PuchiMaiko

At long last, an update!

2007-11-25T02:30:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

Due to a move to the West Coast, along with full time work and other various special projects over the last couple of years, PuchiMaiko has been retired for the time being. This is not to say we'll never work on PuchiMaiko items again. Oh, no! It just means that right now we are unfortunately far to busy with other things to devote the time and attention needed to produce high quality items. When we are ready to resume, though, you'll hear about it here first!

In the meanwhile, if you would like to see what I've been up to, please feel free to visit either my kimono website:

Or the Immortal Geisha Forums:

Thank-you for all the wonderful support over the years, and I hope to see you around on my other websites.

Kind Regards,
Naomi~

PuchiMaiko.com Website Update!

2005-12-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

PuchiMaiko Store Update

PuchiMaiko.com has been updated with over 40 new kanzashi,
11 new keyrings and 5 new bags. Fun!

Click Here to visit the store!

Black Sheep Craft Fair

2005-11-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

I am happy to announce that I will be participating in the Black Sheep Craft Fair on the 3rd and 4th of December. If you are in the South Florida area - be sure to drop by and pay PuchiMaiko a visit!

Black Sheep Website

We are still looking for more vendors - so if you are interested in having a stall at the Black Sheep Craft Fair you can join up to the Miami Craft Mafia Yahoo Group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MiamiCraftMafia/

Or you can email the organizer, Heather at "ragamufyn @ yahoo.com" (minus spaces). The fee is $15 for one day or $25 for both days. If you don't want to participate, but know someone who does - pass this information on to them :) The more, the merrier!

Big Update!

2005-11-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

PuchiMaiko has just been updated with:

Snazzy new kimonolets!
http://www.puchimaiko.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_25

Snazzy new Victorian inspired brooches!
http://www.puchimaiko.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_47

Snazzy new Koshi Himo!
http://www.puchimaiko.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_40

Chic Indigo Kimono

2005-11-10T13:11:00.000-05:00

This morning I dressed up in my indigo kimono I purchased early October. I fell lin love with this kimono because the indigo was just so vibrant and the pink and turquoise hanabishi pattern completely won me over.

I decided to pair the kimono with my rasberry red hakata obi (the first photograph gives the true colours). I also tied one of the new PuchiMaiko koshi-himo around the bottom part of the obi as an accessory to see what it would look like.

I wore my orange juban because my other juban are currently being converted to two piece juban sets. I have to admit - I was surprised with how nice the orange went with the outfit! It was quite unexpected. I think I will make a thin orange "belt" to wear with this outfit next time.

Last, but not least - I decided to do my hair in a Taisho-chic style. I often see similar hairstyles in shin hanga prints - and I love how it looks.

Please do pardon my kitsuke. It is still sloppy and I need more practice!

Victorian Cameo Brooch From Kimono Fabric

2005-10-26T18:17:00.000-05:00

In addition to my deep love of traditional Japanese clothing and textiles - I also adore Victorian era clothing and accessories. I had been wondering how I could combine my two loves into one for quite some time and I decided to give it a go:

It is made from three different fabrics - two obi brocades and the brown rinzu which dates back to late Meiji / early Taisho era. The lace is vintage and it is accented by faux pearl strings.

I'm quite happy with the look of this - I think we'll be seeing some of these popping up on PuchiMaiko very soon!

Kimono Fabric Necklaces

2005-10-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

I made a few more kimono fabric necklaces and updated the store with them. I used the same concept as before - but I experimented a little bit with the style of them. I'm very happy with these.

Flat View Close Up

Flat View Close Up

Flat View Close Up

Flat View Close Up

Flat View Close Up

Flat View Close Up

Flat View Close Up

Kimono Fabric Silk Scarves

2005-10-20T19:50:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to taking photographs of my scarves and listing them on PuchiMaiko.

I love how these scarves came out - I need to make more!

Pink and Red Scarf:

Close-up 1 Close-up 2

Autumn Shibori Scarf:

Close-up 1

Fire Orange Scarf:

Close-up 1 Close-up 1

Smaller Blue Scarf:

Uchikake!

