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Japanese Fabrics

Japanese Fabric – Cotton and Steel Papercuts

February 2, 2018

I’ve been a big fan of COTTON + STEEL ever since I discovered their Riflepaperco fabric.  So when I was fabric shopping in Tokyo last Novemeber, I kept a lookout for their fabrics. The displays are so cute! These photos are of the display from the Tomato store in Nippori fabric town.

cottonandsteeldisplay1

There is even a cute display card introducing all the designers of Cotton + Steel fabric.

cottonandsteeldisplay2

One of my favourite things about their fabric – the cute selvedges that come with every fabric. These are wide enough for clothing labels and some of them even come with a cute little quote.

Today I want to talk about the latest collection by  Rashida  Coleman-Hale. The new collection is called Papercuts. This was the first fabric that caught my attention.

scissors

Isn’t this perfect for all crafters? All the different scissors and cutters that we use everyday. I love the subtle colors, and most of all, the unbleached cotton background.  Do you see the little snips of white paper all over the fabric? This reminds me of piecing PDF patterns eh? 😛

papercuts

There are lots of cute prints in this collection as well… look at the full stack of fabric! No they are not all mine. I wish… 😛

people

Paper People – we’ve all made paper people when we were kids haven’t we?

shapes

Shape Up

stars

Starstruck

beads

Cut it out

toami

Toami – isn’t this print just fascinating? According to Cotton and Steel’s IG post, Toami is the name of a traditional Japanese paper cut of a fishing net.

flower

Ooh and I love this so much. This is called Paper Bouquet. This reminds me of the fine paper cutting decorations used during the New Year.  In fact I liked it so much, that I immediately thought of making a Qipao / Cheongsam with it.Lots of people have asked if quilting cotton is suitable for sewing apparel? Definitely! Cotton + Steel cottons are always so soft and comfortable. If you like more drape, some of their designs come in knit and rayon as well!

Anyway, back to my Chinese New Year sewing. I still have a huge mountain of sewing to do for the village before the 15th of February… so this came right on time!  No fit photos yet because she’s in school but I will try to take some over the weekend.

qipaofull

And after one night of sewing…. this was completed 🙂

Pattern is from my store – Porcupine Patterns.c0m.
This is the straight version with cap sleeves and back zip opening. There are also A-line plus sleeveless/short sleeve/long sleeve options.

cottonandsteelgirlsqipao

qpcloseup2

While I was sewing this, I thought this would be perfect for a lovely gathered skirt too… I think I might have to get some in the other colorway as well…  🙂

Giveaways Japanese Fabrics

Christmas Sewing in October and a Modes4U Giveaway!

October 6, 2017

Just as I was feeling sad about the slowing down of Japanese sewing book new releases that always happen in the last quarter of the year, I get excited once again, by sponsors who feel the festive mood (in advance) and want to sponsor GIVEAWAYS for you all!

Today our lovely sponsors from Modes4U.com are giving away 4 very nice Cosmo fabrics of 1m each.  It is a lovely mix of double gauze, canvas with gold metallic embellishment and cotton fabrics. One lucky winner will get ALL of them! But more about that later. Let me talk about my Christmas sewing first!

Is it too early to start sewing for Christmas? Well, after factoring in shopping time + shipping time + procrastination time + sewing time, I think it’s just about right!

For my own little Christmas project this year, I wanted to go green. Not the color green, but that I wanted to make my own fabric Christmas ornaments and reusable gift “wraps”.  I found the perfect fabrics just for that!

kokkacreambearchristmas

This fabric is a Oxford fabric from Kokka, featuring colorful animals and Christmas ornaments. There are a few other colorways for this fabric but I love the different shades of blues. I love how it deviates from the traditional red and greens, yet retaining the Christmassy feel. Click on this link to find more Kokka fabric on Modes4U. There are also lots of non-Christmas fabrics of course, and they will make great gifts for the avid sewist / crafter / fabric hoarder in your family!

