Going for gold

When I lived in Tokyo I collected a lot of Japanese fabrics including kimonos and obis. The obi is the 'belt' that goes around the kimono and it often comes in bright colours and bold designs. They are perfect for making into clutch bags that make a statement and stand out from the crowd.

This clutch bag is made from a combination of obi fabrics that I bought whilst living in Tokyo. I love the combination of design - giant chrysanthemums mixed with an organic geometric in shades of red, white and gold.

The zipper pull has a white tassel attached to it.

The bag is fully lined with a red and white polka dot fabric and has a red zipper closure.

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Going for gold

I've been getting rather busy with the tote bags recently and have just added another beauty to my store. This one is made from a vintage obi fabric and is pretty stunning with its mix of terracotta, green and orange, mixed in with the all-essential metallic gold. It makes quite a statement and could just as easily be used for a shopping trip as it could be for a big night out. It has two sturdy canvas shoulder straps, a vibrant orange lining and a gold metallic snap closure to keep everything safe.

You can find it in my store here.

Shades of green

Over the past few days I've been adding some stunning green clutch bags to my store. They are all made from Chinese silk fabrics that I bought in New York in the summer. Each one is a slightly different shade of green and vary from luxurious emeralds to rich olives. I've also added a suitably bright lining to each bag so that there is a flash of colour when the bag is opened.

You can find all these beauties in my Etsy store.

The fabrics remind me of some of the fabrics seen at the recent Dries Van Noten show in Paris.

I love the bamboo design of the clutch above and matched the yellow lining

to the yellow of the leaves in the design.

The clutch below has a stunning magenta pink lining, one of my favourite colours.

The clutch below is a stunning shade of emerald green and has a stylised peacock feather motif.

A bit of bling for a Wednesday afternoon

Check out the stunner that I just added to my store. It's made from a vintage Japanese obi fabric - the 'belt' that goes around the kimono. It's a vibrant decorative design in shades of green, gold, red and orange and has a fab bright lining to add a flash of colour to the inside. The clutch also has a detachable chain handle, so can be worn as handbag as well.

You can find it in my store here.

Three little gems

I've just added these three little gems to my Etsy store. Each one is made from obi fabric and has a vibrant lining to compliment the outer fabric.

You can find them in my store here.

Autumn in New York

'Autumn in New York' by silverypear

Take me back please, any season at all ...

My clutch bag was just featured in this gorgeous treasury about my favourite city in the world!

Click on any image to find out more.

YollaKlea $69.00	boorashka $20.00	GoingUndergrou... $49.00	cheekyleopard $70.00
TyssHandmadeJe... $11.90	laresident $235.00	MoonHalo $89.00	PhotosByMiko $30.00
SeaPinks $14.00	Raceytay $15.00	OhBIJOUXpt $22.00	ninibellebouti... $19.50
AtelierDeSoyun $35.00	CatShyCrafts $15.00	SkinnyandBerni... $70.00	TheSlyFox $53.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Jewel tones

Yesterday I added this rather juicy kimono clutch bag to my Etsy store. I love the rich blue and green jewel tones and added a vibrant green lining to compliment the bamboo print.

You can find it here.

Blue and white

On sunday, we headed east on the Hanzomon line to see a blue and white exhibition arranged by an American woman who has been collecting blue and white Japanese fabrics for 40 years. Most of her collection consisted of boro items, which are clothes that were worn by workers such as farmers, who dyed their cloth with indigo dye, thought to ward off insects. Whenever the cloth wore out, they patched up the hole with another piece of indigo fabric and over time, the clothing item became this amazing, organic patchwork. There were some beautiful pieces there, all displayed in a rugged warehouse along the river.

I have loved these items ever since I moved to Japan, and a few of my clutch bags have been influenced by them. I only have one in the collection now, but have been inspired to make more. You can see it here.

A short boro jacket.

A long kimono-style boro item.

Sashiko stitching was often used to create a beautiful, intricate design.

A Cheeky Leopard bag inspired by the boro clothing.

Cute kimono clutches

I've just added these kimono clutch bags to my Etsy store. They are something I've been meaning to make for a while now and are smaller than the clutch bags I usually make. I wanted to produce something slightly more compact, but that still used the beautiful kimono fabrics that I have in my stash. The result is a cute evening bag in a selection of vibrant colours that can also be used as a cosmetic bag or handbag organiser.

You can check out the selection here.