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 2

Another gorgeously sunny day with bright blue skies, but pretty chilly! After a warming coffee at the Starbucks overlooking Shibuya crossing, we headed off to Shinagawa to check out the Sony archives.

It was really interesting to see how much influence Sony has had over technology over the years, such as the Walkman and the Discman. I especially liked these 1960s radios.

From Shinagawa, we headed round on the Yamamoto line to Nippori. I'm afraid a trip to Tokyo is not complete without a trip to Fabric Town in Nippori.

I started with a visit to Tomato, a fabulous fabric store on 5 floors. 

I bought some fun modern cotton fabrics there, and then crossed the road to a vintage kimono and obi shop.

I nearly always find at least a few items there and this time was no exception! I came out with three fabulously blingy obi fabrics and a beautiful kimono which will all be made up into clutch bags when I get home.

After a much needed lunch break at Mos Burger, we walked through Yanaka, visiting some of the temples and enjoying the atmosphere of Old Tokyo.

I love the calmness of the area and the serenity of the small graveyards, there's also an amazing choice of food options.

From Yanaka we got the train to Kuramae where I went to my favourite clasp shop.

The shop has been around for about 80 years and sells everything to do with bag-making. I stocked up on some more of the clasps that I use for my cosmetic bags.

After another much needed rest at the apartment, we headed out to Omotesando to meet my friend Michiko.

We ate scrumptious tempura washed down with warm sake. Yum!

Tokyo trip - Day three

I woke up this morning (having been able to sleep to a decent hour this time) to torrential rain! This was not good as I had planned a day of shopping, which is not conducive to having to cart around a brolly....

Anyway, I headed off to my first port of call, the clasp shop! It's a wholesale shop in Kuramae which has been around for over 80 years and is run by a group of little old men who play jazz and blue grass all day. The shop is packed full of all sorts of bag-making supplies and purse frames of all shapes and sizes. I headed there to pick up clasps for my cosmetic bags, but needless to say, I also found some other items in my foraging. This included these fab purse frames with a bobble detail.

I then headed to Nippori where there is an area called Fabric Town. Every shop sells fabric or fabric-related items and it's heaven for any fabric lover. I could have spent hours there but had limited time so headed to the best one, called Tomato. It spreads over five floors and has all sorts of fabric to choose from. I like to home in on their printed cottons and picked out some fab items for my cosmetic bags and purses.

These zebras are great and I love the bright red background. They will have a contrasting black and white polka dot lining.

Boston Terriers! How bloody cute?!

Two different types of glasses prints. These will be great for making glasses cases with.

I can't resist a cute kitty cat print and the dogs are pretty sweet too!

I then headed to Azabu-juban to meet three friends for lunch. We went to a lovely restaurant, Yasaiya Mei, that is vegetarian and sells fresh, seasonal food. I loved the display of greens on the counter as we entered.

What I love about Japan is the attention to small details. The chopstick-rest above is made from wood but designed to look like a slice of lotus root.

I chose a 'tendon' set lunch which includes a selection of scrumptious vegetable tempura on a bowl of rice.

After lunch we came across a shop selling rice crackers. I loved the brightly coloured, patterned packaging!

For dinner, I met up with a friend and we went for kaiten sushi ('conveyor belt sushi') in Shibuya. You choose your dishes by typing your order into an iPad in front of you and minutes later the order comes shooting along a track and stops right in front of you!

International Bazaar 2014

The International Bazaar is just days away now and I'm getting very excited! I head off to Tokyo tomorrow and it will be my first time back there in a year. It will be so lovely to see the city again, as well as catch up with good friends and do a bit of fabric shopping. I've already arranged to go to an antique market on Sunday (one of my favourites) and have trips to Tomato in Nippori planned (Tomato is a five storey fabric haven) as well as a visit to my favourite clasp shop in Kuramae.

I'll be selling my wares at the International Bazaar while I'm there. 

It will be held at the Tokyo American Club on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th November. There will be a great selection of items to choose from and it's a fab chance to stock up on christmas presents.

Please pop along if you are in that neck of the woods, it would be lovely to see you!