Hanako stopped the sewing crew by mid-afternoon. They'd done very well, she thought, on cutting and pinning the cotton pieces they'd use as a pattern. They'd started basting the larger pieces. Sewing was hard work that tired the eyes as well as the hands and the back, even though they were only basting. The fine sewing that they'd do on the finished product would be more exacting. She hoped they'd have a run of sunny weather.
"That's done," Tsuruko said, dusting her hands against each other after she put away the big basting needles. "I wonder how far we'll get tomorrow."
"My eyes itch," Azuki admitted. "This is difficult. Even setting up a handloom isn't as hard on the eyes. Hanako-san seems confident we have enough time to get it finished, though."
"Shota-san and Kojiro-san are still
