swan Super Deluxe
BB/Hatta R9400/Crank bolts not included.
Seat tube/52cm c-t
Top tube/54cm c-c
Rear/110mm
Seatpost diameter/27.2cm
Standover/77cm
Model Year/2006
Price/1180USD
Condition/The NJS Keirin track frame has a few chipped paint spots but is otherwise in great condition overall.

Peloton Purple Fade 52.5cm + starter pack

Color/Purple dark purple fade
Headset/Hatta Swan Super Deluxe
BB/Shimano BB-7710
Seat tube/52.5cm c-t
Top tube/53cm c-c
Rear/120mm
Seatpost diameter/27.2cm
Standover/78cm
Model Year/2003
Condition/This NJS frame still looks still good but has some small chipped paint spots and very minor dents on both sides of the top tube.
Set/Included shimano fc-7700 167.5mm NJS crank, NJS chainring, NJS hubset, NJS drop bars, NJS stem, NJS pedals, NJS chain/lockrinh/cog, NJS toeclips and NJS toestraps.
Price/1180USD