To Market, To Eco Market

This Saturday I'm off to the BrisStyle Eco Market and can't wait to pull out a lot of kimono pieces, going back to the roots of where this brand began, giving vintage kimonos a new life.  As well as pieces like my bamboo and fabric teapot and kokeshi brooches, I'll have my very last kimono embroidered crane and some kanzashi-style brooches.

Of course, if you're wanting to play with a bit of these gorgeous fabrics yourself, I'll have suitcases full of fabric pieces and full kimonos for you to rummage through too.

Kanzashi Christmas

Some Christmas decorations I've been making for myself.

Made from pieces of a vintage kimono.

Playing with new Fabrics

I love playing with new fabric finds just as much as I love shopping for them.  These are pieces of a few of the kimonos I bought recently at the flea markets in Japan.

This stunning black and red pattern came from a woman's haori (a mid-length coat worn over a kimono).  I don't have a lot of the pattern, so I think I'll have to keep a few pieces from it for myself.

The beautiful blue and red came from a woman's wool kimono.  I can imagine it having been worn on those colder autumn mornings.

These all came from the same kimono, a gorgeous girl's kimono with stunning gold highlights.  It's the type of kimono that would have been worn to the shrine for a festival and prayers would have been made for the girl's future.  

These are all from another haori, a lovely fine silk one.  Does anyone know what this flower is?  It's done in a lovely dark pink, blue and also white, so striking on the black background.

And some yummy purple.  The Japanese do purple well, especially in older kimonos like this one.  It's a very fine silk and scattered over it there are a few red and blue flowers.

All of the kimonos I buy are flawed in a way, be it a tear or marks of age, so they can no longer be worn.  I love imagining what life they have seen before, where they've been worn to and then to what new life I can give to them.

These brooches are all about to packed to be sent to Hanasho and the new Piece Together store opening on the 11th, as well as to go with me to Young Designer Markets tomorrow and the BrisStyle Indie Markets next Saturday.  I do have to say, lately I really haven't been my online store enough, but please feel free to drop me a line if ever you see anything on the blog you like.

My Creative Space

My creative space this week has been mostly occupied with working with other people's amazing artwork.  I've been busy preparing and hanging the Reincarnated Kimono Project exhibition which will be all ready for viewing from tomorrow afternoon.

Here's a sneak peek of some of the gorgeous pieces in the show....

I'll do a full blog tour of the show this coming Saturday if you can't make it in to the show.

And hanging exhibition has been such a pleasure surrounded by the flowery goodness that is Hanasho.

For more creative spaces, head over to Kootoyoo.

My Creative Space

I'm letting my creative spirit take flight for a few days....  I've booked the weekend out so that I can complete my work for the Reincarnated Kimono Project exhibition that is hanging... next week!

I'm so inspired by the amazing creations that I've been getting sneak peeks of, and I feel like I need to lift my game a bit.  You can see a few for yourself here, here, here and here.

Today, I'm experimenting a little.  I'm not sure if it's something that will make it to the show or not,  but I'm playing with kimono wings and resin.

For more creative spaces, head to Kootoyoo.

Japan Relief Auction - Vintage Kimono Fabric Bundle

My second auction to raise fund for the Japan Relief.  A bundle of vintage kimono fabrics from my collection.

There is a mix of fabrics, though mostly silk.  All together there is over 7 metres in there, most fabrics at the standard kimono panel width of 30 - 35cm, a couple are a bit narrower.

This big bold origami crane pattern comes from a woman's haori coat.

I love the Samurai helmet on this boy's fabric.

And look at these cranes, one a yummy crepe and the other a fabulously cute origami crane print.

The nitty-gritty of the auction...

1. The auction ends at 9pm (Brisbane time) on March 26th, 2011.
2. To bid, leave a comment on this blog post with the amount you wish.  You can keep checking on the post during the week to make sure you haven't been out-bid.  The starting bid is the first bidders choice.
3. Bids are to be made in Australian dollars, in full dollar amounts.
4. Make sue when you bid that I'll be able to contact you if you win, either with a link to your own blog or an email address.
5. I'll post the fabric anywhere in the world.
6. The full winning bid amount will be donated to the Red Cross Japan Disaster Appeal.

I'm also auctioning one of my hand embroidered kimono cranes for the appeal here.

For other great Japan Relief auctions and raffles, please visit A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That, the co-ordinator of this great event.

Time to get this party started!  Do I have a first bid?

Japan Relief Auction - Kimono Crane

As most of my regular readers will know, Japan was my beloved home for six years.  I lived there twice, once when single and then later as a newlywed.  It's a country I adore and is filled with people that I love.  A place I hold so dear to my heart.

