Tracheostomy covers

 I never thought I'd say this, but I have a great line of tracheostomy covers in my store! I first started making them when a customer approached me and asked if I could make some custom covers for her. I'd never heard of them before, but after a bit of research I realised they were pretty simple to make.

I made three for this particular customer and since then I have been adding more to my store.

I try to make the covers quite subtle and tend to use unisex fabrics that are not too bright.

This selection of covers are all made from blue Japanese cotton fabrics.

Each cover has a button and elastic loop closure and each is double sided, with top-stitching to finish it off and keep it neat.

You can find more tracheotomy covers in my store here.

Pretty in pink

I've made quite a few items out of this stunning pink floral Japanese cotton fabric, it's so summery and fun. Mix and match it with a choice of cosmetic bag, key fob wristlet and summer headband - a great gift for someone special, or to keep for yourself!

The cosmetic bag is lightly padded and has a red zipper closure. I love the soft pink and white polka dot lining. This is a great size as a travel bag or gadget pouch.

The key fob is strengthened with interfacing, is top stitched and uses a metal fixture with keyring attached.

The wristlet fits easily round the wrist, in your pocket or in your handbag and the bright colour means it's easy to find.

The summer headband uses a plastic rigid inner band to keep its shape.

It has a detachable bow so that you can change the look depending on your mood.

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Japanese cosmetic bag

 I designed this Japanese-inspired fabric for Makower a while ago and I’m so proud of it! It was designed as part of a collection called Michiko, inspired by the kimono fabrics of Japan and this particular fabric includes chrysanthemums, blossom, bamboo and cranes on a rich blue background. I have now made it up into a really pleasing cosmetic bag.

This bag would be great as a travel bag. Use it in your carry-on bag to store passport, sunglasses, money etc or use it to store delicate items such as jewellery in your suitcase.

The bag is lightly padded and has a blue zipper closure to keep everything safe.

I love the contrasting polka dot lining for a flash of red when the bag is opened.

I like to use mine as a gadget pouch or handbag organiser.

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Key fob wristlets

 I'm always looking for new product ideas for my store and the latest additions are these fabric key fob wristlets. They are made from Japanese-inspired cottons and come in bright colours that make them easy to find.

The interior of each wristlet uses an iron-on interfacing which means that they keep their shape and fit easily around the wrist.

Perfect for carrying around your wrist or could easily fit in your pocket. Their bright colours also mean that they are easy to find in your handbag.

This makes a great birthday present for a friend. Team it with other Cheeky Leopard items in similar fabrics. These key fobs have matching face masks.

Each wristlet has been top stitched and uses a good quality silver D-ring and key ring loop.

You'll never lose your keys with his bright accessory!

Each wristlet uses a Japanese motif, such as a pretty blossom print or maple leaves and bamboo.

This turquoise background has a lovely fresh feel to it.

Japanese face masks

Whilst living in Japan, I amassed a wealth of fabrics and I have quite a hearty collection. Many of the fabrics I bought were beautiful kimono fabrics that I made into clutch bags and purses. But I also gravitated towards the wonderful array of cotton fabrics on offer. There were so many choices and there is even an area in Tokyo called Fabric Town which is in Nippori, north of the city. The best shop was called Tomato, a fabric haven that spread over 5 floors, but along the same street there were a selection of smaller stores which often had hidden gems in them. Along my way, I picked up these two fabulous fabrics - a sumo wrestler fabric and a Mount Fuji fabric which I have now made into washable, reusable cotton face masks.

I love the sweet sketchy feel of these jostling sumo on a fab mustard yellow ground.

Each mask is double sided so that you can use either side depending on your mood. The back of the mask has a contrasting dark grey crosshatch fabric and there are two black elastic loops.

I love the fresh blue of the Mount Fuji fabric and its simple design.

This mask has two white elastic loops to put around the ears.

For the back of this mask I chose a red and white spotty fabric to match the red of the sun in the Mount Fuji fabric.

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Blue and gold

I bought this luscious blue and gold fabric a while ago and have been wondering what to do with it. I love the combination of the indigo blue, mixed with the cream and gold of the bold, stylised chrysanthemums.

 This floral design is a classic Japanese motif, but it has been modernised using scale and colour. I love the colour combination and the touches of teal outline here and there.

 Of course, I knew pretty early on that this fabric would be perfect for making into one of my clutch bags. It fits beautifully with the rest of my collection and really is stunning!

This bag needed a stunning lining to match the exterior and I found the perfect match, a bright acid green cotton that adds a flash of colour when the bag is opened.

This clutch bag can be worn with a little black dress for a glamorous night out or dress it down and wear it with a pair of jeans and a smart jacket.

