FOLK MODERN

Inspired by American and Dutch folk arts

We featured STAMPED by Ellen Luckett Baker in this column last May. Here is her brand-new collection FOLK MODERN. “FOLK MODERN is inspired by the folk art motifs of American and Dutch fork art. I used geometric shapes and bright colors to give the collection a modern feel. The cotton/linen blend of FOLK MODERN is incredibly versatile. I’ve made clothes, pillows, quilts and bags with this fabric.” Baker says. There are six prints in this collection. This time we are introducing three of them.

Sawtooth Flowers 　JG 41600-3　cotton/linen canvas

One of the traditional quilt motifs, sawtooth, is featured and geometrically redesigned with bright colors.

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ueda college collection x KOKKA

collaborative project with Ueda College of Fashion

Students of Ueda College of Fashion in Japan who frequent fabric stores are all experts at textiles. KOKKA has created fabrics in collaboration with those young people under the theme of “Things and patterns that I want”. This time we introduce three collections; “unisex style”, “Study Zoo” to be enjoyed by curious kids and parents, and “Charlotte” which is pretty and playful for women who love cute stuff. Two fabrics per collection, a total 6 fabrics, are now ready. Each fabric is filled with fun designs. Make your own things from these fabrics with your creative imagination.

ICHIGO TO ARI(strawberries and ants) unisex style　H1620-20 cotton/linen canvas

This is a cotton/linen canvas, which is a medium-weight fabric. Black-and-white strawberries drawings with ants marching toward selected colored strawberries. The thick fabric is perfect for bags. If this fabric is used as a lining, even a simple designed bag will look classy. A bag with the lining should be fine for men to carry out, too.

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PEANUTS Yoryu fabric

Favorite Snoopy even as an adult

Kokka releases many fabrics with popular characters throughout the year, and today’s favorite features a Snoopy fabric. Snoopy has many fans including adults. The fabric’s material and patterns are selected with the theme of “refreshing coolness” for the coming hot summer. The material is “Yoryu” which is a crepe fabric. Its characteristic crinkly surface has less contact on your skin and keeps you from feeling damp. There is no clammy feel, and it is an excellent fabric with sweat-absorbent and quick-drying features.

Snoopy G3621-1

The border print with exotic atmosphere comes out on the cool “Yoryu”. The fabric has become adult-like, including silhouetted Snoopy. It must be fun to make not only kid’s clothes but also daddy & mommy’s matching loungewear.

* PEANUTS official website in Japan is www.snoopy.co.jp

Shoulder Bag with Just One Meter of Fabric

Utilizing its pop and delightful patterns, the fabric of the Cinderella story in American comic style has become such a playful bag. The fabric will look differently as you cut it at a different angle, that is, you can get a bag with the same style but different impression depending on which part of fabric you use. A heavyweight interfacing is used to keep the shape. It may not be so easy to invert the interfaced fabric, but don’t fret, just take your time to turn it gently inside out. This casual bag is perfect for the coming summer.

Materials
□　Fabric 110cm(W) x 75cm(L)
□　Heavyweight Fusible Interfacing 50cm(W) x 75cm(L)
□　1 Set of Magnetic Button of 1.5cm diameter

Fabric shown for this sample : nunokara Cinderella F100-1 (B)

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

Inspiration file 09
Zakka(*) from hand-woven fabrics

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.