Last week's tragedy broke my heart, as it did people all around the world, whether you've ever been there or not.  I found it hard to talk about and still do.  I am so lucky however that my friends and their families are all safe, even though quite scared and nervous.

I'd like to help give back to the country that has inspired me for so long now.

I'm going to open two blog auctions today.  The Kimono Crane pictured below, and in a moment, in another post, a bundle of vintage kimono fabrics.

This Japanese origami crane has been hand folded the traditional way, but in antique kimono silk.  The particular kimono this crane comes from was a celebratory gown so comes infused with well wishes.  The words "Joy" and "Love" have been hand embroidered on the wings.

It hangs from a looped ribbon, like this one.  The ribbon is also adorned with Czech and Japanese beads.  The wingspan is about 18cm.

The origami crane is a well-known symbol of peace.  In Japanese culture, the crane is also a symbol of longevity, fidelity and a happy marriage.  

The nitty-gritty of the auction...

1. The auction ends at 9pm (Brisbane time) on March 26th, 2011.
2. To bid, leave a comment on this blog post with the amount you wish.  You can keep checking on the post during the week to make sure you haven't been out-bid.  The starting bid is the first bidders choice.
3. Bids are to be made in Australian dollars, in dollar amounts.
4. Make sure that when you bid I can contact you somehow if you win, either with a link to your own blog or an email address.
5. I'll post the crane to yourself (or someone of your choosing) anywhere in the world.
6. The full winning bid amount will be donated to the Red Cross Japan Disaster Appeal.

For other great Japan Relief auctions and raffles, please visit A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That, the organiser of this event.

So, without further ado... let's get this auction started!

... update... the other auction, a bundle of gorgeous vintage kimono fabrics is now up, over here....

The Exhibition Kimonos

Pssst.... I'll tell you a little secret... it's my birthday today!  In my inbox was the best birthday presents - a stack of really inspiring ideas for The Reincarnated Kimono Project.  Thank you so much to everyone that has submitted, the creative thought put into them is really amazing.  I've been buzzing all day!  I'll announce the artists soon.

In the meantime, I'd like you to meet two of the other stars of the show.  The kimonos that have volunteered to go under the blade and to subject themselves to needles, glue and all manner of things in the name of transformation.

Kimono number one.  Let's call her Satsuki.  If you look at her closely, she's a bit marked with age, but my oh my, those colours!  She's also made with this old type of silk crepe that is so beautiful to the touch.

And if those colours weren't enough, there are also gorgeous origami cranes printed in silver over the top.

Kimono number two.  She tells me her name is Yumiko.  I ummed and ahhed about including her.  She is just so beautiful, it's going to be hard to take her apart.  She insisted though.  She has some marks that means that she can no longer be worn.  But really wants to go out and explore the world again, and says she'd love a new look.

She's adorned with flying cranes, detailed ones as well as stylised ones in silver and gold.

And with a gorgeous garden of flowers.

I'm so excited to see these two in all their new forms.

Motif Monday - The Tsuru Crane

This year, I want to finish some of the things I started long ago.  One such neglected project is a look at the common motifs used in Japanese kimonos.  

What better way to start than to look at my personal favourite - the tsuru crane.

In Japanese culture the crane is believed to live 1000 years (a thinking they adopted from China) and so represents a long life.  As the crane mates for life (hmmm... I wonder what the traditional gift for a 950th wedding anniversary would be...), build the nest and raise their young together, it's also used as a symbol for a happy marriage.  Many wedding uchikake gowns are embroidered with cranes and are often pine, another symbol of long life.

This was a stunning women's kimono.  It was a gorgeous fine silk with shibori details.

This was from a boy's kimono, the fabric is from the sleeve and you can see the family crest at the top.  I love how it looks like a moon in the night sky.  This type of kimono would have been laid over a newborn (at about 100 days old I believe) during a visit to the shine to pray for his health and long life.

This is another boy's kimono.  It also has lots of motifs traditionally used for boys including taiko drums, arrows, Mt Fuji and arrowheads.

This is from a vibrant girl's kimono, from memory printed on a silk crepe and with gold highlights.

This was a heavily embroidered women's obi.  The gold was super shiny and the crane was done in soft silk threads.

I'm quite obsessed with the cranes and even used them in my wedding dress.  And they always look so elegant, souring across the fabric.

My Creative Space

Sing it with me.... "It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas..."  I know it's November but I'm already getting excited about Christmas this year.  It will be the first in ...gee...  five years... that we're spending it with family.

