Inspiration 24
A reworked chair with echino’s glasses print

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October – it is going full-fledged into fall and getting chillier. Even though you have been too busy to take out your summer clothes and items from the closet, it’s that time already to change your wardrobe to fall/winter.

Don’t you want to rearrange your room at the time of koromogae* ? For the coming season, lacy café curtains could be replaced by cotton or linen ones in muted color. Or, how about making placemats to complement hot meals like a soup?

Probably fabrics will be so useful for redecorating your interior… How exciting! Well, what’s the first project?

While thinking a lot about it, I received an email saying “I recreated a chair!”. It was from the handmade craft artist Anri, who had made a glasses case and a lampshade for our Craft & Sewing column with echino’s newest prints. Look at the above picture of a bar stool reworked by Anri. The fabric of seat cover is the one from echino’s nico collection she used for the glasses case.

Anri said, “This bar stool had been my husband’s before we were married. It was put away for a long time due to stains on the seat of synthetic patent leather; we could not throw it out. One day, an idea crossed my mind, ‘why don’t I replace the seat cover so we can use it again?’ ”

Anri shows how she reworked it in her blog;
1. Unscrew the seat (to replace the cover easier)
2. Cut out the fabric to be a size larger than the seat
3. Fold the row edge in three at 1.2cm approx.
4. Put a string through the opening, cover it over the seat, and tie it up
5. Screw the seat to attach to the stool

According to her, it took almost 2 hours totally to rework this and another stool.. She also advised, “Elastic would eventually stretched and become misaligned. I believe a string is more suitable to fit it tightly and rightly.”

Since it is easy to put on and take off, you can wash it or change the cover with the seasons.

About this rework project with pictures and a diagram, go to http://ananrinrin.blog51.fc2.com/blog-entry-594.html

*) “koromogae” is a custom in Japan on or around June 1st and October 1st, which means seasonal changes of clothes to suit the season. The change is visible mostly in schools and companies where they have uniforms. Summer uniforms are worn from June 1st to Sep.30th. On October 1st, they are switched to another uniforms for cooler months until May 31st. (Some schools may have different dates but most ones stick to these days, probably to avoid confusion.)

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Kana Mori (creative director of cocca)

What does cocca aim for? Where is cocca going?

cocca in Daikanyama, Tokyo, is the store produced by KOKKA which is a textile maker and wholesaler. We are pleased to bring you this conversation we had recently with Kana Mori, the creative director for cocca. She has led cocca since the store opened in 2006. Mori is also a judge for Third Annual Kokka Textile Contest “inspiration”.

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Kokka-Fabric.com(KF): What made you take part in cocca?

Mori: I lived in France for a while after graduation from high school. Since I returned to Japan, I had participated in editing magazines. When I got interested in a job doing something with commodities, I found out cocca had job vacancies for its grand opening. I started working for cocca as a publicist due to my previous career.

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Smock Blouse

Finished Measurement:58cm(W) x 77cm(L)

This is a smock blouse made of double gauze from mock twist yarn. The gathered neckline and cuffs with bias bound seams produce an airy atmosphere on this blouse. It looks refreshingly cool by the large dots pattern.

Materials
□ Fabric 108cm(W) x 250cm(L)
□ 4Buttons of 1.1cm diameter


Fabric shown for this sample:
Moku double gauze H4850-52 (A)

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

The design group of 5 mothers who love to create original projects.

CANDY PARTY is a design team of 5 mothers which was formed through a project for a mothering magazine. “I would want this! ” Their original design with such a creativity attracts other young mothers who love fabrics. Here is a special interview with two from CANDY PARTY, Marinko and Yumi.

CANDY PARTY

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Kokka-fabric.com (KF):How did you come to design textile?

Both: There was an article in a mothering magazine for a project entitled “Let’s make an original textile.” Starting with the idea of “I would want this”, each magazine issue would feature our ideas and monitored our progress. Sometimes we would meet and share materials and ideas.

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Inspiration 23
When you get remnants…

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If you subscribe to this website, you are fond of textiles, aren’t you?
While being in charge of this site and updating new fabric each week, I am one of those fabric lovers. Once a month we do a photo shoot of fabrics to be featured in the following month. Whenever I get the samples for shooting, various ideas cross my mind; “This panel pattern fabric can be a table runner!” “How about making an ornament by cutting out and stuffing this motif?”, and all that.

Sometimes I need to cut samples to make props for photo shooting. Then odd-shaped pieces from cutting cloth are left over. What do crafters make with such remnants? Wondering so, I surfed some websites posted by the artists we had featured at this site.

I found it! neige+, who recently presented how to make the round-bottom sewing case in our Craft & Sewing column, has shown practical uses for remnants in her blog. Surprisingly, that remnant is from cutting our tiketiketic print!

In the blog, neige+ wrote;

“After finishing the project requested by Kokka, I lined the remnant at the bottom of the clear tray and put it into a drawer under my sewing table♫ This drawer is usually used as a temporary storage. I considered how to organize the drawer that had been messed up with bobbins, stilettos, binding clips, and any small things. The solution was simple and so easy♪”

You can get a clear tray at reasonable price for 100 yen apiece. With the remnant, the simple container could be transformed into a colorful and delightful drawer organizer. “This tray must be for sewing materials and tools.” Everyone can say so by looking at the tiketiketic print which is depicting sewing items. That is great idea!

One more thing! This inner cloth was assembled from remnant pieces to fit the tray.

“I sewed pieces of fabric remaining after making a round-bottom sewing case, then laid it over the tray. I have not trimmed the seams. How exciting to use it with large and outstanding prints! When you have no idea what to do with remnant, before dumping them, try to make something special like a liner for a drawer?

What great advice neige+ gives us! Wishing she would advise us how to store such fabric scraps, too.

For neige+’s blog, go to http://yunyuns.exblog.jp/