2005-10-15T22:35:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I participated in a taiko concert. I only had a small walk-on appearance in the finale - but the costume was spectacular!

I was told often during the night that I looked like a Japanese doll. Such a flattering compliment!

I must say - wearing uchikake tires you out. It is amazingly heavy and hard to "carry" about between shows.

In the dressing room - I have the uchikake tied up with a koshi himo so it was easier to walk in until the concert.

Striking a pose backstage

With the koto player, Yoshiko-san (she purchased the uchikake for use in taiko concert). Isn't her kimono beautiful? On the front it has Murisaki Shikibu, and on the back is Prince Genji.

Kimono Fabric Clutch Purses

2005-10-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

I made clutch purses today. The first bag is made from vintage kimono fabric for the handle (the fabric dates back to early Taisho era!), beautiful soft juban fabric for the lining and obi fabric for the outside.

Bag One Front:

Bag One Lining

The second bag is made from a mix of new and vintage fabric - the handle, front and lining is new fabric and the back is vintage. This time my sewing machine behaved!

Bag Two Front:

Bag Two Back:

Bag Two Front Pattern (cute!):

Kimono Fabric Shoulder Bags

2005-10-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

I've been on a bag making spree - which is probably obvious by now :]

Bag One Front is made from obi fabric:

Bag One Back is a cute deep red rinzu kimono fabric:

Bag One Lining soft juban fabric with chrysanthemum patterns:

Bag Two Front is made from faux woven shibori fabric with faux pearls hand stitched:

Bag Two Back is a gorgeous blue rinzu:

Bag Two Lining is a fantastic soft silk with wild floral patterns on it:

Bag Three Front fabric has rinzu pattern of waves and faux shibori chrysanthemum. The centre of two light chrysanthemums have been hand beaded with red seed beeds:

Bag Three Back is a woven faux kanoko shibori fabric in an orangey-red colour:

Bag Three Lining is stunning fabric with traditional motifs - dates back to early Taisho era:

Bag Three Beaded Detail:

Kimono Fabric Hobo Bags!

2005-10-04T19:15:00.000-05:00

For the first bag - I had these amazing vintage indigo kasuri pieces that I had been straining my brain trying to work out what to make with them. I never wear or use dark blues - so it was a challenge. It finally hit me that a hobo bag would be the pefect bag style to show off the fantastic fabric.

I used a beautiful soft vintage maroon cotton that used to be lining of a kimono as the lining. I thought the maroon complimented the indigo perfectly:

The second one I made was from indigo yukata cotton with Japanese style butterflies:

The lining is a peachy-orange vintage cotton - previously the lining of a kimono:

The third one I made has five different juban (under-kimono) fabrics in pinks and blues:

Front:

Back:

The lining is a vibrant vintage pink cotton:

Birthday Present for my Niece

2005-10-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

It was my niece's 3rd birthday today and I decided to make her a gift with PuchiMaiko flair!

I decided not to make her an outfit using vintage kimono fabric because as we all know - 3 year old kids like to play and get dirty, so I used contempoary fabric. I wanted cute, but "adult" type fabric so I purchased some beautiful green suiting that had tuffs of yellow, pink and blue scattered through-out. Because I only had her waist measurement, I decided to make her a skirt and a matching bag. I had some lace that was in excellent condition, so I hemmed the skirt and bag with it. I did use juban fabric to line the bag though - I figured it would be safe there!

Skirt:

The Bag:

Lining of the Bag:

Fun Items

2005-09-21T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here are some cute test items and belt/kanzashi I made today for fun. What do you think of them?

Reversible belt: black and white kanoko shibori on one side and plain black silk on the other with a kamon.
An owl with brown plaid silk for the back and brown kanoko shibori for the front:

Cat toys made with scrap kimono fabric. Patterned on the front and plain black silk on the back:

A new handbag design:

Front is obi fabric with hand sewn faux pearls - back is brown/fawn coloured rinzu silk which dates back to either late Meiji or early Taisho era.

Lining is very cute silk juban fabric with chrysanthemums

Featured in East West Woman!

