Kimono purse

 I have a lot of products in my Etsy shop that are made from vintage Japanese kimono fabrics. I lived in Tokyo for four years and during that time I collected a lot of fabrics, from fabulous stores around Tokyo but also from the many antique markets that I went to, that were often held in the grounds of shrines. I make scarves and clutch bags with these fabrics, but I inevitably have leftover pieces that I keep and make into fabulous little patchwork purses. Each purse is totally unique and uses kimono fabrics in a similar colour palette. This purse uses kimonos in shades of purple and pink.

The purse is lightly padded and has a purple cotton lining. It's perfect for using as a handbag organiser or as a mini travel bag to store all your essentials in.

It has a purple zipper closure and a purple tassel on the zipper pull.

The reverse side of the purse also includes two pretty pink kimono fabrics.

This purse could also be used as a mini makeup bag. The bright colour makes it was not find in your bag. This purse would make a great gift for a Japan lover.

You can find it in my Etsy shop here.

Narcissus

One of the drawing challenges for last year from The Tuesday Collective on Instagram was 'narcissus'. At first I was a bit stuck on what to draw as I didn't want to draw a typical narcissus flower. After a bit of research online, I decided to draw this narcissus shirt from Luv Boutique. It uses a stylised paper-cut style print and is printed onto a stunning black background.

The colour palette for this illustration uses bold tones of green, red and blue.

The shirt is from Luv Boutique and is made from cotton. It has a beautiful bold print in the style of Matisse paper cut art. I love the voluminous sleeves!

Blue bunting

Bunting is a fun way of decorating the home and I have a great selection of bunting in my Etsy shop. This bunting is made up for lego blocks mixed with a blue and white polka dot fabric.

Each flag is double-sided and made from 100% cotton, so machine washable too. It would make a great decoration for a party, or for a kid's bedroom.

The blocks print is made up of tones of blue with the odd cream block too.

This bunting is fun and bright. You can find more bunting in my Etsy shop here.

 

Veggies

 I have a lot of veggie designs in my Spoonflower shop! It started with this vegetable print that includes all sorts of veggies that you might find in an allotment. I loved the bright colour palette of the scarlet red tomatoes, vibrant orange carrots and bright green of the beans and broccoli. Putting it on a teal background enhanced the colours even more.

I then decided to isolate dome of my favourite vegetables. In this carrot print the carrots stand to attention in wobbly rows, creating a stripe design.

Radishes a re such a stunning colour and have pretty green leaves. The brown background of this radish print shows off their colours beautifully.

The vegetable print can also be found on a white background, which is clean and fresh.

And last, but not least, the pretty pea design!

All of these patterns can be found in my Spoonflower shop on a wide variety of fabrics which are great for using in home sewing projects. The linen cotton canvas option is great for using as tea towels or cushion covers. The cotton lawn is great for dressmaking, and the cotton sateen makes a great napkins and tablecloths. If you don't fancy getting creative there is also a wide selection of ready-made items.

Yellow bunting

 I'm gradually building up a selection of bunting in my Etsy shop. This version uses a colour palette of mustard yellows and white.

The main fabric of this bunting is a fabulous vintage 1970s fabric made from a stylised floral print in shades of mustard, brown and green on a white background. I picked up this fabric from an antique market and think it looks great as bunting. It could be used to decorate the home or a kid's bedroom, or would be great for decorating a party.

Each floral flag alternates with a mustard yellow cotton flag. One is a dark mustard...

... and the other is a light mustard.

Each flag is double sided and is made from 100% cotton so machine washable too.

Find more bunting in my Etsy shop here.

Pretty pinks

I have a wide selection of pretty pink prints available in my Spoonflower shop, in a wide variety of themes, from candies and ice creams to seashells and florals. Here is a little taster of what you can find.

This rather psychedelic design is called Lollipop Land and consists to tempting lollipops surrounded by clouds and sunburst in a vibrant pink colour palette.

