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.....

Tokyo - Day 5

It was the last day of the International Bazaar today. We finished at 2pm and after packing up and saying sad goodbyes to the dear friends I've made there, we headed off to enjoy our last day and a half in Tokyo. The first stop was food and we dipped into another ramen restaurant in Shibuya for some dipping noodles and gyoza....

...and then round the corner for a spot of karaoke, a great stress buster!

All the 80s classics came out including Culture Club and Madonna.

Then on to the Mori Tower in Roppongi to check out an exhibition, and the view from the 52nd floor. It has a pretty stunning view of Tokyo Tower.

From there we headed down the road to meet a dear friend, Tatsuya. He took us to a very authentic Japanese restaurant where every course was a work of art.

Tokyo - Day 3

After a leisurely breakfast I headed into the Tokyo American Club to set up my stall. It's always lovely to see the friends I have made there over the years, and it makes it all so much more special.

It's also great seeing my bags on display. The colours are stunning and work so well together - like a box of jewels!

After setting up my stall, we walked to Roppongi to seek out some tonkatsu (breaded pork) at Tokyo Midtown. The pork has a lovely thick dipping sauce and comes with shredded cabbage which you can smother with sesame dressing.

After fuelling up we headed back to Omotesando to check out the mayhem of Kiddy Land and of course I couldn't pass the Oriental Bazaar without having a quick look. Needless to say, I came out with a purchase! This stunning green and gold obi.

I was pretty impressed with these samurai suits too, but won't be taking one home with me.....

After an evening of selling at the International Bazaar, we headed to Gonpachi for food.

We loved the deep fried shredded squid and yakitori chicken.

I'm here!

Yes I'm here! Back in Tokyo and loving it. Staying in a fab little Airbnb apartment in the heart of Shibuya. We didn't get here until 9pm, so dumped our bags and then headed out in search of food.

Shibuya was busy as ever with people out and about, enjoying themselves. There are so many food options in Shibuya, but we headed to a little ramen place I know of that has a limited but tasty menu.

You choose your food at the vending machine at the front of the restaurant. Once you've paid for it, it prints out a ticket which you give to the chef. He then cooks it up and brings it over. Washed down with a nice cold beer.

As we meandered back to the apartment we came across one of these photo booths and had to try it out. Not sure about the dubious name though! We've come home with some strangely digitally enhanced cutesy photos of ourselves!

Countdown time!

I'm heading off to Tokyo this evening and it's now countdown time to the annual International Bazaar at the Tokyo American Club where I will be selling my wares! If you're in the area, please pop down to say hi and check out my beautiful clutch bags.

I will be there November 9th (10am to 8pm) and 10th (10am to 2pm).

You can see a selection of bags that will be on sale below, all hot off the press and ready to be snapped up!

Each of these bags is made from a stunning vintage obi fabric. The obi is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono and the design is often woven in stunning colours.

All of the fabrics used for these bags have a lot of gold which adds a special sparked to each one and would be the perfect accessory to a christmas party dress.

I decided to add a fittingly bright lining to each bag so that there is a flash of colour when the bag is opened. I like to match it to an accent colour on the fabric of the outside of the bag.

If these bags don't sell in Tokyo, I will be listing them on my Etsy store on my return.

Watch this space!

Tokyo trip - Day five

Today I spent 12 hours manning my stall at the International Bazaar at the Tokyo Anerican club! It's been a long day but well worth it. I sold lots of bags and got to catch up with familiar faces as well as meet some new ones too. Thanks to everyone who came along and supported me! I will be there again tomorrow from 10am to 2pm. Here's to another fruitful day.

Tokyo trip - Day one

Well, after quite a while of not posting on my blog, I should have quite a lot to talk about as I am now on my annual trip to Tokyo! I really have hit the ground running, and with limited time to fit in everything I want to do, it just has to be done. I easily found my way from the airport to my new home for the next week, a lovely little apartment in Shibuya found through Airbnb. 

I dumped my suitcases, had a quick shower and then headed out to Roppongi Hills to meet up with my friend Tatsuya to see an exhibition of Takashi Murakami's work. He is heavily influenced by anime art and works on grand scales and in vibrant colours.

After a scrumptious meal of juicy tonkatsu (deep fried breaded pork) we headed over to Blue Note, old school-style supper club, to see the wonderful Kamasi Washington and his band play a mix of jazz, funk soul and all sorts in between!

The evening ended with the obligatory bustle through Shibuya where the hordes came out en masse to celebrate Halloween. It was fun to see all the random costumes but I have to say, I was glad to get back to the safety of my lovely little apartment and the comfort of my bed!

Shine like a star

When I lived in Tokyo I bought most of my clasps from a store in Kuramae. It's been there for over 80 years and is an unassuming shop nestled in the wholesale area. The majority of the people who work there are older men, who are always very friendly and helpful and like to listen to jazz. There is always something interesting playing on the radio and everyone is industriously sorting out orders and packaging things up. The shop itself is jammed full of all manner of fixings for bag making and quite a treasure trove for any bag-making enthusiast. I wouldn't have a clue what to do with most of the items there, and sadly my limited Japanese prevented me from ever learning about them. It was always a pleasure to make the trek across town, usually on their discount days when the store was heaving and all customers received 10% off their order. I aways stocked up on a load of purse frames, most of which you can see being used in my store.

While I was visiting Tokyo last November, I paid a visit to the shop and stocked up on clasps. This time I bought some beautiful purse frames with a star detail on the clasp and here is the first one I've made up. I decided to use a blue and white star fabric to match the star of the clasp. I sadly only bought four of these, so will have to be very careful with what fabrics I choose!

You can find this little cutie in my store here.

This could be used as a large coin purse or a small handbag.

 

The red and white polka dot lining compliments the outer star fabric perfectly!

The purse has a detachable chain handle.

Sky Tree trip

The building of the Sky Tree was started when we were living in Tokyo and finished not long before we left. I'd never managed to go up there before we left Tokyo, so Tatsuya and I ventured up there for my last evening for stunning views and a cocktail.