2005-09-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

PuchiMaiko has been updated with gorgeous new Kanzashi and goodies! Featured in the July/August issue of EastWest Woman - these kanzashi are the perfect accent for many fashion styles: elegant Lolita, wa-loli, goth , fruits, shabby chic, retro, sophisticated, just to name a few! Of course - PuchiMaiko kanzashi are also perfect to be work with kimono as well!

All kanzashi and accessories are made from scrumptiously luxurious vintage kimono fabric with the utmost care and detail paid to each individual piece.

Puchi Updates

2005-09-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

Now - I've successfully made a few updates to www.puchimaiko.com, namely:
- Updating the links page
- Finally creating the press page
- New graphic for the homepage
_ Misc behind the scene updates

I just need to create a customer gallery page now. I have a couple of other non-product informational pages planned also.

Today, I finally managed to take photographs of the new tsumami kanzashi flowers I made. I also added them to the website.

I've also cut out fabric for a gazillion bags and accessories - I just need to sew them all together now!

PuchiMaiko Updated with Fabric

2005-09-08T21:36:00.000-05:00

Puchimaiko.com has been updated with new fabric scrap bags and fabric pieces for crafts!

Yukata Fun

2005-09-06T21:36:00.000-05:00

I had friends from out of town visiting for the night. We decided to have dinner at a Japanese place. For fun and for an excuse to wear kimono - we dressed in yukata!

This was the first oportunity I had to try my rasberry red hakata obi with my yukata. At first, I was concerned it might be a bit to bright against the purple - but the colours actually went together fantastic.

Photographs after we returned home from the resturant (I am in purple - see my cute bag/kinchaku I made to match my yukata?):

Showing off our musubi:

Free Japanese Sewing Patterns

2005-08-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

For all those Japanese craft fans - here is a list of links I've collected with free patterns!

A great translator website for html text in Japanese is

nifty.com/globalgate

http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/qt.html
It has lots of great and fun crafts on there for all ages, by the looks of it along with lots of bag patterns!

The instructions are in Japanese – but, for most of the part, they are VERY easy to follow. The measurements are all in centimetres and/or metres – which is really quite easy to use if you are not used to metric. If you have trouble following centimetres you can use this website to help convert it to inches and feet: http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_common.htm.

A few picks from the bunch:

Cute and Easy Jewelry
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-4-5.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-4-4.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-9-2.jpg

Hand Weaving!
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-5-1.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-10-6.jpg

Bags
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-6-3.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-6-4.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-7-4.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-8-5.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-10-2.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-11-6.jpg

Clothing:
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-7-1.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-7-2.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-10-5.jpg
http://www.craftheart-tokai.jp/qt/q-16-3.jpg

New Kimono Fabric

2005-07-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

I received a new bundle of fabric and boy, there are some fantastic pieces! Here are photographs of some of the fabric I received. So many pretty pieces that I am seriously overwhelmed - I honestly don't know what to start sewing with or what to make from them!

Chidori Obi!

2005-07-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I received my chidori obi in the package from Japan. I was thrilled with it.

I dressed up rather roughly tonight just to see what it looks like. Please pardon my kitsuke, it is lazy and bad - I just did a very quick half job. Also - I need to press the kimono. In addition to trying on my new obi - I also tried on one of the new juban I received. It is -almost- the perfect length for me - short by about 5-10cm. I will be creating a two-piece out of it. Anyhow - photos (pardon the off colours - the lighting is terrible in here at night oh and - I took the photos in a mirror so I didn't dress with my collar overlapping the wrong way - don't panic!).

Full View:

Close-up:

Notes: Of course, I'd never wear a heavy shibori obi-age with this outside the house! I would probably wear a bright pink/red coloured obi-age with this. I do have to say that I particularly like the red and white obi-jime contrasting the blue though.

New Kanzashi and other goodies!

2005-06-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

With my 2 week trip to Australia coming up terribly fast (13th July I leave - argh!) I've been crafting up a storm trying to get a bunch of stuff finished before I go.

I decided to challenge myself to make cute, bright and summery kanzashi flowers rather than the subtle ones I tend to make. Let me tell you - I'm glad I did that, because I am totally happy with this batch of flowers. I really needed a bright candy coloured infusion!

