Usaron

A dreamy bunny who　adores cute things

A very lovable bunny fabric is here! It’s called Usaron*. Usaron loves cute things, tasty food and getting dressed up! A bit mischievous and funny, that is Usaron.
Usaron’s creator, Saki Yamashita says,“Usaron’s movements, poise and motif are expressed all over the fabric. With a slightly thicker Oxford as its material, such everyday personal items as bags and small cases are great. Interior décor goods like curtains and cushion cover are perfect as well. Children’s skirt and parent-and-child matching aprons will be cute to make. If you end up with a remnant, you may cut out the motif for an applique or easily make a stuffed Usaron charm. Placing the right sides of the cutout fabric together, sew around Usaron, turn it over, put the cotton stuffing inside and you will have a cute Usaron charm! With your creative ideas, Usaron will accompany you everywhere!”

*In Japanese, a bunny rabbit is called Usagi. The name Usaron’s Usa comes from usagi.

Sweet Dream 　JG35500-500　 Oxford (Ox)

Sweet Dream is a polka dot design fabric with pink Usaron and white Usaron. “Three color schemes let both Usaron and polka dots stand out. It fits well with Usaron’s image. I hope Usaron’s lovely smile will cheer you up.” (by Saki Yamashita)

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Inspiration 28
A pencil case with “echino” laminated fabric

By tallying up the number of orders from KOKKA’s distributors throughout Japan, we release the fabric sales ranking each month in the Japanese-language version of this website.

One or more fabrics from “echino” series by Etsuko Furuya always rank in the top 3. Because of the distinct color scheme called “echino color”, echino fabrics are so popular and used for various sewing projects such as bags, pouches, dresses and so on. Sometimes we find the creations made of echino fabrics in crafters’ blogs not only from Japan but also from around the world. How wonderful to see that the echino fabrics are transformed into lovely products to be integrated in their living spaces!

Hiromi Widerquist, who is a Japanese crafter living in the U.S., posted what she made with echino in her blog at the beginning of last September. She wrote, “A day before school resumed, I whipped up a new pencil case for my daughter with laminated Echino fabric. The reason I picked this fabric is that peacocks are her favorite bird. Like I predicted, she liked her new pencil case. I am glad that she is still young enough to appreciate her Mom’s handmade.”

The blue zipper, which is matched with the coloration of the fabric, spiced up this back-to-school item. Consequently, the pencil case was stylishly finished. It could be a checkbook wallet in different size.

According to her, the pencil case was sufficiently strong without lining due to the thickness of the laminated fabric. She sewed up the simple product within half an hour.

Widerquist has written two blogs in two languages: “HIBI LABO JOURNAL” in Japanese and “Harujion Design” in English. You can see lots of her creations in both blogs, including a body pillow that has recently been posted. Whichever you see, you will just say “remarkable”. Indeed, these are “must see” blogs! You can also get the sewing tutorials with detailed descriptions from there. Check them out!

“HIBI LABO JOURNAL” in Japanese at http://hibilabo.jugem.jp
“Harujion Design” in English at http://harujiondesign.blogspot.com

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Ellen Baker

Garden Fabric collection.

The Forth artist we feature is Ellen Baker. Last month she participated in the Quilt Market in Huston as a designer for Kokka. Here is a short interview she shares her enthusiasm with her next collection.

Kokka-Fabric.com(KF): How did you prepare for the brand-new collection before the show?

Baker: For the recent Quilt Market in Houston, I made samples from my new book 1, 2, 3 Quilt using the Garden fabric collection, including pillows, a tote bag, clothing and home decor items.

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【NEWS】Third Annual Kokka Textile Contest “inspiration” now in the process of the selection!

Third Annual Kokka Textile Contest “inspiration”

All applications of this award closed on 31st of October.
We received 161 applications. Thank you so much.
We are now in the process of the selection stage.
The winner announcement is on 18th of December, 2013.　
You will find the detail here

Inspiration file 27
A kid’s beret with fluffy pom-pom

In Japan, it is said that fall is the season for harvest, reading, sports, and the arts. In addition to athletic meets and school festivals, craft shows are held all around Japan during this season.

Masumi Saito, who had presented the Usaron’s frilly apron for our Craft & Sewing column, participated in a craft event. The event “24h@craft in Tokyo”, which 14 crafters collaborated on, was held from Oct.25 through 28, 2013.

“Since my oldest daughter was born in 2008, I have made handicrafts as time permits while I have been a stay-at-home mom.” Saito says. She has 5-year-old and 2-year-old daughters. She produces children’s clothing and fabric accessories from her brand named “sinafuku”. The brand name is a blend word from her daughter’s name “Sina” (pronunciation /SHEE-nah/) and “fuku” which means clothes in Japanese. Saito continues, “I want to bring nostalgic feel but also childlike sprightliness into my creations. By using mainly retro-inspired and pop-feeling fabrics of U.S. cotton or German cotton, I have made ‘one of a kind’ products.”

The girl in the picture is Saito’s younger daughter. She looks so lovely in her mom’s handmade beret with fluffy pom-pom. Saito describes the beret, “Since I rarely knit, I used a pom-pom maker to make such a big yarn pom-pom.”

Some of Saito’s original creations were also displayed at the event site, which came out of her experiences of raising children. “One of my products, the baby chair harness, can be placed on a regular chair when you cannot find a baby chair or a booster seat on an outing. The washable cotton breast pads were actually so helpful for me while breastfeeding. I also made a cover bag so you can wrap your bulky and awkward baby carrier. They are definitely convenient! I want more people to try them!”

Saito used to perform in a theater company when she was single. The way to express herself changed from the plays to the handicrafts with fabrics. In whatever she undertakes, there is no difference in the joy she feels.

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