Sunday, July 29, 2012

crocheting


I crocheted a hat recently. I did it in need. These days the sun is shining much more than my skin feels comfortably. So I wanted another big sunshade hat in a cool color. Yay for my DIY spirit, I got a personalized weapon to rescue my feeling from the heat flood.

Wishing you a lovely holiday season,

yoshimi
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Crochet hat
pattern: ad-lib, no pattern available
yarn: manila hemp yarn, a stiff and paper-like tape which is made of hemp fiber, 300m(6skeins)
a silk ribbon and a flying squirrel charm for the size adjusting decoration
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click to enlarge the squirrel

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

the ribbon dress

I sewed a dress with a cotton lace fabric. The pattern was the same as the one for the dress that I sewed in July. I have nothing special to tell you about it, except the ribbon on the waistline.


I bought this silk ribbon about 7 years ago. At La Droguerie. I was starting sewing my clothes at that time. I dropped by the shop because I wanted to buy some beautiful notions to make my handmade clothes looking better. Not knowing that that I'd never achieve it by just using pretty decorations. I mean, I was thinking something already beautiful, like sequins and ribbons, can help my shabby garments stylish. Maybe I was not very conscious about what I thought, but I had a wrong idea about it unfailingly. Beautiful notions sometime can make the garments even more beautiful, but they would never change the style of the garments. Maybe it can be said that they are a bit similar to facial make-up. They improve things nicer when applied efficiently, but they are not the face itself.


Anyway, this novice sewist was enchanted by the ribbon in the shop. It was very pricy but she didn't mind. She felt that miraculously cool "something" with the ribbon was surely promised. However, miraculously cool anything didn't come, simply because it was silly to buy a very expensive ribbon without any plan but greediness. The ribbon has been neglected since then. What a pathetic story. As it was very pricy, she's been too afraid to use it,


until this day.
She is happy with the dress, and the ending of this story as well.

Love,
yoshimi


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pattern: Annee-patterns "Charleen" dress (PDF)
fabric: white lace cotton fabric, silk ribbon
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Monday, July 16, 2012

a workshop


Hello!
It's getting hot here! I've been (obviously) slowed down since spring has gone, but I managed to finish some perfectly miscellaneous projects for my husband, daughter, sister, me myself, and others (sounds a lot!), without blogging lately.
In the past few weeks, some of you kindly asked me if I was doing OK since it was so quiet here. Thank you for your interests and I'd love to let you know that I'm doing quite well and living just slowly (^_^). I hope you are doing very well too!!

Confessed that I'm living lazily these days, I went out for attending a workshop for sewing wallets on the day before yesterday. I am an indoor kind of person and my favorite way of killing time is to sew alone giggling stupidly by myself, but in fact I really love to socialize with like-minded people as well (who don't?!)

I got a new partner, whose name was Husqvarna
When I heard about the cool workshop, I instantly thought it would be nice if I could be around as a help in the room. As the organizer Miho who is from Tamanegi-kobo is the one of my closest friends and also as the seats in the workshop seemed highly popular, I imagined that I could be just there and get some coffee for them when they needed. However I luckily ended up sitting in front of a sewing machine and listening to the instructor as one of participants after a cancellation. There were 8 more fantastic like-minded people and we spent a very happy day with cutting, sewing, pressing, listening, basting, ripping, yelling, smiling, chatting and asking questions all the time. We all could finish own projects before too late and got home with smiling faces (I know how we got home because we now have twitter, don't we?).

they are not ours. they are all Naomi's samples for examples!

Miho the Tamanegi in white&black, Naomi the brilliant teacher in her bright yellow cardigan

Brilliant, and a devoted patchwork artist/instructor, Naomi was so good at teaching, indeed, and we learned a lot from her at the workshop. The workshop was primarily planned for an opportunity to get together, for the people who usually sew clothes (Miho is the owner of Tamanegi-kobo that is a pattern shop for clothing). Thanks to Miho's wonderful plan, we got together and learned how to sew a wallet, and that was very nice! For the bonus, we also learned so much useful tips that could improve own garment sewing, from wallet sewing in the workshop. Tips learned face to face are inevitably clear and very efficient. I certainly love them and I'd love to take my future chances too!

everything was ready, so cleverly.

In the workshop, the materials were already set for each attendant as a kit and things were going so smoothly. Because I sat on the chair after a cancellation, I had no choice about the fabrics and notions for my wallet but I admit my one is much more than cute and very me. During the course, I sometime yelled(oops) at the sewing machine because it was so different from my Bernina and also very difficult to "drive". Every time I saw my fingers moving in the air to look for the non-existing lever of the presser foot, I laughed at myself and thought that my action in sewing had become so automatic. To find it was fun. Though I yelled at it to make it even funnier. I did do my best in every step and tried to be very serious as always I do in every workshop, but I had some stitches like footsteps of a drunk person. Never mind. It's all due to another closest friend Chigu, who is also the cutest. She was sitting in front of me. She constantly tried to cheer me up to the sky until I burst out laughing. Yes, she is probably the kindest friend too.

All the time, I deadly love her by my side. but... maybe not in front of me.

me in progress
and my new wallet with 2 large pockets plus 8 small ones. of course it's unikko.


I hope I'll have more posts in a short time.
Happy sewing to you all!


Much love,
yoshimi




***
Of course I went out  for coffee for people who wanted!