Inspiration 31
A girlish skirt with “Tabris” fabric

Masumi Saito, who produces children’s clothing and fabric accessories from her brand named “sinafuku”, is familiar to you since her items are frequently featured in this website. She is very good at making use of printed-fabric to create vivacious items. Her creations are not only cute but also highly practical. That’s why Saito’s products are always popular among mothers caring for small children. The “candy-shaped purse”, which she created with “Tabris” fabric of Plump Cheeks for our Craft & Sewing column (the Japanese-language version) posted on 11/20/2013, is full of the features and spirit of “sinafuku”.

Saito said she really loved the “Tabris” print with angel & unicorn motifs and would want to make other things with it. True to her words, a skirt has been sewn with black “Tabris” which she didn’t use for the candy-shaped purse. By adding a blue lace trim makes the skirt cute and girlie.
The girl wearing the skirt in the above picture is Saito’s oldest daughter. The skirt and the candy-shaped purse from same fabrics in a different coloration are perfectly matched. For her daughter, Saito coordinated the solid purple tops to bring out the printed skirt. With the same colored tights and black boots, the girl became very stylish. Saito will soon post the sewing tutorial for the skirt in her blog. I can’t wait to know how to make it.

But wait, there’s more! I recently received a message from Saito that she also made a ribbon headband with the leftover fabric after the rest had been used for the skirt. No doubt the cute headband is frequently used in the holiday party season. Hoping that it will be shown in her blog, too.

You can see the blog of Masumi Saito at http://ameblo.jp/kittenishgirl-sinafuku/

Tunic dress with “Citrus Trees” fabric from FOLK MODERN

Finished Measurement：44cm(W) x 85cm(L)

The “Citrus Trees” from FOLK MODERN with fresh orange fruits turned into such a beautiful tunic dress. The center-front button is the charming feature of the dress.

Remember, the neckline and body pieces will be misaligned if facings get stretched by fusing. Be careful not to stretch the neckline’s facing when applying the fusible interfacing to the facing.

Snip the seam allowances when you attach the bias binding tapes to facings of neckline and armhole, and they will be finished beautifully.

Materials
□ Outer fabric: 110cm(W) x 2m
□ Interfacing: 30cm x 80cm
□ 1 button of 2cm diameter

Outer body: FOLK MODERN (Citrus Trees) JG41600-2 (C)

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

Tulip print mini Boston bag

Finished Measurement：21cm(W) x 14.5cm(H) x 5.5cm (D)

We have made a little retro-ish tulip print into a mini Boston bag. The bag, which is small but big enough to put a long wallet in, is handy for a quick outing. You can also use it as a cosmetic bag.

The key point for the beautiful finish is lining up the handle patches equally on the bag. It seems a simple tip, but actually the bag will not look nice if the patches are either crooked or unequal. Keep in mind that these are most observable parts!

Pin the match mark and the center of bottom to sew the gusset piece and body panels together. Be sure to keep the meeting point of zipper and bottom gussets, if not aligned the bag’s right and left height won’t be even. Once you stop sewing on the curve of the body, your bag will lose its curved shape. To avoid the misshaped, quickly sew the curve line without stopping.

Materials
□Outer fabric (cotton/linen canvas): 110cm(L) x 30cm(W)
□Lining (cotton/linen canvas): 110cm(L) x 30cm(W)
□Interfacing: 100cm(L) x 35cm(W)
□1 zipper 30cm

Fabric shown for this sample Outer body：FOLK MODERN Tulips JG41600-4 (C)

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

Tote bag with basket print fabric & strawberry print lining

Finished Measurement：47cm(W on top), 27 cm (W at bottom) x 33cm(H) x 16cm (D)
Handle 54cm

This time we introduce the tote bag with a basket print fabric. For a moment it looks like a real basket, doesn’t it? For more realistic, we add rivets on handles. The drawstring top is so convenient to cover a lot of stuff inside of the bag.

Having a strawberry print fabric as the lining, the bag looks as if the basket is full of strawberries. It was staged to look like a picnic with stuffed strawberries at the edge of drawstring. You can create this appearance by cutting out a colored strawberry motif, stuffing it with cotton, and attaching it to the drawstring. If you put the stuffed strawberry in the bag’s outer pocket, it may seem as if the real fruit spilled out of the real basket. Such a creative bag will make you smile.

The canvas used for this bag is a manageable fabric to sew because it is neither too firm nor too soft. However you shall press the seam of bottom darts in a different way per outer and lining body. You can use this bag without constraint since it is washable. This may be a help as a diaper bag, too. It is good as the drawstring shut out inside of the bag.

Materials
□　Outer fabric (canvas): 110cm(L) x 70cm(W)
□　Lining (cotton/linen canvas): 110cm(L) x 100cm(W)
□　2 cords of 100cm for as drawstring
□　8 rivets of 8mm diameter
□ A bit of cotton

Fabric shown for this sample：
Outer body: Candy Party / Caramel Crunch Trick Basket H3020 (1A)
Lining body: ueda college collection x KOKKA ICHIGO TO ARI H1620-20 (A)

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

Inspiration File 30
Crocheted petit cakes

The mini cakes in the picture which are less than 2cm in diameter each were the creations of Sumi Ito aka “with ink.”, who is a crochet artist.

“A cute item can bring a little happiness to your life.”
With this concept, Ito has created crocheted works. Isn’t it great that she depicts a little lovely world by using just a hook and yarn?

The base of each blueberry and strawberry cake was crocheted in the same way by #0 lace hook*) with #20 lace thread. Attaching a metal part, it can be used in many ways such as a cell phone strap, key chain or purse charm. It can also be a pendant with a long chain. Some people use it as an earphone jack/dust plug for their smartphones.

Ito says, “In the mid November, I had an opportunity to exhibit some of my creations at my friend’s booth on ‘Creation & savoir-faire’, the craft show organized by a French craft magazine ‘marie Claire idees’.”

The annual craft showcase in Paris, which is open to the public, is a really fun event. The event site where craft lovers get together from all over France is filled with excitement. Among many crafters at this time, Ito’s sophisticated and charming productions impressed many in Paris. They excitedly asked Ito a lot of questions on her creations.
Thus, Ito’s cute items gave a little happiness to people in France.

For details about her experience at the event, you can get from her blog at http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/withink/

*)#0 Japanese lace hook (1.75mm) can be equivalent to #6 US steel hook (1.8mm)