However, I also wanted a pop of red, as a contrast color, for both “wrapping” presents and as matching co-ordinates to my blue/turqoise/navy ornaments. I didn’t want it to be too focussed on Christmas motifs too, so I picked this really cute print with white bears and snowflakes on it.

minnymuuwhitebears

This fabric is printed by Lecien and is designed by koko seki for the Minny Muu collection. There are lots of Lecien fabric on Modes4U too.

I paired it with some left over small bits of trim from past projects and here are the results of my Christmas sewing.

christmasornamentsontwine

christmasornamentsonframe

christmasgiftpouches

Making the ornaments didn’t require much fabric, so I made these drawstring pouches which will be great as gift “wraps” No need for paper + tape/ribbons. Best of all, it can be reused for keeping small items like hair accessories, earphones in your bags. No waste!

christmasdrawstringpouches

Looking plump when filled up and ready for gifting!

See, Christmas fabrics and sewing decorations don’t have to be all reds and greens. But if you do like the traditional prints, you will be able to find them too at Modes4U. They have lots of Christmas fabrics, not just from Japanese brands like Kokka and Cosmo, but also the from Michael Miller, Andover, Robert Kaufman to name a few. You’ll have to explore their Christmas section. It won’t be easy because there are so many to choose from! I also love the fact that there is free international shipping above 60€ / US$70 / £55 which is quite easy to achieve because not only do they sell fabrics, they sell all kinds of cute stationery, squishies, plush toys, bento boxes etc from Japan.  So you can really do all your Christmas shopping here.

So now, for the GIVEAWAY!

Modes4U.com will be giving away 4m of fabric to one lucky winner! These are the fabrics you stand to win. There is a good mix of fabric types – double gauze, cotton fabrics and even canvas! All the fabrics are from Cosmo Textiles from Japan. This will be a good chance for those of you who have always wanted to try a variety of Japanese fabrics.

modes4ucosmofabric

Here’s what you have to do.

1) Comment below to tell us your favorite item from Modes4U.com.

2) Extra chances for readers who follow Modes4U or Japanese Sewing Books on the following pages. Please also include your FB/IG id when commenting below so that we can identify you and award you extra chances for winning!

Modes4U Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/modes4u
Modes4U Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modes4ucom
Japanese Sewing Books Facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/JapaneseSewingBooks
Japanese Sewing Books Instagram : http://www.instagram.com/JapaneseSewingBooks

3) Extra chances for people who blog about this giveaway and include link to this giveaway post (right click and copy link address to this blog page) + Modes4U.com. If you add this to your blog, please leave your blog address+link to your post in the comment below so that we can see it too!

This giveaway will run for two weeks from today 6th October- 20th October 10pm (Singapore time). Winners will be announced on the following day 21st October right here on this post. I will also be notifying the winner via the email you have used to comment below, so please do check your emails! If the winner fails to respond within 48hrs, another winner will be picked.

ETA : The Winner of this Giveaway is Jeannette Makad! Congratulations Jeannette, I will be contacting you via your email for your mailing details. Thank you all once again for participating!

Giveaways Japanese Fabrics

Giveaway – nani IRO Cotton Sateen

April 28, 2017

Remember my raves about the new nani IRO cotton sateen last month? Well, we have a treat for you!


naniirogiveawaybanner2

Our very generous friends from ElizabethLittle.co is sponsoring a nani IRO fabric giveaway, and the fabric to be won is none other than the smooth, drape-y cotton sateen I was talking about.

naniirocottonsateengiveaway
Fuccra : rakuen アマルフィ(Amalfi)

Click here for more detailed images of this fabric listed on Elizabeth Little’s online store
image © ATELIER to nani IRO by KOKKA co.ltd & Naomi Ito

It was hard to capture the details on photo but the white birds on the fabric have a pearl glossy sheen to it. It’s really beautiful in real life!

naniirocottonsateenrakuen

For the giveaway, ElizabethLittle.co will be giving away 2m of this gorgeous fabric, perfect for making a dress. By the way, the dress I made with the same cotton sateen in the earlier blog post? Was made only with about 1.2m of the fabric.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

This giveaway will be different from the previous giveaways where you have to comment only. This time, we want to see what you have made with nani IRO fabrics, or if you are still stashing them for that special occasion, let us have a peek at your stash too! Since we are going to share pictures, this giveaway will be held on Instagram only.

