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.

felting for baby

this book is one of the newest additions to the makegoodbooks craft + life series, which provides english versions of japanese craft books! by saori yamazaki, felting for baby is the english version of the japanese 'small articles made of wool felt for baby,' with the same sweet projects.

usually japanese craft books are quite easy to follow even without being able to read the text, but the english version will be especially useful for beginning felters. this book covers several basic methods and feltmaking techniques (both wet and needle felting, making felt balls as well as felting around a resist), and these processes are explained clearly with step by step english instructions along with photos. so not only are the projects cute (of course!) but this book would be a great resource for a beginning felter, or someone who wanted to try some intermediate projects.

oh, and there are a few free downloads from the book available on the makegoodbooks website too!

felt furnishings project from how-tuesday

this is a detail from the project on the cover of this book:
felt furnishings by anne kyyro quinn.

i actually saw the work of anne kyyro quinn for the first time last year when i wondered by her showroom in london completely randomly. her work is beautiful, and her use of felt to create patterns and texture is quite stunning.

anyway, this week in etsy's the stork series how-tuesday, there are step by step directions for how to make this pillow yourself!

here's a book review from zakka life, and another review at peacock chic.

kanzashi

kanzashi is the traditional japanese craft of making intricate flowers or petal arrangements from fabric. the image above is one of the amazying pieces created by atelier kanawa who is one of the few tsumami kanzashi artisans today. it's a hairpin called 'rain drops world,' which is quite appropriate for these days in japan, as we are waiting for rainy season to finish up this week maybe.
kanzashi in bloom, by diane gilleland of craftypod, just came out, and can be seen around the internet on a blog book tour. whip up has an feature about kuniko kanawa of atelier kanawa, and also a giveaway for the book. betz white also has a copy to give away (you have until wednesday to enter, u.s. addresses only).

learning japanese bookmarks

i found these at my local bookstore. hiragana and katakana are the 2 phonetic writing systems in japanese. there is also kanji, which is a pictographic writing system from china. japanese is usually written with a combination of kanji and hiragana, and katakana is used for foreign loan words, names of plants or scary animals).

these bookmarks have all the hiragana/katakana characters, plus the pronunciation written in roman letters below. would you like 1 (or both)? i'll send them to your for free with any order from my shop, just leave a note!

while supplies last.

nani iro fabric and sewing book

nani iro is a line of fabric created by the designer naomi ito for the japanese fabric company kokka. for the last few years, she has designed a new textile collection every year. you can see all the nani iro collections here. this fabric is from the 2009 nani iro textile collection. i love it.

i also finally got my hands on the nani iro book, which is full of lovely sewing projects using the nani iro fabrics. i am feeling very inspired to start sewing again...

there are also free patterns available for download from the nani iro site! it's in japanese, but if you go to this link you can click on any of the photo icons for patterns that were released with those collections. if you get lost on the site, just go back to the 'sewing' tab at the top of the page.
enjoy!

oh, this book and fabric are both available over in my etsy shop.

new nuigurumi book

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.
UPDATE: i've listed this book in my shop, and will be listing more over the next few days.

lisa hannigan

lisa hannigan's beautiful solo debut, sea sew, is complemented by some amazing and beautiful craft projects. for one thing, she stitched ALL the words from the liner notes onto linen.

in the first of the two videos below, she turns the pages of a wonderful handmade pop-up book, and in the second, she creates an entire landscape from cut paper.

good business sense

i finally got around to buying and reading craft inc. by meg mateo ilasco. it's gotten a lot of rave reviews in the blogosphere, and rightly so. this book is an indispensable guide for any crafter thinking about running a business and valuable for whatever stage your business is at. i read it pretty much straight through, and plan to keep it nearby.

BAKERY is also a great new resource for today's crafty business owner. the women behind this new site have a wealth of experience in publishing and marketing, and their blog regularly offers concise tips that are smart and easy.

of course, the switchboards, founded in 2004 to support women in business, is the classic go-to resource for any question you might be having about running a small business.

chronicle books sale

it's the annual friends and family sale over at chronicle books: just use promo code FRIENDS for 35% off on orders through dec 5th. via craft

hand made baby gifts japanese craft book

i just listed this book in my etsy shop. it may be the cutest book yet of hand made craft projects that would be the perfect gift for a new baby.

"sweet baby, hand made gifts"
ISBN 978-4-07-246385-7 i love that it includes such a wide variety of projects and different kinds of crafts, from sewing, embroidery, applique, and handmade rubber stamps. you can more pictures on my flickr account, in the japanese craft book set, but here are just a few more.

slippers

slippers are up in the shop!

i found some inspiration in my japanese craft books, and played around with this pattern:
from this book about scandinavian inspired felting:

but then i liked the shape of these slippers (although i didn't combine the felt with knitting):
from this book: felt and fabric rendevous.
and used a modified version of that pattern, where each slipper is made individually around a flat resist. then i cut a vertical slit for the opening, and formed them by hand so that they have a back.

i can make them in custom sizes/colors. the slippers and the books are available in my shop.

UPDATE 10/14/08: the scandinavian felt book is currently sold out. i'm working to restock but i keep a small inventory, so if you want a copy, let me know and i can reserve one for you.

welcome to the zoo!

i just added this book, 'felt zoo' to my etsy shop.
more photos on my flickr
ISBN 978-4-309-28133-9

locavores

i finished reading this book several weeks ago, and it was wonderful. it's barbara kingsolver's story about her family's adventure–eating locally for a year. the storytelling makes it a great read, and the message, about the broader impacts of our food choices and the power that we do have as individual eaters, rings true and vital.
it made me remember how lucky i am to live in a place like seattle, where there are 3 farmers markets a week close to my home, and local foods available at my local grocery store.

happy new year

new books for winter over at my etsy shop. the one on the left has amazing felt hats-i'm planning to keep it around for inspiration for years to come. the one on the right is scandinavian inspired felting--very cute! things scandinavian are trendy right now in japan, which makes sense, since a lot of northern european customs and aesthetics tie in rather well with zakka.
my gocco printed linen coasters also in the shop-bright red acorns seem good for winter, or maybe that's just squirrel logic!
my new wool muji slippers in orange. my toasty toes love them. (i couldn't resist and got the herringbone ones too! shhh. they're for guests;-)
here's the mouse from my last post-in honor of 2008, year of the 'nezumi,' or mouse, in japan.