Red kimono clutch bag

 Wow! This red clutch bag is super stunning. It's made from a vintage Japanese cotton kimono fabric and makes the perfect gift for a friend.

The turquoise tassel is attached to the zipper pull and has been matched to the turquoise accents in the kimono fabric.

This pouch is the perfect size for all the essentials for a night out.

The bag is fully lined with a matching red cotton lining.

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Art therapy

As a professional textile designer, I spend my days designing patterns that are printed onto cotton and sold around the world. I feel very lucky to have a job where I am designing every day, but nowadays it's all done on the computer. When I first started designing textiles, all patterns were created with pencil and  paint and took a lot longer to do. I am happy that times have changed and the process is easier and quicker to create now, but I do still miss proper painting.

Last night I decided to get my paints out and try a spot of painting. It was so therapeutic! I'd forgotten how pleasing it was, squeezing out the paint from the tube and mixing it to the right consistency before bravely placing the first brush stroke onto the page.

I decided to paint one of the clutch bags from my collection and chose a bold red clutch made from a kimono fabric with blossom flowers on it. I started off by roughly drawing out the bag in pencil and then I slowly filled in the red areas around the white flowers, with a touch of yellow for the centres. It was finished off with some bold gold for the clasp.

Here is the original bag. You can find it in my store here.

Silk scarf

I've just added another scarf to my store. This one is made from vintage Japanese kimono pieces sewn together and comes in vibrant shades of red and cream. It has some stunning patterns in the mix and is long enough to wear around the neck a few times. You can find it in my store here.

Scarlet stunner

I've just added this double sided scarlet stunner to my store. It's a decorative scarf made from vintage Japanese kimono fabrics in a colour palette of reds and creams. On one side I have pieced together a variety of patterns and designs. On the other side I have used a red and cream kimono fabric that incorporates maple leaves, houses and a stream. It is mentioned in another post here.

The scarf is very decorative and bright and looks great draped around the neck.

It's 204 cm long which means it's long enough to go around the neck twice. Because it's double-sided, it looks great however you decide to drape it.

I love the vibrant red colour and have used a few fabrics that add some extra colour, such as yellow and green. You can see this in the chrysanthemum design and in the backing fabric.

Up close, you can see the delicacy of the design. The flowers below have a very light tint of pink, yellow and blue, but it's only been added in certain sections so as not to overwhelm the design with colour.

I love the stylised design of the chrysanthemums below, and the fact that some of them are coloured and some are just left as an outline.

You can find this beauty in my store here.

Sumptuous scarf

It's been a while since I've added to my scarf collection, but I've been quietly sewing away in my design studio and have finally created a few more! The first to be added to my store is this sumptuous red scarf which is made from vintage Japanese silk kimono fabrics in shades of red, pink and cream. It's long and thin and can be draped around the neck several times.

The reds are my favourite colours as they add such drama to an outfit.

My favourite part is choosing which fabrics are going to be used for each scarf.

I love the classic stork design, found in so much Japanese art and design. The stork is the symbol of longevity and good luck.

Some of the designs I have used show the traditional Japanese blossom design or a more stylised version of chrysanthemums.

You can find this stunning scarf in my store here.

Juicy threesome

I've had a little break in creating some of the large clutch bags, but now I'm back and have three juicy ones to showcase. Each one is made from a beautifully soft vintage kimono fabric, all of which I picked up on my last trip to Tokyo. I love the variety of colours and gave each one a suitably contrasting lining for a flash of colour when the bag is opened.

I love the smoky blue of the fabric on the clutch bag below, and its use of traditional Japanese motifs of maple leaves and blossom. It has a lovely contrasting mustard lining.

The fabric of the red blossom kimono clutch bag below is stunning! It has a rich brown lining and (like all the large clutch bags) a long chain that fits across the body or over the shoulder. It can also be tucked away if you'd rather not use the chain.

You can also find this fabric in one of my small clutch bags.

I do love the purple kimono fabric used on the clutch bag below! It is such a vibrant colour and the flowers have touches of gold on them. This bag has a fabulous golden yellow lining.

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.