I also made these two spring clip barrettes:

And last, but not least - my new favourite project! One of my absolute favourite traditional Japanese motif is the Chidori (or, plover, in English). It is the crest of the Pontocho geisha district in Kyoto - along with being a very popular pattern on kimono. I normally don't like bird motifs much - but, the chidori is so happy and plump- I cannot help it! So, I decided to make a line of chidori goodies - starting with a brooch:

It is made from super sculpy and hand-painted. Isn't it cute? I cannot wait to make more!

Kanoko Shibori Dear

2005-06-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I made a deer!

I wanted to make something fun...I figured that deers are fun, so why not?

He is made from teal/green coloured kanoko shibori silk and purple kimono fabric.

Now I have a question for you: Would you like to see cute little stuffies like this on PuchiMaiko? They are lots of fun to make, but I am not sure of what the stuffies market is like.

Featured on CraftRevolution!

2005-06-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

Wow. PuchiMaiko kanzashi are featured on CraftRevolution today! <3

CraftRevolution.com

[Edit: Visit Puchi Press Page! http://www.puchimaiko.com/catalog/puchipress.php]

Kimono Fabric "Patchwork" Belts!

2005-06-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

Today I made a bunch of D-Ring belts using vintage kimono cottons and silks. I must say, this was an awful lot of fun! Some of the belts are constructed in a patchwork sort of way, because I only had thin strips of fabric left. Personally, I think it added to the character of each. I also made each reversible. Yay!

The rest are these amazing vintage cottons - such fantastic patterns and colours :]

Kimono Fabric Handbags

2005-06-13T21:27:00.000-05:00

I made some new bags over the weekend – I was pretty driven and it felt good – nothing else mattered except me and the sewing machine :]

I hope you like.

The Bags:

Made from Obi Fabric:

Lining

Cute Girly Fabric and Kanoko Shibori (rawr!)

Lining

Back

Beautiful Brocade

Lining

Back

Inspiring Sites

2005-06-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

I love coming across websites with amazing forms of Traditional Japanese Arts. Especially in doll form!

you MUST visit the website!

How inspiring is that? :)

Kimono Fabric Buttons!

2005-05-30T21:25:00.000-05:00

30 may

I received my pin/button making machine last Friday and I've been having fun ever since! I ordered a bunch of 1 1/4" pin backs - I think they are the perfect size actually - still small enough to be cute...but big enough to see clearly what is on them.

So....I made lots and lots and lots of buttons! I swear, it is addictive! For these pins I didn't use paper, but rather, I used vintage kimono fabric. I didn't put the plastic cover on them when I made them as I love the the look and feel of the matte fabric texture.

I think I made about 50 of them so far:

Two close-ups:

Puchi Pouches

2005-05-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

I made what I call "Puchi Pouches" last night and added them to the store! I also added the bingata kinchaku although - I'm not sure if I can bare to part with it...at least I have enough fabric to make another one for myself...

They are all made out of kimono fabric – all of them, except the one with the cute chrysanthemum are made of silks and silk blends – the red chrysanthemum is vintage cottons. I am absolutely in love with them – as they are small enough to fit in my bag – but, big enough to hold a decent amount (credit cards, paper money, make-up, girly “things”, business cards, etc) and they add just the right touch of “Wow, that is lush!” to my bag contents ;P

You can see how big they are in comparision to my business cards:

I also finished off a woven strip pouch I’ve had sitting around for a while – I absolutely love how it turned out:

Lining and Back:

Yay for productivity!

Bingata Kinchaku

2005-05-22T21:24:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the bingata kinchaku last night! For those who don't know what bingata is - it is a rather unique and vibrant traditional dying technique from Okinawa - it contains a lot of traditional Japanese patterns, but, is highly influenced by the various islands and countries surrounding it also giving it the unique flavour that it has.

This kinchaku would be perfect to be used with kimono or yukata - or even contempoary clothing. It measures around 7 inches across the bottom and 7 inchs tall...and 3 inches wide at the base. Both the outside and inside is silk. I'll be putting this up on my website later today.

