Silky Soft Kimono

Just before Christmas a parcel of vintage Kimono pieces arrived and it didn't take me long to start creating.  I love receiving packages in the mail, it takes me about an hour to go through each piece and admire the beauty of the design.  Here's a lovely silky soft Kimono piece....

And here's the finished flower.  This one was made to order for a wonderful friend in Brisbane who said it was gorgeous and she'd wear it on Christmas Day.  

Today I'm home alone and guess what I'm doing?  Making cherry blossom flowers - so exciting!!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and all the best for 2012.  If it's anything like 2011 I'm in for a fun and busy year....bring it on.

Vintage Kimono #2

Here's the second vintage Kimono that I purchased a little while ago - it's just so stunning!  The red and green are so vibrant with a beautiful, traditional design.  This one was a child's Kimono and I can just imagine a little boy or girl running around playing with it on.

But, as with all my vintage Kimono's it was time for it to be upcycled.  Last weekend while camping I took it along and carefully unpicked it.  I love this part of the process.  It looks a little sad when unpicked doesn't it.  See the two pieces of thin card I found in the lapel?  (sorry for the poor photo but it's bucketing down here and is very dark inside my studio).

The front part of the Kimono was quite stained (no doubt from the child running around while wearing it!) so I carefully washed it but the stains didn't come out.  Not to worry, still plenty left to play with.  Here's some creations...amazing how different each one is.  I like to think they each have their own personality.

I wore one of these in my hair last night at a Christmas function - they colours are perfect to celebrate the festive season.  If you're interested in purchasing one of these just let me know.

I have another upcycled vintage Kimono to show you soon.....

And here's what I made...

Oooh, I love what I do!  Here's some pictures of the flowers I've made from the vintage Kimono (#1) shown in the previous post.

I never know what each flower is going to look like until all the petals are together.  Sometimes during the process I think 'oh, that's not going to look good' but I'm always pleasantly surprised.  You'd think I'd be used to this after the hundreds I've created!

This one is highlighted with gold, red and dark pink petals. 

 You can really see the texture of the fabric in this one.

Blue highlights and a bright red petal complement each other.

Bright and cheery yellow, orange and pink.

Just.....so.....precious.

If you're interested in purchasing any of these for Christmas presents head over to the website http://www.mindilindi.com.au/contact.html  and let me know which one you'd like.

Vintage Kimono #1

Last weekend I drove down to the big city (aka Brisbane) and bought some AMAZING vintage Kimono.  I was like a kid in a candy shop!  There was quite a large selection to choose from so I started by selecting everything I like and moved them to one side of the display rack to go through again.  Hmmm, budget and sensory overload!  I didn't want to go over my budget so I was ruthless and only bought 5. (But I'm already planning my next trip!)

Here's the first one....it's a lovely pink textured silk in fantastic condition.  This is the front.

And the back....

I love the design and the crosshatching and the texture and the gold highlights.....

I then took a big breath and start unpicking....only took me three hours!  And look what I found accidentally left in the lining all those years ago.  I removed the pin and said a silent, heartfelt hello and thank you to the dressmaker who hand stitched this beautiful garment.

It's interesting to see how a Kimono is put together - long rectangular pieces folded and delicately hand stitched with a lot of patience I imagine.  Now I'll transform these vintage pieces into beautiful Kanzashi flowers.  I'll put up photos to show you once finished.

The Weekender

I was fortunate to be interviewed by local Sunshine Coast lifestyle magazine 'The Weekender'.  They contacted me a couple of weeks ago, sent me a list of questions then had a photo shoot at my house - that's the kitchen wall I'm standing in front of!  I'm not used to being the centre of attention and it was confronting...in a nice way of course. 

When the questions came through I found it hard to write about myself because I'm used to writing about other people/products as my daytime career is in marketing for a tourist attraction.  So I pretended I was writing about another person and the words flowed and I couldn't seem to shut up.

I really like the picture of me in my workshop, you can just about see a few pieces of vintage kimono hanging behind me....yet to be upcycled into something wonderful.

I first saw the article when I sat down for lunch at a cafe and I was shocked that little me had received a double page spread - wow - thank you The Weekender! 

She wore it!

As mentioned in a previous post last Wednesday night Natalia from The Renovators wore one of my flowers in her hair - here's the proof!

I sent her an email the following day and she promptly replied saying how she loves to support local business and it was a pleasure to wear the flower in her hair.  It would be great if a fashion/woman's magazine mentioned what the contestants wore.  I must go check The Renovators website to see if they have.

Over the past two days, two of my suppliers needed lots more flowers so now I'm down to hardly any left!  That means I get to fold and stitch and fold and stitch and fold and stitch.  Looking forward to it!

Website!

My website http://www.mindilindi.com.au/ is now live and features my products, stockists, bio and an online store.  It was very easy to set up - a nice surprise as I thought it would be painful.  I used Weebly (weebly.com) as the web creators and I highly recommend them - the price was extremely reasonable too.  At one stage I got a little confused so I rang them late Sunday night and a very helpful person sorted out my problem.  Voila!

For a limited time the prices in the online store include postage within Australia.  I hope you like it!

As seen on TV!!!!

