Fabric Shopping in Japan (Osaka)

First, I thought I'd show you the pretty Chirimen and Chirimen-like fabrics. They look SO Japan, right? Typical fabric designs for traditional Kimono....  Beautiful.  But that isn't all they have, of course.  Go on.

This is Ebisubashi-suji in Osaka.  Ebisubashi-suji continues on to Shinsaibashi-suji, this is just one looooong covered street of shops, shops, and more shops of all sorts. Lots of people, both local and tourist shoppers!

The fabric shop, Toraya, is located closer to Namba although you can say it's between Namba and Shinsaibashi on subway Midosuji line. If you are ever there, I'd recommend you get off at Shinsaibashi, and start walking toward the direction of Namba, enjoy window (or real!) shopping along the way.

You'll eventually find Toraya. It's located at a corner of, I don't know what that street is called but it is on Ebisubashi-suji. You can't miss it if you keep walking straight from Shinsaibashi station.

This two-story shop is full of fabrics.  Most made in Japan, with exceptions of Indonesian batik, and some Indian cotton, some Chinese wool blends, Italian, French, and some Swiss made fabrics.

On the ground floor, you see this type of arrangement.

All sorts. Cotton, wool, silk, rayon, poly, gauze, linen; woven & knit, everything. They were doing the summer sale, so, many light weight fabrics were discounted.

"These are all samples. Please do not remove the fabrics, but just get an attention from store staff. We will cut a minimum of 50 cm [that's about 20" or half a yard], and in 10 cm increments"

Quilted cotton. Grade school children often have a bag made of fun pattern quilted cotton to carry gym clothes and other things that don't fit in their regular "Randoseru"

Pretty, pretty.  Partly due to the horrifyingly humid and hot summer in Japan, I was mainly interested in cotton woven this time.  (Besides, the quality of Japanese cotton -- you know.)

Fabulous quality cotton, from about $4.50/meter, 45" wide.

I stood in front of this bunch for a long time, and touched many of these, trying to decide which one I want to go home with!

Wool. Some of these are made in China.

I told you. Summer fabrics were very attractive to me.

Upstairs, they had finer fabrics. (Although there were plenty of FINE fabrics downstairs!)

Yuwa's cotton and cotton/silk. These are all made in Japan. On Yuwa website, they sell fabric in 10 cm increments!

So fun. So pretty.

I wanted them all.

I stood in front of this rack, pulled the red one off the rack, draping it on me in front of a mirror several times, in fact.  I decided not to get it this time : (

When you know what you want to buy, you talk to a store staff.  She or he will come to you and snip two small pieces of the fabric you want.

And attach the piece onto two separate slips, one for you to keep and give to the cashier when you are done shopping, and the other slip with the sample piece is sent in a tube (think drive through banking) that gets shot up through a long tube to the "warehouse" where the fabric is cut to the length you specify.

Here are the pieces I bought. All quilting type cotton but a little thicker and bit more stable than what you'd typically see in the US as quilting cotton.

Then, there's this outside the store. Pre-cut fabrics, most at discount. Reminiscent of my fabric shopping in Paris last year.

There was also a small stack of pre-cut stuff upstairs in the finer fabrics section.  I picked up this beautiful light weight linen.

I'd better get busy and sew more.  Before the summer is gone.  All these summer fabrics!

Osaka has a textile wholesale district called Semba. Most shops now sell to consumers directly as well as their wholesale business.  Unfortunately, my time in Osaka this time was very limited and I wasn't able to make it there. (Next time, for sure) Below, some links for fabric shopping in Japan.

Tokyo's Nippori textile district
Osaka's Semba Center Building (wholesale/retail fabric district)
Toraya (Osaka)
Yuzawaya (Many locations - a big chain of beautiful stores)

Have you gone fabric shopping in Japan? If you have, which stores did you go?

Cool Hot Summer Dress: Simplicity 9002

I made this dress actually last August.  That's right, August, 2014. I considered it to be a flop, so it remained unblogged. 