Lining:

Flat View:

Bottom View:

I also made this kinchaku for my own personal use. It has a basket bottom and is lined with purple cotton. The outside fabric is a soft pink silk with this awesome metallic woven floral pattern.

And last, but not least - I made a tiny green shibori frog for funlast night:

"Japanese Style" Dancing

2005-05-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

Last night I performed a "Japanese Style" dance at a resturant. I was still quite nervous about performing, but I was much more confident this time round - and did a better job :]

This time round, I wore my gray/orange kimono that has patterns of kiku, ume, take, matsu and some others - it has longer sleeves than my other kimono - so it was much more visually appealing in the dance. I made a make-shift obi-age out of a light/dark purple silk fabric I have, but I really should have made it out of green, I think - that would have contrasted much nicer against the outfit. I had to wear my same red-white obi-jime as well... I don't have any others! :P I think when I make my green obi-age, I'll make a matching obi-jime.

This time round - I was able to tie my obi myself - rather than having to resort to using a two piece obi. I finally taught myself how to tie my obi at the front - it makes it SO much easier! I didn't do the best job - but, it held up good...so I think I'm on the right track!

Anyhow - photos!

The back of my hairstyle:

Dance photos! (pardon how grainy/blurry/dark they are - it was hard for Alex to take a good photo in that light)
The song I dance to is called "autumn sorrow" - so I made up a dance with the storyline of a young girl falling for a guy while viewing maple leaves...she tries to keep him...but in the end he spurns her. Hence the happy smile at the beginning...and the sadder face towards the end.

I'm just not sure if I can get used to dancing in public yet! :P

Business Cards!

2005-05-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

I received my printed business cards the other day - Alex did such a great job on the design...I'm happy!

The front is white - with the Puchimaiko logo and little ume scattered about. The back is turquoise with the logo and info. The colours look a little bit off because of the lighting in my apt right now.

Thank you Alex!

New goodies!

2005-05-04T22:31:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a chance to make tsumami flowers lately - so it was a lot of fun getting back into this. These flowers are around 1.5 inches wide. I'm debating on whether to turn them into brooches or hairclips - OR - to let the person choose themselves (when they eventually go on my store, that is). I've got tons more cut and prepared to make. Fun!

Yummy flower brooches

You can see how big the brooch is. Pardon how tired I look.

Cute little pouches. I still need to find a nice drawstring for both of these. The blue pouch was an awful lot of fun to do because of the shape.

More Tabi Pouches. Can you tell I like making these?

Showing the lining of the pouches...the indigo pouch and the pink pouch have the most awesome linings in them - I wish I was in the position to take better photographs of them.

Kimonolets <- a word my husband made up. These are wrist cuffs/bracelets that are reversible. One side has a cute kimono print - the other side kanoko shibori! hmmm yum!

The other sides!

Basket Pin Cushions

2005-05-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

I found these minature baskets the other day and I immediately envisioned them as pin cushions - they were just so tiny, cute and perfect! I have used kimono and juban fabric for all of them: the bottom right is kanoko shibori silk - the rest are made from cottons and muslins.

Traditional Japanese Patterns

2005-04-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

I'm a very big fan of traditional Japanese patterns vs modern, contemporary patterns. Well, I do appreciate certain contemporary patterns - but they don't hold a special place in my heart as the traditional ones do.
There is something very aesthetically pleasing about traditional patterns, designs and colour combinations that just never seem to work with Western clothing.

To date - my top three favourite traditional patterns (in order) are:

Ume (plum blossom)

Chidori (plover)

Kanoko Shibori (a type of tie-die)

Asanoha (hemp leaf pattern)

(oops - top four, I guess!)

Lately, I've been looking at kimono, obi and fabric that contain traditional patterns and now, I am very excited - the other week, I purchased this obi:

It has the most adorable plump little chidori jumping over wave patterns on it. It is made from summer ro silk.

My next excitable purchase was this tan of asanoha kimono fabric.

Last, but not least - I purchased 4 metres of cute boy's fabric with traditional motifs in circles on it:

I love traditional print fabrics! Can you tell? :)

Free Japanese Sewing Patterns!