Here’s how to enter. Go to the Giveaway post on Instagram

  1. Like the Giveaway post on Instagram and Follow @japanesesewingbooks on Instagram
  2. Hop on over to ElizabethLittle.co’s Instagram page and follow @elizabethlittleco
  3. Post a photo on your own Instagram account with one OR more of the following :
    – your nani IRO makes (and hashtag #naniiromakes – two chances for each post)
    – your nani IRO stash (and hashtag #naniirogiveaway)
    – or repost the giveaway banner image from my giveaway post (and hashtag #naniirogiveaway)
    IMPORTANT! We will only be able to find your entry if you add the correct hashtags so don’t forget to do so!
  4. Tag at least 3 friends in the comments below the giveaway post (on Instagram), whom you think will love to take part in this giveaway. One tag per comment please! The more friends you tag, the more chances you have to win!

As you can see, posting a photo of your #naniiromakes will give you an extra chance to win, because we really want to see what you make with this lovely fabric!

This giveaway is open worldwide and ends 12th May 10pm Singapore time (UTC +8) That’s two whole weeks to give you more time to upload your photos. The more photos you submit, the greater your chances of winning! The lucky Winner will be announced on the following Monday.

MYnaniiromakes
My #naniIROmakes!

Can’t wait to see all your nani IRO makes and fabric stash. Have fun and good luck!

This Giveaway has ended. Thank you for your participation!

Finished Projects Japanese Fabrics

My nani IRO Cotton Sateen dress

March 30, 2017

So I was being kind of ambitious when I said I could finish a dress in a week 🙂 More like one and a half. This happens when I only get 5 minutes at the machine before someone drags me away. So I had to quietly finish bits and pieces of it during his nap and when he’s off to bed at night.

Those of you following me on instagram must have seen my post asking for opinions about making this dress on the cover of this book. (Read the full review here)

I thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. I think I must have some kind of stubborn streak in me, or I must have subconsciously decided I was going to do it but was hoping for a positive affirmation. 😛 But I think the majority said no to the combination. Many also object to the “cutting” up of the fabric print. But I had the image of the completed dress stuck in my head and I figured the only way not to cut up the pattern in the fabric for a dress is to make it caftan style :P. I was deliberately trying to steer away from the baggy, loose fitting, casual style to make a more formal looking dress. This is because, the default option for nani IRO fabrics is usually double gauze, which works beautifully for everyday wear, but can look rather casual. So I really wanted to try this beautiful cotton sateen on a more fitting dress, and this is the end result. I don’t know about you but I like it!


front2a1

The ribbed knit at the waist line both created slight gathers in the bodice and skirt, and allows the waist line to be defined, both by the contrast in color as well as the stretchability of the fabric. Some felt the black was too harsh, but as I could not find any other shades of blue that will go well with it, black actually looked better.

front1a

This dress has a slight relaxed fit over the bust area to accommodate the gathers at the waist. The sleeves are cap sleeves with gathers near the shoulder seam. You can’t see it but there is no topstitching in this dress. Not even hemlines for the sleeve and skirt hems! Lots of hand stitching within which is also why it took so long to complete.

back1a1

The only difference I made to the original pattern was the change of a fully exposed metal zip that was to be sewn from the right side to a concealed zip. I did contemplate a semi-exposed metal zip, but decided against it and opted for the safe option of a concealed zip.

side1

Some thoughts to share after working with nani IRO cotton sateen. It is to-die-for!!! I am not kidding… It is buttery and soft and not heavy like some of the other “cotton sateens” I have bought from spotlight in the past. It drapes really beautifully and I’m so in love with this material that I ordered more in the other two colors from Elizabeth Little!

I did mention in my last post that I will be doing a test on shrinkage of the fabrics and here are the results. As they say, always prewash your fabrics the way you intend to wash them, so it’s Machine wash cold + dryer (delicate cycle) for me. I did throw these 10cm fabric squares in a laundry net so that the fraying will be contained. I didn’t want to overlock the edges as I felt that might affect the final measurement of the shrinkage amount. After the pieces came out of the dryer, both were really crumpled, so I ironed them out.