I love it on this cushion cover, which would look great in a kid's bedroom.

Ice creams are a great way of adding fun and colour to a print. These ones are covered in sprinkles and lollipops and come in flavours of strawberry, chocolate and mint.

You can buy ice cream fabric by-the-metre in a wide variety of fabric choices. It would look great as a 1950s-inspired summer skirt.

Stylised crystals come in a variety of bright colours and are surrounded by tonal glittering stars.

This would look great on a throw blanket. It comes in a soft minky finish or a performance velvet finish and ti perfect of keeping cosy on long winter nights.

 

Torii Gates tissue holder

Keep the winter sniffles at bay with this cute little tissue holder made from a Torii gates fabric. Torii gates are the bright orange structures found at the entrance to shrines in Japan. They are stunning structures and make a great print idea. This fabric was bought in Japan and makes a great gift for a Japan lover.

The tissue holder made from 100% cotton and is machine washable. The lining is made from an orange and white polka dot fabric that comeplements the outer print perfectly.

The tissue holder is big enough to fit a travel size pack of tissues and is easy to find in your bag.

It makes a great birthday gift or get-well-soon gift for someone special.

 

I lived in Tokyo for four years (over ten years ago now) and have very fond memories of my time there. Japan still has a lasting effect on me and many of the products I sell in my Etsy shop are made using Japanese fabrics or are inspired by Japanese design. While I was living there, I managed to travel around Japan a bit and went to Kyoto several times. One time was with my parents, when they came to visit me from the UK. We spent a few days enjoying the city and seeing the sights.

One of the most impressive sights was the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine that has hundreds of stunning orange tori gates that form a tunnel up the 233 metre mountain.

The temple is dedicated to the rice god Inari and many local business pay to have a torii gate added to this stunning sight.

Visitors can write prayers, wishes or thanks on the back of these 'ema' which are wooden plaques in the shape of fox heads. They can also draw a face on the front of the plaque.

Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist shrine has stunning views of Kyoto.

It's great to go in blossom season when all the trees are in full bloom.

Geisha in the Gion district stroll the streets in brightly coloured kimonos with bold designs.

The Arashiyama forest consists of avenues of bamboo, that are very tall and tightly packed.

We came across these women in the forest, wearing stunning kimonos.

You can read more about my time in Toyo on my blog here.

Funky ladies cosmetic bag

This zipper pouch is made from a fabulous funky ladies print and would make a great gift for someone special. Its's available in my Etsy shop and is perfect for using as a handbag organiser or gadget pouch. 

The zipper pouch is lightly padded and lined in a blue cotton fabric. It's made from 100% cotton and is machine washable so any spills can be easily cleaned.

This makes a great handbag organiser where any small items in your bag can be safely kept. The bold print means that it's easy to find in your bag too.

This zipper pouch also has a matching glasses case, a great gift combo for the funky lady in your life!

Beautiful beetles

'Beetles' was the prompt word for one of the drawing challenges from The Tuesday Collective on Instagram recently, so I decided to work up this colourful beetle design into a repeat pattern. Each beetle has a stylised pattern on it and a variety of colours that make it sing! To top it off, I used a rich teal background to help the colours jump out. I'm looking forward to adding this print to my Spoonfliwer shop soon. Watch this space! 

The colour palette I chose was a rich jewel tones palette of reds, oranges, yellow and pinks. It was a lot of fun to work with.

Kimono fabric scraps

 I have a wide selection of fabric scraps for sale in my Etsy shop. I've divided them up into colour stories and this one comes in shades of pink, purple and cream. Each one is a vintage kimono fabric piece, some are florals, some are geometric and some are plain. They are perfect for using sewing projects such as quilting or patchwork.

This burgundy kimono fabric has an ikat stripe running through it.

Two pretty floral kimono fabrics in complimentary colours.

A stunning rose motif using the kasuri weaving technique where the threads are dyed before they are woven.

Stunning geometric kimono fabric in a deep pink and white colour palette.