2005-04-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

Purely by accident – I stumbled across this website tonight http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/index.html although it is in Japanese – I think the instructions and measurements are clear enough that even a beginner sewer should be able to create these.

Traditional Tamari balls:
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make3/temari-1.html
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make3/temari-2.html

Cute Traditional Drawstring bag
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make3/saihoubag.html

Flower Pin Cushion
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make3/pinkusshon.html

Drawstring pouch
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make3/kinchaku.html

Flower Bowl
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make3/hanautuwa.html

Traditional Japanese Thimbles (these can be a true art form…)
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make2/yubinuki-kihon.html
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make2/kihon-kagari.html
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make2/uroko1.html
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make2/uroko2.html

(the main index for the traditional items: http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/index2.html)

And some contemporary items:

I Love My Dog Carry Bag
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make2/bag.html

I Love My Dog Dog Torso (hahaha!)
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/sewing/make2/torso.html

Nice simple diagrams for basic dress – this is a great base for working on skirts/tops, etc
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/gallery/enjoysewing2/2301/index.html

Cute Patchwork Bag (great for the quilters)
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/gallery/enjoysewing2/2202/index.html

Adorable Apron:
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/gallery/enjoysewing/v2103/v210301.htm

Cute hats for summer
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/gallery/enjoysewing/v1903/V190301.htm

Kitty Kat Train
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/gallery/enjoysewing/v1703/v170301.html

Doggy Pillow:
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/gallery/enjoysewing/v1704/v170401.html

And well – there are lots more – visit the index page for the contemporary items:
http://www.fjx.co.jp/sewingcom/gallery/recipe.html

Another Tabi Pouch

2005-04-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

I made another tabi pouch, this time, using this absolutely gorgeous fabric from a haori I rescued from a vintage clothing store. I had my eye on this haori for three years. When I first saw it, it was $250...yet, it had a tear across the shouder from being hung on a normal plastic clothing hanger. A year later, I saw it again marked down to $150 - and the tear was larger, and beyond repair. I admired the fabric and left. Six months ago...I saw it again, and it had been marked down to $20 with the tear even larger. The price was right for me - as I wanted it for the fabric...and it became mine. I believe, due to the style of the haori and the patterns, it is from late Meiji or early Taisho era - however, I'm no expert in dating kimono fabrics properly yet. I'm pretty certain this haori is for autumn - it has loose maple leaf rinzu in the background - and the leaves look to be grape leaves. The leaves have been hand painted - and the embroidery on it is so tiny, I didn't even realize at first. The lining was just a fantastic pattern. Despite the large tear across the shoulders - the fabric in the rest of the haori (furisode haori, at that) was in amazing, excellent condition, aside from minor age spots in the silk.

Anyhow - enough talk and on with the photos!

The pouch:

Hint of the lining:

View of the inside lining:

Detail of the pattern - if you look hard enough, you might see some of the embroidery:

New Idea - Tabi Pouches

2005-04-03T22:26:00.000-05:00

I received a box of new vintage kimono fabric on Thursday. I was absolutely thrilled with the fabric selection - very lush. I decided the first thing I'd make using the fabric would be tabi pouches. I figured they would come in handy for those who like to dress in kimono (and for other things, also!)

I ended up making two. the first one was too small both in width and height for my own tabi. Well, for the averaged sized shoe person - it would be perfect. But, for big ol' clown size 10 feet me...I had to adjust. So after making the first pouch - I re-adjusted my pattern, and make a second pouch. Second time round, I was a happy camper.

First one to the right - second, to the left.

I used kuro tomesode silk for the body of the pouches. For the second pouch, I used silk fabric from a little girl's kimono. I absolutely adore the pattern on it.

Mark I

Mark II

Children' Hakama

2005-03-21T23:25:00.000-05:00

Two days before the local Hatsume festival a few weeks ago, I received an email from my friend asking if I could make a pair of hakama for her son.

Her son just turned 2 years old a week ago. So, I was going to be making a tiny pair of hakama to match his daddy's pair. I didn't have a pair of hakama in the house to use as reference - so I had to do serious research online and in my kimono books.

