Kimono print gadget pouches

I made five small pouches with Kimono inspired printed cotton. Those are perfect for carrying your small belongings which need some protection like phone, compact cameras, portable media players, etc. The pouches are padded with fleece for reinforcement and protection. There are two small pockets in front to store accessories like headphones. The zippers are matching with pockets' colors and short strings are attached to the pull tabs for a good hold.

I wanted to make affordable and also useful small items on the theme of Japan. The pouches can be used as a little cosmetic pouches, card cases and coin purses as well. It would be a very impressive small gift. These will be sold at Junk Evolution from April 6th.

Japanese Autumn flowers in red back ground.

Bamboo leaves and Sakura (Cherry blossoms).

Japanese Autumn Flowers and traditional figures in mustard green back ground.

The symbol of happiness and a long life, Tancho Cranes in the sky.

Thank you for visiting! I hope you all have a great weekend (and spring break)!

Kimono Frame purses / Family Fun Hawaiian Night

Two Kimono frame purses are finished. The red & olive one has an amber-look frame and a classic chain handle. I sewed a Kimono patterned cotton on a medium weight cotton canvas. Added some beads embroidery for embellishment. The green one has no handles. It is an elegant clutch. I made bold stripes with Kimono cotton on a canvas. The frame is a shiny silver kiss lock and the fastener has very detailed angel wings as a decoration.

The lining is a canvas print. This flower print is my favorite. I use this as a lining pretty much. I hope it is still available at my local Joann fabric. There is a little pocket inside to avoid your tiny belongings to get lost in the bag. These bags are going to be sold at Junk Evolution in South Bend in April (from the first Friday).


Yesterday evening, we attended the Family Fun Night at Nina's school. The school holds those exciting events once a while for fundraising and we are big fans of those events. This time, the theme was Hawaii so we dressed up like Hawaiians (My clothes are the most Hawaiian I could find in my closet! It didn't look like that, though d:). We had a Hawaiian pizza, played fun games (like Limbo dance and hot hot coconuts) and took a couple of Hula lessons! I appreciate the staff and volunteers who organized these kinds of school events. It was a delightful night!

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a great weekend, Aloha!

Kimono+Beads, Hanami Picnic

A work in progress. I am making some more Japanese themed items. I attached beads embroidery on a precious Kimono fabric.

When I make a pattern I have to concentrate so much. When the pattern is done and see it works well on actual finished product, I feel relieved pretty much. That gives me confidence and satisfaction.

We had a "Hanami" picnic dinner under our cherry blossom trees a couple days ago. Hanami is the party for enjoying cherry blossoms (Sakura) in Japan. This is a super popular event for Japanese people. People really love cherry blossoms. Sakura is very special for us. I have so many memories of Sakura in my life. It is kinda sentimental thing for me. And also a historical tradition from ancient time.

We have unnaturally warm March here in Northern Indiana. All the flowers in town bloomed at a time. My Sakura trees were not exceptions. It didn't take a day from the first bloom to the full bloom! Those two trees came to our home in fall of 2010 so this was the second time of the blossom for us. I am looking forward to watching the trees growing up year by year. Those are our symbol trees.

Sashiko pouches

These are the finished products. I made these Sashiko in practical pouches. These are going to be sold at Junk Evolution in April which is the month of Asia in their theme. I am still working on other Japanese themed Zakka items. And I am also planning to have a workshop for making Origami Crane and Balloon mobile in April.

My Sakura (Japanese cherry blossom tree) is in full bloom! It is so much earlier than average, but we surely are enjoying this great weather in beautiful South Bend, Indiana! I hope you all are having beautiful Spring days too!

Sneak peek / Sashiko in modern style

I am making some items in Japanese zakka style for an event in April. There are some sneak peek photos of my Sashiko in modern style. Sashiko is one of the traditional needle work techniques in Japan. It is old. But it fits in the modern life style because of it's simplicity and good design. That's why I like this embroidery. Sashiko has a huge possibility.

Photos of finished items will be coming soon. Please stay in touch. Have a great week everyone!

Crochet Shamrock Necklace Tutorial

We had a very quick spring storm this evening here in Michiana. It seems Spring is right around the corner. But I heard a weather forecast that says we are gonna have some snow in the end of March. I guess I need to wait sowing flowers in my yard awhile.

By the way, this post is about sharing the tutorial for making a crocheted necklace with shamrock (clover) motifs. I uploaded the tutorial here in my Flickr pool with a lot of pictures so it is supposed to be explicit pretty much. These are some photos of the necklaces I made last week. There is only one lucky crocheted four-leaves-shamrock hiding in each necklace:D It would be fun to embellish your finished product with beads and charms as well.

There is a couple ways to wear this necklace like what you can see in the pictures below.

I added some beads from my stash and it gave some more weight and character to the necklace.

 

A chart is included in the tutorial. It is written in Japanese manner (in English!). The pattern is very simple. You are going to use only three stitches for this project. Chain stitch, double crochet, and slip stitch. To see the chart,  please click the picture below.

I hope you enjoy the tutorial and finish your project soon. This item is perfect for a St.Paddy's day gift, or wearing with your Spring outfits. This project is also very handy and quick so you can carry them wherever you go and make more and more in short time! Right now I am making one in red shade. Changing color would make the item looks very different. Make your own one of a kind!

Happy Crocheting. Have a wonderful week!

Even if you are not Irish...

These jewelries are perfect for welcoming Spring and celebrating St.Patrick's day! I made lots of accessories themed shamrock (clover) for my consignment at Junk Evolution. There are embroidered pendants (the pendant tops measures only one inch!), lucky four leaves brooches, and crocheted lariats (necklaces). I feel Spring is just around the corner, and these items will bring you Spring breeze earlier. If you are in Michiana area, come to Junk Evolution and take a look! Even if you are not Irish.They are only available for a limited time! (Of course, if you are ND funs you'll have lots of chances to wear them all year around!)

 

There are some similar items in my Etsy shop. If you are interested please take a look!

 I am preparing to post the tutorial for making the crocheted lariat (necklace) in the photo above. Please stay toned if you wish to make it by yourself!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Shop Update / Crocheted frame purse and Shamrock brooch

I listed up a couple of new items in my Etsy shop. One is this pretty multicolored crocheted purse. I used Japanese wool yarn in seven colors for this little bag. Each side has different color combinations. This bag will be a perfect addition to your Spring wardrobe. Its fun and cute.

( The flower brooch in the photo above is sold separately.)

Another item is this for leaves clover (shamrock) brooch. It is made of felt and I stitched a little pattern on the leaves. This will be perfect for the St. Patrick's day.

We had a cold snowy Saturday. I hope Spring is around the corner. Do you feel any hints of Spring?