Natalia from Channel Ten programme The Renovators will be wearing one of my flowers in the show later this week.  She was styled by Soul Diva at Buderim and her outfit is from Queensland designers including MindiLindi (that's me!!!), Momoko and Sacha Drake.  Go Natalia - I hope you win!!

Making Kanzashi

I'm dreaming about going to Japan and sourcing my own vintag Kimono....one day in the not too far distant  future.  It's a rainy day today and perfect for staying indoors and making Kanzashi.  The first photo shows the vintage Kimono fabric in one piece, the second photo is after I have sliced it up and folded it into a beautiful Kanzashi flower.

All these flowers need now is a button or bead centre and the pin/clasp back.   I have plenty more flowers to make so I'd better get back to it. 

These flowers retail for $25....contact me if you're interested - they're one of a kind and I guarantee you'll get plenty of admirers.

Vintage Kimono

I bought some vintage Kimono fabric from eBay earlier this week and am happy with what I chose.  As the fabric is very fine I ironed stabiliser onto the back of it before cutting it up ready to make a flower.  You can see in the picture below what the fabric looks like before I chopped it up...on the left hand side is the flower I made (yet to be completed with a decorative centre).

I love not knowing exactly what the flower is going to look like until it's complete.  Here's the next piece of fabric - this one is also vintage Kimono silk and the red is so bright and luscious - I can't wait to get the rotary cutter onto it!

And here's the last one....the blue is going to look amazing once made into a flower.  This fabric is a cotton and very thin, almost see-through. 

I have some exciting news as well - the Creative Arts Centre at the Hyatt Regency Coolum has taken some of my pieces to sell in their gallery!  A great week.

Wow!

Yesterday I travelled to Brisbane and attended a workshop held at Piece Together Woolloongabba and hosted by Melanie Gray Augustin from Kimono Reincarnate.  All is can is 'wow' as I had such a wonderful time learning how to make folded flowers from a professional.  Tammy from Piece Together was a wonderful host and her combined studio, workshop and marketplace is to die for - seriously.  If you live in Brisbane you have to contact Tammy at Piece Together to see for yourself.  Here's the two Kanzashi flowers I made using vintage Kimono fabric supplied by Melanie who sources Kimono direct from Japan - a dream for me to do one day!!!!

I couldn't help my myself and bought some vintage Kimono fabric to play around with......

...and here's what I've made so far!  I'll wear the larger ones as a brooch and the smaller ones as a hairclip.

I hope you are having as productive a day as I am.  No doubt I'll be making these all afternoon and well into the night.  If you'd like one of these for yourself or as a gift for someone just contact me.

Black and White

Today I made these cute flowers out of black and white spotted fabric.  It's so different to the usual Japanese fabric I use but I really like how they have turned out.  The black one at the back is for me to wear with a new outfit I bought....now I just need to find somewhere nice to wear it!

Below is a ring that my neighbour Janet made out of recycled vinyl and a faux pearl from a necklace she found at an op shop.

Necklaces!

Today after a very busy week I've been make necklaces using Kanzashi flowers and satin cord.  Each necklace is adjustable to however you want to wear it (a choker or hanging in front) and the ends have cute little beads matching the colour in the flower.  

The necklaces in the plastic packets below are off to a shop in Montville (Sunshine Coast Hinterland) later this week.  Earlier in the week she ordered brooches and I hope her customers like them as much as I do.

I'm getting a lot of interest with these flowers and every night seem to be cutting, folding, stitching and glueing flowers together.  I'm not complaining as it's keeping my hands busy and I'm not one to sit around with nothing to do.

Rings, rings and more rings!

Here's what I've been busy making.  We went out to the family farm on the weekend and I spent most of the time sitting in the sunlit kitchen making small fabric flowers.  Last night the adjustable rings I ordered came in the mail so I finished them in the wee hours this morning.  I LOVE them and wore one today at work and sold a couple which has made my day.

The diameter of each ring is 4cms and is adjustable to fit any finger.  Cost is $15 each plus postage....and I do deals for multiples!

A Busy Day

Today I've been on the go go go.  So many things done!  After rushing around I went for a coffee with a friend this afternoon and watched whales and dolphins play in the water - I live in a wonderful place and am very thankful.  Here's a flower brooch/hair pin I finished this week.  I've sold quite a few so this weekend will be spent making more.  Some of my Kanazashi flowers are for sale on Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/people/MindiLindi

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day today and I can't think of a better way to spend it than staying inside with the heater on and making things!  Here's three Kanzashi necklaces I finished off....I think my favourite is the pink and red one made with a beautiful soft Japanese fabric.

I've also made lots of these little things....do you know what they are?

Finger Pin Cushions!  Perfect for keeping your pins close while doing embroidery or, as some of my friends do, keep them on your finger while machine piecing.  See the top left one with the little puppy dog?  He's got cute little felt ears and a dog bone for a collar.  I also make pussy cat ones...pictures to follow in the couple of days.  Animal pin cushions are $7, others are $5 + postage.

Kanzashi

I've been busy the past couple of months since I started making Kanzashi flowers.  They can either be worn as a brooch, as a necklace, or in your hair.  Traditionally they are worn by Japanase geisha as hair ornaments.  Most of the ones I make are in Japanese fabric but some are from patchwork fabric that I have on hand.  These ones are $12 each + postage.