Tokyo!

Last week I went to Japan with Anna from Momoko to buy fabric for our labels.  Oh my, it was amazing.  After a 9 hour flight we arrived at Narita Airport and we made our way into the city via a shuttle (photo below) to the subway, then I think another three trains.

We landed at 8.30pm so by the time we got to where we were staying, Ryokan Sawanoyar, it was quite late.  Our room looked so beautiful and cozy.  Comfortable futon beds with soft and fluffy feather doonas were ready for us on traditional Japanese tatami mats.

On our pillows was a beautiful origami crane.  So sweet, welcoming, and typically thoughtful.

The next morning at the Ryokan I was treated to a traditional Japanese breakfast of salmon, white fish (not sure what type exactly!), green tea, a very tasty strawberry, crunchy pickles, miso soup and hot rice. It was so elegantly presented.

It was then time to do what we came to do - go to Fabric Town which is an entire street devoted to fabric!  We shopped till we dropped.   We spent two days going through each shop and selecting what we wanted.   So many beautiful fabrics at great prices. 

There was a lot of cotton to choose from...

Here's some of my fabric being cut up.  The man behind the counter had either an allergy, due to lots of flowers blooming in Tokyo at the moment, or a cold.  At first it was a bit weird seeing the masks on so many people but in the end I got used to it and didn't bat an eyelid.

I also bought some chirimen...which I'm going to start making flowers into asap as this fabric is just so a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

And of course vintage kimono.  I was like a kid in a candy store.  I kept giving the store owner kimono to put aside for me so I could cull.  At the end I took everything I initially chose as it was just too hard to leave any behind.

Here's a sneak peak of one of the kimono I bought.  I love it, it takes my breath away. 

That's a summary of our first two days in Tokyo.  Please keep checking back over the next few days to read more about the rest of our trip.

Oh so bright....done!

As promised here's the finished flowers...these will be made into dual brooch/hair clasps and necklaces. 

The beautiful grain of the fabric really shows through.

Hope you like...as usual I love them and can't wait to make more.

Oh so bright

Here's some vintage kimono fabric I bought a little while ago. Crisp white, vibrant blue and rich pink.

It's a seersucker fabric and I'm guessing, by the bright colours, it would have been a child's kimono - probably a yakata which is a soft lightweight cotton often worn by women or girls at festivals or summer events.

I'm about to make some flowers out of it....can't wait to see the finished product so off I go!  

Promise to be back soon with the result.

I made an appointment with myself

Today I made an appointment with myself to do nothing but make flowers for the entire day. It worked!  I'll do this more often, scheduling time to create flowers gave me focus and determination to make it a productive day.  Here's what I did...

This fabric is oriental brocade and is the most beautiful purple...delicious.

This little one is a beautiful red cotton with cream cherry blossom flowers. It's nearly cherry blossom season in Japan so a perfect time to showcase this fabric.

This blue and green cotton fabric is from a vintage, casual summer kimono called a yukata.

This fabric is from a child's kimono and features butterflies and flower clusters.  It sure makes a statement!

 

This bright yellow fabric is vintage Vietnamese cheongsam.  The poor quality of the photo doesn't do it justice, it's a cheery sunny yellow with delicate silver highlights.

This beautiful cream vintage kimono fabric is quite thick and I only had enough to make three flowers...broke two needles in the process!

And here's all of them...I did say it was a busy day!

Kanzashi flower necklaces

Yesterday I was on a roll and made all these flowers out of Japanese cotton. 

After the petals were carefully folded I then glued on a satin covered button, which I make myself, as the flower centre.  Then I turned the flower over and glued, using a paintbrush, a circle of the same fabric to the back as well as a loop of matching ribbon for the necklace to be inserted into. 

Here's the finished product.

Oh, and BIG NEWS - I'm going to Japan and am SO EXCITED!  I'm going with a good friend, who used to live there so she knows exactly where to go and what to do, and we'll both be buying fabric for our businesses.  It was a snap decision made in a few hours thanks to Jetstar having a 2 for 1 airfare sale.  I'm looking forward to finding some exquisite vintage Kimono and not to mention the food, oh the food!

Fabric rings

This week I've been making fabric rings using vintage Kimono and Japanese cotton.
I think the white and pink one below on the left looks like a snail!

On the right hand side of the picture below you can just see the back of the ring which is silver and adjustable to fit any finger.  

I wear a ring most days and often get nice comments from people which puts a big smile on my face.

I love what I do!

Red Floral Kimono

Here's a Kimono I bought a few days ago.  Even though it's vintage and could be anywhere from 10 to 40 years old it's in perfect condition.   The silk is quite textured, almost bumpy to touch.  It's going to have an incredible reincarnation.  Not just yet though - I need to love it a bit first.