Stork scarf

 I love making scarves for my Etsy shop and this one was especially fun to make. I love the dramatic stork design and loved combining it with the red border on either end of the scarf. Both fabrics come from vintage Japanese kimonos which I have pieced together to create something new and dramatic.

The main print of this scarf comes from a cotton kimono and it was used for the sleeves of the kimono. The storks are on a dramatic sage green colour background. The red fabric comes form a different kimono and has a soft geometric design.

For the back of the scarf I used a vintage black kimono fabric that adds drama to the bright colours.

Touches of orange leaves and berries contrast with the green of the background.

The scarf makes a great addition to any outfit and would make a great gift for a Japanophile. All items are gift wrapped in pink tissue paper and can be sent straight to their recipient with an option gift message included.

Japanese cranes

Each year I design a Japanese-inspired collection for Makower UK. One of the most recent ones was called Michiko and included this crane design which comes on a vibrant red background.

The bag has a red zipper closure, is fully lined and lightly padded.

Use this gorgeous little pouch as a makeup bag, gadget pouch or pencil case.

The perfect birthday gift for someone special.

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Kimono scarf

Here's a little something to brighten your day! It's a stunning silk scarf made from vintage kimono pieces stitched together. For this scarf I chose gorgeous shades of pink, red and cream and the images include stylised chrysanthemums and striking storks. This scarf can be draped around the neck or used as a wrap around the shoulders and is the perfect accessory for a little black dress. Pair it with a Cheeky Leopard clutch bag or a funky kimono cuff bracelet and you're good to go!

You can find it in my store here.

Kimono handbag

Last Sunday afternoon was a typical English rainy afternoon and perfect for staying at home and playing with fabric, which is exactly what I did! I managed to rustle up this little kimono handbag to go with the one I made last week. I love piecing together different kimono fabrics to create a mix of prints and colours that work together. I felt the bag needed a bright lining so gave it a vibrant yellow cotton inside and I used a pink and red obijime for the strap. The bag has a hidden magnetic snap closure to keep everything safe.

You can see both handbags on my Etsy store here.

It's countdown time!

Oh my goodness, I just realised that in three weeks time I will be in Tokyo!!!!! How exciting?! It's also a bit nerve wracking as it means that I now have a limited time to get all my bags ready for the show.

I will be selling my wares at the International Bazaar, which is held at the Tokyo American Club on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th of November. It's a show that I have done for the past five years and I love doing it as it means that I get to see old customers, meet new customers and catch up with the lovely friends I made whilst living in Tokyo. Of course I also plan to do a fair amount of shopping and am looking forward to coming back to the UK with a collection of new kimono and obi fabrics to play with. The Oedo antique market will be on while I'm there and it's one of my favourite markets, held in the grounds of the International Forum.

Here's a little taster of what I will be taking to sell at the International bazaar. Each item shown here will be exclusive to the bazaar only. Each has a Japanese influence and most of them are made from tenegui fabrics that I collected whilst living in Tokyo.

 These three coin purses are all in shades of blue and depict traditional Japanese images including a fan and lucky cat on the front purse, storks on the middle purse and sumo wrestlers on the back purse. Check out those buttocks!

 I couldn't resist this panda fabric and gave it a black and white spotty lining. The middle purse shows aikido fighters (I also have a purse made from ninja fabric!) and the back purse has chopsticks and rice spoons on it.

I love this fabric depicting kokeshi dolls. Kokeshi dolls were something that I enjoyed collecting whilst living in Tokyo and I have a lovely little collection of them. This fabric is bright red and has a black and white lining. The purse at the back is a tenegui fabric used for Kodomo no Hi (Children's Day) and has a sweet, simple image of a boy and girl on it. The inside has a blue and white spotty lining.

I have also made some kimono fabric purses and will be mentioning those on my blog in the next few days.