tiny happy

making journal

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Here are some things I made for my shop udpate today- I was inspired by two old kimonos from my fabric stash. The first was a very old (and fallen-apart) silky one that I bought from an opshop about 10 years ago- I finally used up the last pieces to make a couple of small cases. And I had another old kimono that I bought online, thinking i might use it as a dressing gown. When it arrived, some of the seams had come undone and the fabric was a bit too stiff to wear, so I made some bags from it instead. The fabric is a very dark blue, almost black, and features a lighter blue and red ikat pattern which I love. When making the larger bags I kept some of the original seams as features- in particular the hand-stitched seams because they are so neat and lovely.

Have you ever seen Sri Threads? I think it was a visit to this blog (recommended by my friend Rachelle) that got me all addicted to old Japanese textiles in the first place. The worn and careful beauty of them. This piece in particular.

Hope your day is going well so far. See you again tomorrow.

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12 responses to “japanese-inspired”

  1. Tammie Avatar

    these are all beautiful~

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  2. Mary Avatar
    Mary

    Lovely.
    I’ve found gorgeous washi and origami papers from a lovely napier shop http://www.raku.com run by the lovely and responsive Kento and Aki. A colleague used to live there and told me about it. They’ve got 20% off on Saturday even for online orders….I’m going to be tempted. I’ve just bought the papers and been thrilled, but I know they have fabric and ALL sorts of amazing things – I was reminded of a post of yours when I saw an ashiko bag…. best wishes Mary

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  3. Mary Avatar
    Mary

    oops I mean raku.co.nz 😉

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  4. Mona Avatar

    Beautiful bags! Popped into the shop because I wanted the green one badly – but it was already gone!! … perhaps it caused by living in the northern hemisphere, we get up too late 😉

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  5. tinyhappy Avatar

    thanks, mona! sorry your favourite was gone. 😉

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  6. tinyhappy Avatar

    thanks for that mary, what a lovely shop!

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  7. caireen Avatar

    Hi M! I LOVE japanese textile work, there was an exhib here showing firemens jackets, they were layered + stitched together with sashiko + soaked in water before they went into a fire.. the symbols were for protection. I love that the textiles have a story. Lovely work in your shop as ever! Cxx

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  8. Margaret Oomen Avatar

    this is one of my happy places
    and i love siri threads blog

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  9. phentermine Avatar

    Hello everyone i am completely new to this blogs.
    Interested in learning many new things. Hope we all will share our
    knowledge and talk about different concepts in this blog.

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  10. Kevie Avatar

    Such beautiful things as always- I love using vintage fabrics too. A vintage kimono seems so romantic, I love that the stunning fabric is being given a new lease of life!

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  11. Anna Avatar
    Anna

    I have a stunning old (antique?) silk kimono I bought for $30 in a Mt Isa op-shop. I would love to know its history up to there. It is all hand-stitched and even signed with embroidery. Perhaps I should do some research! Best wishes.

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  12. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    You might know about this shop already, but if not, next time you are in Wellington you should check out Asia Gallery in Kilbirnie–it is literally jam-packed with old kimonos and other japanese textiles. And their prices are fairly reasonable, too. I’ve bought quite a few pieces from there to use in sewing projects.

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