The first piece you see here is the cotton sateen (the white arrows indicate the grainline). You can see that after the wash, there is about 2-3mm lost along the grain and a lesser shrinkage cross grain. So that’s about a 2-3% maximum of shrinkage. That’s quite acceptable considering that most cottons are expected to shrink about 4%. You can see in the after picture, that the washing creases are quite difficult to get rid of though.

cottonsateenshrinkage1

The next experiment was for nani IRO double gauze. I have always pre-washed my double gauze in the past since I have always assumed that it will shrink terribly. Part of that misconception also lies in the fact that when it comes out of the machine, it is always in a terrible scrunched up state. However, it is really easy to iron the creases out compared to the cotton sateen. But due to the loose weave, it did fray a bit more.doublegauzeshrinkage1

I was surprised to find that, after ironing it out, the shrinkage seemed to be quite minimal! I think the partial loss of fabric from the edges was more due to fraying then shrinkage. So could it be due to the ironing which helps to stretch out the weave?

In any good science experiment, you should always repeat the experiment 3 times. But hey, this is a sewing blog not a science blog, so don’t take my word (or experiment) results for it :P. You should always pre-wash your fabrics for best results.

That’s the end of my nani IRO cotton sateen report. If you are keen on getting any for yourself, do visit Elizabeth Little before they are all gone! If you are not fast enough, you may want to check out my blog again within the next few weeks as there might be a special giveaway for you all!

 

Japanese Fabrics

Japanese Fabrics – nani IRO 2017

March 16, 2017

A package I’ve been waiting for eagerly since February just arrived two days ago. Hand-delivered by ElizabethLittle.co! It’s school holidays this week so it’s hard to get anything done but I just had to quickly snap a few photos to share with you my lovely fabrics.

naniiro2017

saaasaaa

SAAAA SAAA Shimanto in Double gauze.
View full panel fabric and project ideas.

wildflowers

Wildflower Window in Double Gauze
view full panel fabric here

leinaniforcorolla

Lei nani – For beautiful corolla in Double Gauze
(from top to bottom)
Spring rain, Birds humming and Open sky

naniirocottonsateenrakuen2
Fuccra : Rakuen
マヨルカMallorca / アマルフィAmalfi /エルニド El Nido
The fabrics in the series are named after beautiful places around the world.
This must be my favourite print of all, and one that I have in multiple colorways in my stash. Do you notice something different about the 3 fabrics?

naniirocottonsateenrakuen
2 of the 3 fabrics above are cotton sateen. I don’t think it’s the first time nani IRO is available in cotton sateen. If I’m not wrong, Shine Many Ways in the 2014 collection was the first, but this is the first time it’s been used for Fuccra : Rakuen and it is so beautiful I’m already ordering more. The fabric is soft and drapey, and smooth to touch.

naniirocottonsateen

To give you a better idea, I’m showing you a comparison with my other Fuccra : Rakuen in the exact same colorway but double gauze. I think it’s quite clear in the above picture which one is which.

doublegauzevscottonsateen

Here’s a top view comparing similar graphics. The colors in the cotton sateen really do pop out a lot more, and the background color is a lot smoother.

naniirocottonsateen1

The cotton fabric is thin and drapey, with a fine weave. The surface is silky with a sheen. I do hope it holds up to washing because I have not prewashed it yet and I have had bad experiences in the past washing cotton sateen (not from nani IRO but from other brands) as the sheen may disappear. I am crossing my fingers!

I’m so glad that this new material is available other than the usual double gauze and linens. Double gauze and linens are comfortable and cool for everyday wear, but the truth is that the look is more casual than formal. With cotton sateen, the look will be more refined and luxe, and I can imagine beautiful party dresses, jackets, skirts and blouses in them.

In the spirit of experimentation, I will be sacrificing my own precious piece of cotton sateen. (Don’t worry I can order more from ElizabethLittle.co) Will prewash it to test for shrinkage and I will make something out of it. So come back next week and see what I have made!