I'm starting to think of the Christmas tree and how to manage one with the little one who gets into everything.  I've had some great suggestions on Facebook and seen some cool ideas online and magazines of tree alternatives.  I'm not sure which way I'll go yet but I do want something that I can hang decorations from.

So this week, I've been making some "Kimono Baubles" for the tree-that-isn't-yet.  If anyone is interested, I'll put a tutorial up for them in the next week or two.  They are super easy and a great  in-front-of-the-tv craft (as long as you're not doing it in the dark like I was last night - I've ended up with some rather dodgy stitches!)

For more creative spaces, Kootoyoo is the place to visit.

Hidden Treasures

Last night, sitting in front of some trash TV, I was carefully taking apart a gorgeous Taisho period (1912 - 1926) Meisen Silk (ikat) kimono.  The main colour was a rich, deep purple with a floral crest and geometric pattern woven in lighter colours.  It has a beautiful crisp old silk feel to the touch and as I gently removed the hand stitching I tried to imagine who it had belonged to and what occasions it had seen.

And then I came to the lining...

Inside the kimono was this vibrant teal fabric, what feels like a silk-wool blend, quite raw, I suspect it was older that the outer kimono fabric.    At some point a little bug had taken a liking to the lining fabric and had munched through areas.

Rather than just throw the fabric out it had been patched up by what appears to be scraps on hand, pieces with bright red flowers and green leaves.  But what got me is the stitching, neat little rows of sashiko stitching in the boro tradition of mending old textiles.

At the time, this would have been hidden away, maybe for the embarrassment of not being able to afford new lining, or maybe not.  There is also a real sense of thriftiness in Japan, so I hope it was appreciated for the resourcefulness and fine handiwork that it really was.

Even some of the patches have been patched...

Round holes have been sewn around before the larger fabric has been stitched into place...

I'm not sure what I'll do with this treasured piece of fabric yet, but I think it's time that the fine handiwork saw some light.

My Creative Space

Brooches, brooches, working on and with lots of brooches....

...painting faces...

... and trying to find the right prop to photograph them with...

For more creative spaces, drop by Kootoyoo.

My Creative Space

I'm working in miniature today.  I'm preparing pieces for a resin pour tomorrow, mostly hairpins and tiny stud earrings.  It still amazes me to find the fine details in these fabrics.

For more creative spaces, drop by Kootoyoo, there's always such an abundance of talent.

My Creative Space

I'm having a big brooch making day (that is a big day making brooches, not a day making big brooches) today and have been sorting fabrics for a customer that wants some red and some blue teapots.

For more creative spaces, Kootoyoo is the place to go!

My Creative Space

My creative space. Best described by the Man today as not so much being messy, but rather looking like WW3 had hit.

But I did manage to clear a little desk space to take a photo of one of the many things I'm working on this week. New brooches and a pendant, all with hand-coloured bamboo and vintage kimono fabrics.

These will join my Kokeshi brooches to form my "Kyoto" range, all using bamboo and inspired by traditional motifs.

For more creative spaces, Kootoyoo is the place to go.

The Melbourne trip and the Life Instyle show are now just days away and with so much still to do, this blog will get a little quiet for a couple of weeks. I can't wait to tell you all about it when I come back!

My Creative Space

Finishing off a custom ordered kimono crane that is to be a wedding gift.

For more creative spaces, Kootoyoo is the place to go.

My Creative Space

The last couple of days have been about painting faces and dressing dolls.

Today I'll be putting their brooch backs on, ready for their first day out at the Eco Market on Saturday.

After I've been playing with them, I think I prefer the simplicity of the sleeveless ones, they are far more like actual kokeshi after all. I had a little bamboo left so have made a few little mother and daughter ones as well.

To have a peek into other creative spaces, head to Kootoyoo.

My Creative Space

I'm choosing outfits for my new Kokeshi doll brooches....

And making lots of flowers.

For more creative spaces, drop by Kootoyoo.

Kimono and Fabric Sale

A few weeks to go, but I'm getting very excited about the upcoming brisStyle Eco market!

I'll have a few of my usual pieces there, some vintage fabric kanzashi, some fabric cranes, but at this market, I get a chance to let some other people play with the gorgeous vintage kimono textiles I use. I'll be having a large sale of some of my kimono and obi collection as well as many, many fabrics from them.

Over the next few weeks, I'll pop up some photos of some of the pieces that will be there. Well I'd best get back to my unpicker now!

My Creative Space

A little peek at some new pieces I'm playing with at the moment... bamboo and vintage kimono fabrics with hand painted details...

For more creative spaces, Kootoyoo is the place to go!