Fabric Friday

I've been going through some of the kimono fabrics I bought whilst in Tokyo in November and I have to confess, they make my heart sing! I also have to confess to stroking them lovingly every now and then. The past few months have been pretty hectic for me, but I am slowly getting back on track, going through my fabrics and getting inspired to make some new clutch bags! Seeing these beautiful fabrics simply renews my inspiration to get sewing.

The two fabrics above are beautiful in their simplicity and have quite a modern feel.

The fabric above is beautifully soft and has been printed onto a silk that has a geometric design woven into it. I love the classic simplified blossom design, as well as the injection of teal.

The red fabric above has a stunning blossom design on it. I love the composition, where much of the cloth remains design-free. This is a characteristic of Japanese design were less is more.

In contrast to the red fabric, this one above is much more subdued and has a lovely soft denim coloured ground. It uses a classic Japanese design of maple leaves combined with blossom.

I love the modern colour feel of the vintage kimono piece above. As a designer, I am always looking for new colour combinations. I love the mustard yellow, teal and pink all thrown confidently onto a deep red ground! I would never have thought of using a combination like this.

Purple is always one of my favourite kimono colours, but is hard to come by. This is a close up of a kimono piece that includes burnt orange as a wonderful colour injection.

I bought the fabric above for its composition, but also for its colour scheme. The indigo blossom sits confidently on top of the soft pink blossoms, which overlap in varying shades of pink to create depth.

Black can be stunning and is always a popular colour for clutch bags. The added beauty in this fabric is the blossom print in shades of orange and cream.

Last, but not least, this vibrant kimono fabric! Check out that blossom design. Luckily I have a lot of this fabric as I plan to make some fab clutch bags in a variety of sizes.

Fabric Friday

There's nothing like a new year to encourage a bit of fabric sorting and that's what I've been doing today. It's been lovely to rediscover some gems I had hidden away as well as, rather painfully, getting rid of items that are no longer needed. Hopefully they will find a new home and be made into something fabulous!

Today I'm focusing on the kimono fabrics which are so pretty and soft to play with. I tend to home in on the brighter colours and have quite a melange of prints and styles.

Most of my fabrics are kept in boxes, so it's really nice to pour them all out onto the floor of my studio and have a good rummage through them. It's amazing what you can find!

The two silk kimono pieces above are so pretty and use typical Japanese images. The fabric on the left combines blossom with bush clover and is placed on a soft cream ground. I'm pretty sure it would have originally been used as an undergarment. The fabric on the right is a stunning red and cream stork design and would have made quite a statement as a kimono!

These two kimonos are made of cotton and I've been loathe to cut them up. I'm not sure what to make them into yet, but think the stork design would look beautiful on an iPad case and would be something quite different.

This kimono is quite small so I think it may have been a child's kimono.

It's hard to think that these two kimono pieces are vintage when you look at the neon yellow and hot pink used in them! They have such a modern feel to them.

I love the hot pink flowers on the soft grey ground.

Fave fabric Friday

This week's fabric choice is another beautiful kimono, in a stunning shade of purple. I love the vibrant colour, but also the loosely painted floral which has a 1950s feel.

Fave Fabric Friday

I always gravitate towards the kimono fabrics and this week's favourite fabric is a beautiful red silk kimono piece that I have had for a while but am loathe to cut up. I bought it at Gallery Kawano, one of my favourite kimono shops in Tokyo, tucked down the backstreets of Omotesando. The pieces are good quality and displayed in colour sections. It was always a pleasure to go there and forage for a while, serenaded by the jazz music they play in the background. This was often followed by a trip to Omotesando Koffee, the best coffee in Tokyo, served up in a 60 year old Japanese house.

This kimono piece combines classic Japanese images of flying storks and blossom sprigs, two delicate motifs on a vibrant red ground. I love the fact that negative space plays just as an important role as the design itself in Japanese art, and this has been used to great effect here. Instead of cutting it up, I may use it as inspiration for a new fabric design group I am in the process of creating.