apples

here's some new apple fabrics that I've had my eye on for a while, and are finally in the shop!
I love the cute print of apples and polka dots (and even a few ladybugs and friendly worms!) on a lonely Japanese linen/cotton blend. but I think I may love the large pears and apple cotton print from kokka (trefle line) even more. maybe because the pattern is so big, or the green is my favorite color. but mainly because I'm a sucker for the section view (thank you architecture school).

I'm off to Korea for a class trip for the next few days. I may not have internet, but I'll keep my eyes open for Korean crafty goodness.

strawberry seersucker

i love this fabric--it has such a vintage feeling, and a wonderful texture, of big seersucker puckers for cool cotton summer clothes. i think it would make a perfect sundress for a little girl. or maybe a cute top for a grown-up. like me, perhaps. i love both the lime green and the bright blues. after eying it for months, it's finally been added to the shop.

new nani iro fuccra double gauze

nani iro fuccra double gauze, in blue, and eggplant.
ok, this fabric was released earlier this year, from the wonderful nani iro line from kokka. but i just got around to finally putting it in the shop. it's the cotton double gauze we have come to expect, with whimsical, abtract, pretty patterns. every time i see it, i am consumed with thoughts of what i would like to sew with it. for myself!
a similar thing happens every time i visit the inspiring simply iro flickr group, where i saw this great project from filminthefridge (lovely blog by the way!).

actually, i am the very excited and proud owner of a new sewing machine! and my first project that i started is a shirt using this fuwari fuwari nani iro double gauze. it's a little girly compared to what i usually wear, but i've been in japan for a while now, and that sure brings out the cute and girly in anyone. it is not, however, the first project that i have finished; in fact, it's gone a bit astray...for sure because i thought i would just wing it. so that project is on hold until i redo the collar.

but as a new sewing machine owner, i picked up a couple books for inspriration, inlcuding this one, also for nani iro (or other) double gauze. the title is "made of soft gauze." isbn 978-4141878872.

here are a few clothing patterns, but it has more household objects/gifts.
and of course this nani iro book is still one of my favorites to leaf through and be inspired.

castle peeps summer camp

have you heard of castle peeps summer camp? it's a brilliant idea from lizzy house, with craft projects using her new castle peeps fabric line.
this is the 2nd project, a memory game made from fabric that is laminated. i love this idea! it's so simple, but so brilliant! also, i have a used laminator that i haven't tried yet...
here's a photo from the 1st project-finger puppets! more castle peeps summer camp projects are coming every thursday for 8 weeks this summer, check them out.

lego and paper sets are back

after a few months, the wonderful lego and paper sets from muji are back in my shop. shown here: the lego punch; the fairy tale set (little red riding hood); the original set (dragon); and the bright colors set. i've posted before about the bright colors set; the lego paper punch; and the orginal and christmas sets.

and for lego enthusiasts, i've also stocked this fun lego theme fabric.

bright and green

i've been drawn to this fabric every time i see it, and now it's finally in the shop! i love the feeling of the print, somehow it reminds me of scandinavian textiles, and i love how the animals are abstracted. i think another reason why i like it so much is also the bright colors, especially all the green.
it's hard to be patient when it seems like spring is just around the corner...but hiding. and this year i'm so excited about my little garden which makes it that much harder to wait. but remember the mini sunflower kit i bought? they came up! actually now the leaves are fully open, but this picture is from last week. and it still kind of feels like magic, that moment when the first green appears from the ground.
since my strategy for my first garden in kyoto is simply to buy the starts when they are for sale, it's a surprise every time i go to the garden store. last weekend was eggplants and tomatoes already. the good thing is that everywhere here delivers, including big bags of potting soil and planters. the bad news is that i have to wait until friday...i hope these little guys can hang on for a few more days in their tiny pots. and today it even snowed while i left them outside on the balcony!
this strawberry (and the honey in the jar) came from the handmade market at kamigamo jinja on sunday.

ok spring, you can come out now!

far far away

i've added this wonderful fabric to the shop. it's from the far far away line designed by heather ross for kokka. the fabric is a cotton double gauze, which is super soft, and the images are so lovely. (i have a thing for fairy tales). thankfully, athough i may not always get quite as much sleep as i would like, unlike this princess, there is nothing under my futon that keeps me awake.
there are unicorns too! who doesn't like unicorns?
and frog(princes). cotton double gauze is great for summer, and i've also been thinking about using a little bit of this fabric for baby bib...maybe the frogs?