Beautiful high grade vintage cotton I received from someone who was giving away her late mother's sewing supplies. I absolutely loved this cotton (feels like a premium Japanese cotton) and I wanted to be sure I made something that I could enjoy for a long time with it.  I can't remember where the white fabric came from, but was in my stash, and a perfect match for the main brown fabric.

Sewed with a tiny narrow orange ribbon for the skirt portion of the dress.

The pattern I used was a vintage-ish (believe it's from the 80's or the 70's. Can't believe 80's almost qualifies as vintage. Agh!)

I really like the way these two fabrics worked out well together.

No zipper closure.  Just slip on and off. 

Nice deep pockets.  Very practical. Since I've mainly been sewing knits, I'd forgotten how nice and easy to sew with 100% cotton woven fabric. Also, it feels SOOOOOO nice against my skin. 100% natural fiber next to my skin on a hot summer day is like heaven, freedom, and simply delicious. 

I made size 10 based on the measurements on the pattern instructions, however, it was way too big and I had to adjust the bodice a bit to fit me better.  It is meant to be loose-fitting but it just felt so huge that I made a little adjustment/embellishment on the back.

A cute vintage button with a little loop, hoping that it will make the dress look a little more 'fitted'. But it didn't do much for that.  Nevertheless, it is a darling button and I love it!

Here is the close-up shot of this adorable button!

On the photos, it doesn't look so huge, but trust me. It looks ginormous on me. Especially from the back. I've gone back and forth about just cutting it and making the skirt part narrower, but since I've cut and adjusted the bodice a couple of times, it couldn't be any shorter than how it is now.  I only wore it two times last summer. It sat in my closet for a year.

Seattle has been experiencing unusually HOT summer this year. (Really. Usually, summer for us doesn't arrive until at least July 5. This year, it came in mid June!!) So, I took it out and wore it.  I decided that I really like this dress.  It is so comfortable.  The fabric feels so nice.  I will definitely make another version, and this time I will make the skirt less wide. (so it won't end up looking like a maternity dress!)

Do you have a project that you considered to be a flop, and later liking it? 

What are you all sewing this summer?

The State of My Sewing Table - Working Toward Freedom

I've started this post apparently back in October, 2014.  All the photos here are from then.  Most of what's written is also from Oct. 2014. I just went through the pics here, and I'm pleased to report that some of the fabrics and patterns have since been used and made into my closet. But, most still remain in my stash.

It looks a little chaotic. But, wait. I'm only trying to make some plans here.  While still feeling manageable, I decided to really follow through my plan that I had put in place some 10 months 18 months ago. 

With the RTW Fast I joined during 2014, I've managed not to shop RTW clothes - with a few exceptions while traveling - for a good 18 months. However, instead, shopped for fabrics and patterns during the fast. 

It's easy to accumulate a stash, whether it be patterns or fabrics. 

I had planned to make basic wardrobe builders, especially tops. Luckily, I did stick to my plan in the fabric shopping department. The color scheme is consistent and can easily be coordinated. 

And these are all knits, as that's what I like to work with and wear most of the time. 

I was auditioning the patterns and fabrics. 

So many options, and so many decisions to be made.  Newer, vintage, Style Arc, the Big Four.  Mind you, this isn't all the patterns I have. There are also downloaded PDFs on my computer.

And the fabrics. These are mostly what I purchased up to this past summer. What I brought back from Paris isn't even on the table yet.

And this is the hardest part for me. 

What to make, and with what. Besides the famous question of 'When will I have time for all this?!' Well, one step at a time. One garment at a time, right?!

How do you decide what to make when you are choosing from your stash?  Do you choose the fabric first, or do you look at the pattern first and then go look for the perfect fabric for it??  Am I the only one with this challenge, being indecisive?? Once I decide and get moving, I move fast. But it feels like I spend more time "window shopping" my stash than actually sewing.  That has to change.
 ===============

Fast forward to July, 4, 2015.  On this Independence Day, the day to celebrate freedom, I declare freedom from worries ("what if this fabric choice turns out bad..?, "what if I ruin this beautiful fabric..?", "what if the design of this pattern will not look good on me after the garment is made...?"), to be brave and just cut and make garments with all these beautiful fabrics and patterns I already have!  (Who knew sewing was going to be such a spiritual practice for me?!)

