Monthly Archives: September 2014

Joielinne2 Autumn

Perfect fabric for clothing to small items!

Familiar to the readers of this column, Joielinne is a series created to feature “fabrics that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family.” Continued from our July introduction of the gauze fabric, new lineup is featured today. This includes a brushed cotton flannel perfect for the upcoming season, a corduroy fabric suited for making a shirt or a skirt, and a #11 canvas, popular for making bags and small items.

Owl  P29800-800  Brushed Cotton Flannel
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This nice and smooth brushed cotton flannel fabric will softly wrap your body in chilly fall weather. With a quilt batting in the back, a vest made with this fabric will have a cute finish. A pair of half pants and pantskirt (culotte) will also look lovely. Why not go on an outing dressed in this fabric covered with mushrooms, nuts and lovely owls, motifs that remind you of the forest in the fall? Of course, this warm material is perfect for household items like pajamas, pillow cases and throw pillow covers.

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Sheep Shaped Throw Pillow

Size (excluding legs and tail): 32cm (l) x 56cm (w)

Today’s project is a cuddly sheep shaped throw pillow. Hiromi Niikura, a designer from the “Ichi Nino San” clothing brand, is sharing her creative idea. These pillows in various colors will add charming accents to your interior decor.

Design & work Hiromi Niikura (Ichi Nino San)


Fabric shown for this sample: P29400-400 (A)


Materials (for red sheep):
□ Fabric : (Body) 65cm×80cm
(Face) 40cm×30cm
(Legs and Tail) 40cm×20cm
□ Button: Two pieces (1.5cm diameter)
□ #25 Embroidery Thread
□ Batting for stuffing

kokka-fabric.com cs70_hitsuji_cushion

We interviewed Hiromi about her creation:
Kokka Fabric (KF): What did you think of the fabric you used for this project?
This brushed fabric has a nice texture and softness. The gentle looking pattern with great color combinations gives a cozy and warm feel. Utilizing its soft touch and design, I came up with a uniquely shaped pillow that makes you want to hug it.

KF: Can you tell us any special elements or ideas that you incorporated into this creation?
I wanted to make something that is a cross between a stuffed animal and a pillow, yet something not too cute…This sheep shaped pillow will brighten up your room with a warm feel even in a cold and dark season. It may also come in handy for your afternoon nap. On a sleepless night, counting sheep with this pillow may help you get a good night sleep…

KF: What are some tips for making this pillow?
With a curved shape all around, it will help to cut a slit and press down the seam to get a clean finish when you turn over the fabric. You can score the seam easily if you use a piece of cardboard as a face pattern. Cut the backside of the body after the front side is pieced together. This way it will be aligned and easy to sew.

KF: How should we use this pillow in everyday situations?
You should place it in a space where you have your relaxing moment, like on a sofa or in bed. As the size is not too big, it can fit as a pillow on the back of your car seat or on an office chair.

KF:KF: Thank you very much, Hiromi! Here are sewing instructions along with step by step photos from her. Enjoy crafting!

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Inspiration file54
Double gauze Tote Bag

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A droopy bag which breathes an almost lifelike presence is made by Kimie Shimizu, a fabric “zakka” creator. The fabric she chose is “Sitting Geese” from “Frame work”, a 2014 collection by Ellen Baker.
The photo below shows her half–finished creation. Firstly she tried out the look of a leather handle using weights.

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Juxtaposing a soft double gauze with a hard leather could be cool.
“If I chose a leather handle, I would use a rivet button or with tread’(Shimizu)
She temporarily went with the leather handle, but coming up with an alternative idea: a line tape in the same color as the fabric. The photo below shows the result.

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After spending much time to consider the best option, Shimizu finally decided on linen tape. The finished bag can be seen in the first photo.
“If I had had a tanned leather, I would have chosen it. The color of the leather I had was slightly different from what I had in mind. So I finally decided on line tape. The color combination works perfectly, I think.” (shimizu)

Abstracting from the brazen use of color, a unified grayish tone seems stylish and fresh. It would go nicely with a simple camisole dress and tunic of cotton or linen.

You can see the website of Kimie Shimizu at http://www.ilestyle.com/

Inspiration file 53
Peewee spring pouch, petit Pakupo’

puchi_pakupo

Do you remember an accessory pouch made by Mioko Sugino, aka. komihinata, in our Craft & Sewing column? Having followed her blog devotedly sometimes, I discovered she had made a tiny pouch of a same fabric which was cutely named ‘petit pakupo’! Let me introduce to you here. I’m going to include little snippets of her writing as well as photos.

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‘Today ‘s creation is “petit Pakupo”.’

It features a combination of red and light green.
One fabric is red dot with a hint of green, the other is green with a hint of red.

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It contains a spread of various shapes in red and green.

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D-shaped ring is connected by a green stripe ribbon.

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A red and white polka dot button makes an accent.

‘Petit Pakupo’ can fit comfortably in the palm of your hand.
In Irome, various patches are brought together in lovely harmony. Red creates a sharp accent within a background of faint green. Adding a red button makes a pouch much more cute!

In Sugino’s blog ‘komihinata’s handmade*fabric craft’, you can find so many fabric crafts. Don’t miss out as she uploads new item everyday.

You can enjoy her various crafts at her blog ‘komihinata’s handmade*fabric craft: http://blog.goo.ne.jp/komihinata

comfy animals

A lineup of cute animal motifs is here

A perfect fabric for a fun fall/winter clothing project, popular animals like sheep, elephants and polar bears line up like stamped motifs. With tweeds and houndstooth check in the woven pattern, this cotton/linen canvas with brushed surface creates a feel of a warm material. Combining with boa, why not creating an extremely cute children’s dress?

Sheep P29400-400 Cotton Linen Canvas (brushed)
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A fluffy looking sheep design spreads over a grandrelle style pattern to create the feel of a wool fabric. It will be cute to make clothes for children with a matching hat.

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