You can find it in my store here.

Something fishy

Yesterday I mentioned some fishy little sweets I'd been given. These inspired me to make some fishy items for my store, and here they are! It's a coin purse and tissue holder combo, made from a gorgeous little Japanese cotton blue and white fish and bubbles design. I decided to give it a contrasting red and white spotty lining for a flash of colour.

Can you spot the little red fish amongst the bubbles?

I decided to give it a contrasting red and white spotty lining.

You can find them both in my store here.

Fabric Friday

This Friday I'd like to mention a pretty Japanese cotton that I've had in my collection for a while. I love its vibrant purple colour and the pretty blossom design that reminds me of spring. This fabric has  recently been used for a custom order I had through my shop. A lovely customer from Derbyshire liked my fabric cuff bracelets but needed one that was a bit wider. She gave me the dimensions she required and the type of colours that she liked and I decided to go with the combination below.

The blossom fabric has touches of pink, yellow and turquoise and I chose a lovely turquoise blue cotton to use for the back of the cuff. I like to match the backing colour to an accent colour from the main design.

This cuff is thicker in width than the other cuffs I have made, and I really like it! I'm planning to make more in this width over the next few weeks.

 The cuff is held closed with a button and elastic loop closure. I covered the button with vintage kimono fabric in a matching red and green leaf combo.

You can find more cuff bracelets in my store here.

Japanese cuties' big sister

A while ago I mentioned these fab little Japanese cuties on my blog. They are coin purses made from a fabric with cute little Japanese girls on.

The red and blue ones sold at the International Bazaar in Tokyo recently, but the cream purse is still available in my store, so I decided to create a big sister to go with it!

The 'big sister' is the cosmetic bag size and is a great size for storing makeup. It could also be used as a gadget pouch for storing chargers, or makes a great handbag organiser.

I've given this purse a bold black and white polka dot lining as a contrast to the outer fabric.

You can find this cutie in my store here.

Fabric finds

So, after a fabulous and manic trip to Tokyo, I am now safely back home. My case is unpacked, clothes are being washed and I am back at work. But I'm still going through the stash of fabric I managed to buy when I was there.

A big reason for going to Tokyo was to sell my bags at the International Bazaar, but another reason was to stock up on more fabric for my collection. Tokyo is great for its vintage kimono and obi fabrics that can be found at the endless antique markets and shops around the city, but it is also a haven for any fabric lover. Its supply of fabric shops, most of which can be found in the aptly-named Fabric Town in Nippori, would keep any fabric addict happy for a very long time! My favourite shop is Tomato, a haven that is comprised of five floors! Each floor focuses on a different fabric type, cottons on one floor, silks on another, with bargains on the ground floor - this is the busiest floor and some gems can be found there with a degree of foraging and polite elbowing.

These two cottons caught my eye for their vibrant colours and fun themes. Pineapples are a popular image and I liked the juicy turquoise ground and loose rendering of the fabric above. I loved the sunny yellow ground of the origami birds below, with the odd addition of pink to break it up.

Another sunny fabric is this blossom design below. You can't get much brighter than this yellow and red combination which has touches of gold in the centre of the flowers. It will work well on both clutch bags and cosmetic bags and I see a vibrant red lining working very well with this design.

This cat fabric below was a must. Cats are very popular and this fabric would be fab made up into cosmetic bags and coin purses, or even a tote bag. Here and there is a silhouette in gold.

On top of finding new designs, I also like to buy more of the designs that have been popular for me. One of those is the stork fabric below that I have used for clutch bags and cosmetic bags in the past. It's a furoshiki fabric and is a lovely graphic design of storks in flight. I will use a red lining to match the red of the stork's beaks.

The other fabric I often pick up is a furoshiki fabric with happi coats on. It's such a typical Japanese image depicted in a very fun, graphic way. This will also have a red lining.

Along with a number of stunning obi fabrics I bought, which I mentioned in a blog post while I was there, I also bought some pretty vintage kimono fabrics. These are much finer and softer than the obi fabrics and have a totally different feel. I tend to home in on the vibrantly-coloured kimono fabrics and this one below is such a fun one in vibrant reds, greens and purples, using traditional stylised images of chrysanthemums and leaves.

The kimono piece below is slightly more subdued for me, but I loved the design and combination of flowers and bamboo.

On top of the multi coloured kimono fabrics, I also like the black and white versions and picked up two pieces that I liked. The stylised chrysanthemum is a nice allover design and I like the touches of orange and mustard in the centre of the flower here and there. The butterflies would work well with a contrasting colour, maybe a vibrant obi fabric?! Watch this space.....