Have a happy Independence Day, everyone, whether you live in the US or not.  For those whose independence and freedom have been compromised, my prayers go out to you and with all my heart I wish you the best in gaining and regaining independence and freedom as you wish.   

Style Arc Susan Top V. 2

Whatever happened to me?! 　

Life!

It has been an eventful year so far. Well, that's another post. For now, I'm going to play a catch-up. Shall we?

First, a project from February. 

My favorite Style Arc Susan Top. Here's the version 2. My first one, exactly a year ago, is here. 

I wanted to make it with just a tiny bit more ease added on the armhole and upper part of sleeves this time. That was successful.  However;  

I have yet to learn much about fabric selection. This was a very light weight jersey knit. Beige in color.  So light weight that I didn't want to bother with hems of any sort.  So, just serged and left as is. 

It looks fine on my grey dress form. But when I put it on me, the beige color next to my skin made it look like it's a long underwear! Nothing I can really wear as an outerwear.

Thought about embellishment with these fabrics. Maybe an applique? 

Maybe make it a bit more cheerful. But, noooo. The shirt will forever be my inner wear, waiting for winter! 

I think this fabric would have made a beautiful cardigan, perfect for summer evenings in Seattle.  Well, live and learn. 

Please share with me your fails and learnings in the department of fabric selections.

What To Do With Knit Scraps or That Old Stained Tunic - Swiffer It!

I had to start with something cheerful and totally random. That's the birthday cake I made for a girlfriend for her 50th birthday party with an epic birthday cake candle!

I can't believe February is almost over, and today is the opening day of the sewing expo in Puyallup. My first sewing project for 2015 flopped.  (Aww. I have documented it, it's not too bad, but I didn't want my first post for the year to be a negative one, so I'm saving it for another day.)  

My sewing energy has been slow mostly due to the fact that there has been a few house projects that kept me busy. (i. e. stuff kept on breaking) As a result I'm rather cranky, not having enough time or inspiration to start a new sewing project. And then, there was the Super Bowl. (I live in Seattle....)

Well, but I don't want to stay in a funk forever. So, here's something easy and fun.

Some of you might have already guessed that I'm from Japan.  One of Japan's best inventions, I think, is this cleaning tool. Swiffer, as we know it here in US. Its original Japanese name is "Kuikkuru" (play on word, "quick"). Anyway it's great on non carpeted floors. But the refill paper cloth thingie you have to purchase is rather wasteful and can get expensive.

So my ah ha! moment came when I had my beloved but badly stained Banana Republic light weight knit long-sleeve top in beyond Goodwill-able condition. (I forgot to take the "before" photo!) 

Anyway I just cut it up.  Any light weight thin knit fabric will work.

The Swiffer base is about 10" wide so I cut it about 10 to 11 inches wide.

And it's about 4.1/2" across, so I make it about 7" because it needs to wrap

around the base.

Here, it's just the right size. It stretches anyway so it's very forgiving. It doesn't need to be the exact size.

Just be sure the fabric is stretched straight on the surface that touches the floor.

Okay, I tested it on a seemingly clean floor. Ran it once, for less than one minute.

Eek. Really? Was the floor that dirty?  You can lightly brush the dust off into the trash and use it some more, and toss it when it's 'dirty'. That's what I do.  If you are a real hard-core recycler, I guess you can wash them for reuse.

One tunic yielded 10 Swiffer "sheets" and a leftover piece which I can use for dusting or for any cleaning purposes.

Obviously you can do the same with some leftover light weight knit fabric you may have.

I recently heard that fashion/sewing industry is one of the most wasteful industries. (Yeah, all that scraps that we can't really make anything with, and all that RTW consumerism.)  So I'd like to do what I can. I love finding ways to minimize waste, making useful things from useless things.

Ok, I'm off to the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup in the morning! (Unfortunately, the only day I can go this year. So, I'll make the best of it!) 

Happy sewing and creating!