Sports Fabric

Getting ready for a new school year – New fabrics for boys are here!

How do you decide on the fabric that you will use to make items for a new school year?
The fabric featured today has a sports theme, a boy’s favorite motif. It is perfect for a lesson bag and a shoe case as well as for a bag for after school activities. Easy to handle oxford material is ideal for sewing beginners.

Soccer　P38600-600 Oxford (Ox)

The characters that remind you of American comic magazines are appearing in various scenes. It is a great fabric for boys who love soccer!……A large bag in this fabric for a practice uniform and change of clothes will be perfect.

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PUSH PIN* ×　KOKKA

New designs of popular characters are here!

A new collection for the PUSH PIN* × KOKKA is here! This collaborative project is developed with PUSH PIN, a manufacturer of the original general goods. The design features a variety of unique characters such as Lolo, a mischievous black cat, Kurokof, a black bear looking as if he were coming straight out of a picture book, Ryuka, a piggy and an old-man wrestler that brings a smile to your face.

“Every year, a new collection for PUSH PIN* × KOKKA is introduced. At the request of Kokka,
the artwork is redesigned and rearranged to suit the fabric using select motifs out of many PUSH PIN original characters. For Kokka’s fabric, two designs are particularly popular and we come up with new designs yearly. One is a fabric for boys called, “Hello My Friend!” and the other is the “November Books” series which is based on a wide range of stories from all over the world. Lately, you see a lot of items featuring cats, and we incorporated “Lolo, the Black Cat” for the first time in a long time. Lolo, the Black Cat was inspired by a vintage stuffed animal, and it was one of many characters that were created at the time. Since it got to be popular, we named the cat Lolo and created a story. It is a house cat living in Germany and is a little mischievous. It has been over 10 years since it was first introduced and is still being loved by many.” says Hamada, a PUSH PIN* designer.

Lolo, the Black Cat “Going for a walk” 　　HG2303-1　 Oxford (Ox)

The design features mischievous Lolo – such scenes as Lolo giving trouble when the owner is getting ready for a Paris vacation or Lolo wandering out into town.
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Fluffy Shoulder Bag　　

Size: 22cm (l) 32cm (w – top opening) 6cm (d)

This shoulder bag is making full use of the soft feel of the double gauze fabric. The featured fabric is obiko’s Birds and roses. The most noticeable characteristic of this bag is the bottom gusset. Mioko Sugino, the creator of the bag says, “By tucking the usual straight gusset, it can create a soft and feminine look.” The shoulder strap is just the right length for you to carry this bag over a thick winter coat.

Design & Work: Mioko Sugino

Fabric shown for this sample:　obiko JG50510-1 (A)

Materials:
□ Fabric (Outer fabric, Shoulder strap): 70cm×70cm
(Lining fabric): 50cm×60cm
□ Fusible interfacing: 10cm x 15cm
□ Button: one piece (2.2cm diameter)

We interviewed Mioko about her creation:
Kokka Fabric (KF): What did you think of the fabric you used for this project?
I got the impression from this fabric that it is light and gentle. Somewhat nostalgic, the flowers and birds as accents are lovely and well balanced so I wanted to feature them for a large surface. The design uses the double gauze’s soft and gentle texture to its best advantage.

KF:Can you tell us any special elements or ideas that you incorporated into this creation?
The most noticeable characteristic of this bag is the bottom gusset. By tucking the usual straight gusset, it can create a soft and feminine look. This treatment allowed the simple straight stitches to have a round look overall.

KF: What are some tips for making this bag?
The design is rather simple and it should not be difficult to make. If you are not comfortable with the button hole process, instead you can use a thin rope or ribbon to secure the button on the flap.

KF:How should we use this bag in everyday situations?
While this material and color are perfect for spring/summer clothing, it will also look lovely if you coordinate it with a lighter color coat or sweaters in fall/winter. Carrying it with something in white in winter is nice, too. The shoulder strap is just the right length for you to easily carry this bag over the sleeve of a thick winter coat.

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

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Raglan Sleeve Blouse

Size: Medium　

Today’s project is a raglan sleeved blouse, made with a delicate cotton sateen fabric, echino’s Huedrawer. A loose fitting blouse is very comfortable to wear. When the weather gets colder, the layering look with a long-sleeved turtle neck will be stylish.

Design & Work:Kokka Fabric

Fabric shown for this sample:
　echino Huedrawer JG96300-300 (C)

Materials:
□ Fabric: 110cm wide × 170cm
□ Fusible interfacing: 90cm wide x 40cm

Click here for Sewing Instructions (PDF format / A4 size)

file 009 Linda Williams (designer)

Beautiful designs from a Seaside town

This November, we feature “Obiko” in our Textile Story column. Here is an interview from Linda Williams, Obiko’s designer. Kokka-fabric digs into the story behind her creative work.

(photo: sketches)

Kokka-fabric.com (KF): You now live in Hastings, a seaside town on the South East Coast of England. Is it a place where you grew up or did you move there with positive intent?

I was born in the City of Oxford and over the years have moved around the UK. I have also lived and worked both in Portugal and Switzerland.
I moved from London to Hastings 10 years ago. Living by the sea was an important factor for the move and one which I thoroughly love.
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kokka-fabric.com/en

have fun with kokka fabric!

Sports Fabric

PUSH PIN* ×　KOKKA

Fluffy Shoulder Bag

Raglan Sleeve Blouse

file 009 Linda Williams (designer)