here's some elephant fabric that's over in the shop.
last week i visited the market at toji temple in kyoto. it happens on the 21st of every month, and is one of the biggest markets, with everything from antiques to homemade pickles.
usually it is so crowded, but this month there were far fewer people, probably because everyone was nervous about swine flu.
these venders do all kinds of natural dyeing, using supplies near their rural studio, which is in a ayabe, outside of kyoto. i talked to her for quite a while, and she was very nice and generous about sharing information. her husband spins the fiber himself, and they also grow their own rice, etc. i bought some of her tea, the first picking of an organic green tea. i had some tonight, and it was yummy. ayabe sounds nice, perhaps there it is a kind of artist village, maybe i will try to visit it sometime.
another dye artist, with an amazying hat and matching mask. this color is made from persimmon fruit, which is distilled into a stronger liquid, and often used to dye cotton canvas or study work clothes. in this case nice canvas bags.
a little bit of this and that, and some kimonos.these photos are my first jab at sashiko embroidery, using a preprinted sampler. i loooove it! and have plans to make all kinds of sashiko projects for my new apartment...
on the internet front, it should be back on line any day now, and believe me, i am excited about that, most likely more excited than even my most patient readers. not that i don't love posting here with iphone + flickr + iphone, indeed i love both flickr and my iphone and especially how i can use flickr on my iphone.
may 5th was childrens day in japan. koi nobori, or carp flags, are flown for the occasion. they come in all sizes, and can be quite large, these are a small craft version from merwing little dear on flickr, who also sells the pattern in her etsy shop if you want to make your own.
the shrine near where i am staying hung up these big lanterns for the several-day festival in the neighborhood. i love paper lanterns like these, especially at night, of course!
i finally got to this book, which has some really cute animals made by needle felting.
i think the most special part of this book, is that it includes all the wee pastries and fruits that go along with the whimsical animal characters, many who have little shops!
and, it shows how to make all the little accessories...
and of course the animals themselves! the instructions are very clear, and this book would be good for a beginner to intermediate felter, and an advanced needle felter could also get inspired by the cute characters.
there's a full set of photos on flickr , and the book is in my etsy shop.
oh my, all the adorable japanese craft books are a little overwhelming! this one is all about japanese sweets, made by needle felting. and it is really really cute.
little bunny mochi
and strawberry chocolates
and look at this leaf around the sakura mochi! they are all just so sweet and realistic. and really they don't look very hard at all. more photos in the flickr set here, and the book is in my shop.
this book is so so so cute! it's all about stuffed animals, ones that look super easy to make, and are inspired by simple line drawings. i'm having some etsy trouble tonight (japan time) and also some very heavy eyelids (the last lingering effects of jet lag are giving me a strict bed-time), so i will list it in the shop tomorrow. but for now, you can see more in my flickr account.
tamar mogendorff is one of the artists i discovered in selvedge, a magazine i mentioned last week.
she made all of these soft designs pictured here, and some are for sale in the selvedge shop as well.
jewelweeds prints lovely designs on natural cloth, and sells a range of products in her shop.
my favorite felt works, by komakoma.
including these wee animals with suspenders. love it!
bags made of recycled fire hoses!
cute japanese style crafts.
and more felt, including all these intricate and wonderful felt flowers.
i brought a stack of magazines after i realized that i would be flying during the day, and sleep might not be an option if the movie selection was lacking. (it was, but i watched 2 anyway). one magazine i splurged on was selvedge, a gorgeous textile publication from the UK.
it was totally worth it, and i want to share a few finds from it's pages later this week. but for now, here's the lovely easter craft spread from this issue and from their website.
Posts
All Comments
