Hand-weaving crafter, cotolinne, makes “zakka” (*) by using hand-woven fabrics. Hand? Yes, she weaves cloths from yarns by hand for her sewing projects.

It has been almost five years since cotolinne started making her own hand-woven fabrics. She was absolutely fascinated to see yarns transformed into what she had designed. She says, “Designing a hand-woven fabric is similar to forming a chart of cross-stitch.”

cotolinne usually uses linen yarn to weave fabric. She dyes most yarns by herself, occasionally with plant juices extracted from flowers, leaves, stems and roots. She continues “Color of dyed yarn may vary from a slightly in the amount of yarn or stain, that is, I cannot create same colored yarn. The new colored yarn is made each time.” Her fabric is one of a kind. It is the best part of handicraft.

“First I form the image of the craft project and then start weaving. I prepare yarns depending on the size of the product. I weave narrow fabric for a pouch, for instance.” She usually weaves 4-meters of warp to finish one fabric since her every single “zakka” project is small.

cotolinne’s pretty patterned fabrics with rabbits, squirrels or small flowers are turned into lovely products such as a snap pouch or a pen-case which will be sold at “zakka” shops.

Her new fabric was created for the handmade “zakka” event themed “Town Musicians of Bremen”. From the folktale by the Brother Grimm, motifs of a donkey, a dog, a cat, a rooster and musical items are used in the hand-woven fabric. “While all animals are loomed, the musical charms are attached. At the end of the story, these four animals live happily together in a cottage for the rest of their days. The cottage was woven with the animals, too.”

Various motifs are created from one yarn while weaving. It seems that cocolinne’s playful spirit is also woven in the fabric, doesn’t it?

You can see the website of cotolinne at http://cotolinne.petit.cc/

(*)
Zakka, originally a Japanese term meaning “many things”, is also used for all the cute little items that improve your home appearance such as household items, stationeries, and accessories.

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In Japan, the rainy season is still with us but it is getting hot enough to make us sweat. “Before midsummer, I better prepare for something which will keep me refreshed and cool.” If you think so, now is a good time to start!

You probably want to pick laces for your summer items, don’t you? The designer of Angelica Leaf, Miki Suzuki, has released some patchwork curtains consisting of assorted laces.

Suzuki, who can’t keep her eyes off antique laces whenever she goes abroad for buying textiles, says “There is nothing in the world that is the same among vintage laces made by highly skilled artisans. You will see various motifs in the antique ones, such as flowers, snowflakes, or stars.”

Fascinated with their dainty and sophisticate patterns, Suzuki started collecting antique laces.

The curtain in the picture above is made up with modern laces replicated of antique laces. It is fun to see each lace which has a different motif.

Patchwork curtain is a popular item for sewing lovers. But it seems, it’s not easy to buy a lot of laces for that project. How about recycling your well-worn blouse or dress shirt? It must be fun to see the pieces of fabric from your old clothes will dramatically change into a beautiful curtain.

You can see the website of Angelica Leaf at http://angelicaleaf.ocnk.net

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Japan’s rainy season is from early June to mid-July.

While many flowers sparkle in the sunshine, the beauty of hydrangea is enhanced by the drizzling rain. The hydrangea is spectacular to our eyes by changing colors over time in the rainy season until midsummer. It may be the only thing we are looking forward to in gloomy weather… I feel that way about hydrangea.

Hand-dyed silk flower artist Atelier deco depicts the beautiful color gradation by her hand-dyed creations. She dyes each petal in natural light in an attempt at expressing the appearance of the flower. Every year at this time, she feels like making various hydrangeas.

She expresses the change of a purple hydrangea by shifting petal colors; from pale green to light purple and dark purple at last. The one in the picture above is perhaps in the early stage just prior to becoming darker.

As well as looking like real flowers, silk flowers can have a better essence of the flowers with creators’ expectations and hopes such as “It is fading. I want to preserve the flower’s beauty in its short life. ”

The reason people are fascinated with the silk flower’s beauty may be that it contains the creator’s hopes.

You can see the website of Atelier deco at
http://www.geocities.jp/atelier_deco_flower/top.html

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There are just as many bobbins as there are sewing machine threads. How do you store bobbins? One crafter organizes bobbins by color in glass containers and displayed on a shelf. Another crafter sets out bobbins orderly on a perforated board panel. I have seen at crafters’ ateliers that bobbins are displayed as beautifully as ribbons and buttons.

“More fun to sew.” With such a thought in mind, hat & accessories designer Coco&Ami has created a playful bobbin organizer. What an amusing design! The bird’s trunk and wing are for your bobbins. Not only bobbins! You can put your thimbles in it, too. As a matter of fact, the small hat the bird is wearing is a pincushion! The magnet placed at the bottom of the hat will help you to catch scattered pins and needles. There is a thumbtack hole on the back of the bird, so it can be hung on the wall. Pretty and practical… it is indeed a great product!

This is your opportunity, how about making your own “atelier” with lovely and fun decorations? The creative atmosphere may bring you more ideas for your new projects.

You can see the website of Coco&Ami at
http://cocoxami.com

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“Eau-de, Fleur”, the designer of fabric flower jewelries and accessories, frequently updates her popular blog on her life and stories behind her creations.

The photos in her blog show you her creations displayed beautifully as well as how her DIY projects have room interiors “extreme makeover”. You may be compelled by the attractive photos to scroll down to see more.

The blog is filled with many ideas which you want to incorporate into your life. Among fascinating pictures, a photo captivated me with a camisole on an iron wall hanging.

The contrast between a soft textured fabric and a steely iron object… With the additional attraction of a sweet floral item by “Eau-de, Fleur”, the combination of three creates a tender atmosphere.

By displaying your clothes on such an iron wall hanging could be a sophisticated interior decoration.

How about showing your dress for tomorrow like this? Such a “stage” for your clothes may give you another look of coordination to develop your sense of fashion.

You can see the website of “Eau-de, Fleur” at http://h-fleur.com/

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