children's books illustrators

last weekend i saw this exhibit of the swiss illustrator hans fischer at the itami city art museum. i loved his books when i was little, the story of pitchi the curious kitten, and the birthday cake surprise planned by the animals. i don't know if most people have read these books, or if we just had them because of our swiss family friends.

recently i've seen some very cute pitchi stationary products here in japan, and this exhibit had all the books, including original drawings.

another all time favorite, the very hungry caterpillar has been made into a fabric print! just in time for the new japanese school year that starts in april. there are actually 2 variations of the print, this one with the dots and large images is my favorite, and it's available on a light yellow or blue background. it's sold out in my shop right now, but i will be restocking it later this week.
it's also available in the wonderful quilted fabric, which is used to make a whole slew of products required for japanese kindergartens.
i used it to make a laptop sleeve, which has has the intended effect of making me more happy to schlep around my laptop and crave a new ipad less. well, a little less maybe!

goal: a clean and organized home

another new year's tradition in japan: osouji- a big and thorough housecleaning. literally the word means 'big cleaning'. and...this year i actually did it! it felt great to organize everything in my apartment, and clean up some messes that had been hiding behind closed doors.

anyone who knows me in real life knows that i am messy, and although i love having a clean and organized space, it's hard for me to keep it that way. i start pulling out craft projects...and the next thing i know...anyway, this year i have a nice baseline of organization to start with. and that called for a trip to ikea! where i bought the fabric above, which i plan to make into curtains.

and while we are on the subject of fabric, here's the tiny elephant cotton print, in even more colors! these are in the shop, along with more colors of elephant cotton canvas back in stock too.

more tiny elephants

i've very excited to tell you that i've found the new tiny elephant cotton print in new colors! like this yellow,
dark navy,
and green on white. they are all in the shop, which i will be upgrading with even more new items throughout this weekend (i can't seem to keep up with all the new things i want to share with you!).

holiday fabric find: hoshii saaaa saa

i found this wonderful fabric at a little fabric store near my house. it's from the nani iro 2008 collection, called hoshii saaaa saa, and long sold out at most larger fabric shops or the nani iro website.

there's a bit in the shop, and there are also a few meters with the same gold star pattern on a cream background with brown. let me know if you would like some!

i'm going to be saving some of this one for myself, although i am not sure yet what i want to use it for...double gauze would be perfect for kids pjs or a baby hat...i love the pattern for a tree skirt, or a soft sewn ornament...or maybe some holiday potholders with some sashiko stitching like this...or a tea cozy? what do you think? it's just so soft and cozy and festive all at once!

stitched by edward and lily

i love the sweet little sewn drawings by rebecca of edward and lilly, like this hound dog here.
and look, now she has these precious fabric ornaments for sale in her etsy shop!

tiny elephant japanese cotton print

this adorable soft cotton fabric is a brand new addition to my shop, it's available in these 4 colors.
the elephants are seriously tiny, about 1 cm tall.
here's the new fabric shown with the larger cotton canvas elephant print in grey, which is also back in stock (in grey only, for now).

sewn/drawn

recently i've been noticing embroidery and stitching, and thinking about how stitches are like drawings. these soft mushrooms are from das kaninchen.
seen from above.
amazing embellished mittens and hat by dadaya
and a simple yet compelling design from moth and squirrel.

matroyshka crafting

i've posted about this fabric before, but finally found a few minutes to whip up a few little projects using it.
these were so quick to make! basically the same process as the wee stuffed animals i made last summer with ed emberley animal fabric (psst-which is in my shop now!) anyway, back to the dollies: put two right sides together, sew around the doll, leaving the bottom open. for this project, i used 2 dolls that are the same size for each. this fabric actually has 4 different sized dolls printed on it, in different colors. after sewing, trim seam allowance to 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm.
turn right side out and topstitch around the edge.
i did this project by hand, although of course you can use a sewing machine! if you do it by hand, i though that the top stitching made a little neater.
stuff, and sew the seam closed at the base of the doll.

i also tried a new project, a little wallet to hold my transit cards--i have 2 for the bus (one for kobe, one for kyoto) a train pass, and a prepaid card i use to pay for bicycle parking near the train station. and it's gotten to the point where it really helps me to keep this little collection out of my wallet where i can find them easily.
the wallet project was easy too, but i haven't written out directions yet...
i'm thinking about trying a similar design for all my point cards next...