I ended up drafting and constructing them mostly from my own asumptions, but, I did find information on these particular websites somewhat helpful:

Constructing Men's Hakama

Instructions for sewing hakama pants

Underneath it All <-- this is the page that was the most useful.

The end result wasn't perfect, but I figured for my first pair of hakama, ever, they were relatively okay. The hardest part was getting the pleats correct in relation to the waist measurements and then starching and ironing them.

Japanese Costume Creation

2005-03-20T23:23:00.000-05:00

I occationally do Traditional Japanese costume creation for the dancer of my local taiko group.

Elemental Concert #1
After much deliberation, we decided upon an Oiran-ish type outfit for the Water element….and for the fire element, we needed a Japanese costume that would react very well to black lights – and allow her to easily work with poi. We had originally decided on doing a Shiyabyoshi outfit – as we felt the white of the top would react fantastic – and the look of the sleeves flowing, as she twirled the poi would look beautiful. Unfortunately though, due to insane time constraints for sewing and budget restrictions…we had to come up with a costume that we could create using items we already owned….so the next idea was to mimic the formal summer costumes of noble women from the Kamakura era.

Oiran Costume:
I had to create both the red kimono and the blue uchikake – along with the obi. I was originally going to either paint or appliqué on the uchikake…but we ran out of time….so we left it plain colour for this time round. This was my first time sewing a kimono of any sort…so it was an extremely daunting, insanely frustrating but highly satisfying experience seeing the end result. As for the hairstyle ….the dancer was going to use my maiko hairstyle book and style it, whilst I concentrated on the sewing…or at least – that is what I thought! It turns out that we both had our wires crossed. She thought I was going to style her natural hair – and I thought she was going to do the wig. Hence – the wig was never styled – and I had to style her hair from scratch that very morning. Now, being as sick as a dead dog on Saturday morning (it was NOT a wonderful time to come down with an extremely nasty cold :[) I tried my best in styling her hair. By the last show on Sunday though – I had it down to pat. Well, as down to pat as I could with a gazillion bobby pins and tins upon tins of hairspray. I was even complimented by a Japanese dancer/tea ceremony instructor on how good it was (I’m sure she was being polite though!).

Back of Costume
On Stage

Kamakura era Costume:
This costume was very easily created from my juban and existing kimono I had in my collection. The fact that the kimono itself glowed fantastic in black light was a pure stroke of luck! Visually – this entire costume had the most impact and “wow” element to it. It was amazing….and also the main photograph they published in the local papers. When I had styled the Oiran hairstyle, I made it easy to remove all the shibori ribbons and take out the mage and turn it into a straight pony tail….so for the Kamakura era costume – she had the front and sides pulled back still – but her hair hung down straight at the back, with white silk tied at the base of the pony tail. For the grand finale…we replaced the white silk with the shibori obi-age to add a bit of oomph and differences to the costume.

What the costume looked like outside of the black light

Hairstyles
Close up of Oiran hairstyle
Close up of back of finale hairstyle

Elemental Concert #2
This time, I created an Ancient Japanese costume for my friend - for her to wear at the opening - the water element. I didn't make the wings of the costume - but I made the rest of it, along with styling her hair. I was very lucky that the lady who was asisting the koto player and the dancer with getting dressed in kimono had done Japanese hairstyling when she was younger in Japan. She was very surprised, and impressed with my efforts - and gave me some GREAT tips and showed me a few tricks with styling. I learnt a lot from her :] She offered to invite me along to more traditional Japanese cultral events to help out, as she wants me to watch how things are done, as she feels it is the best way to learn!

I also styled the top part of a katsura for the traditional dancer that was performing that night. The top part had fallen out a while ago and was just a long messy pony tail (although the sides and back were still in good condition). I tried to style it based on shimada mage hairstyle. She was very happy with how well it turned out (although, being my first time styling a katsura - I was very nervous, and didn't do as good a job as I could have - if I had time to practice) and has already asked if I can do another hairstyle for her. I also have another one of her katsura here, which I will be styling in a maiko hairstyle for her. I also was lucky enough to watch her apply traditional make-up, and to assist her with her make-up for her back and nape of neck :]

Anyhow - enough boring talk: Some photographs of the night!

My friend's hairstyle, with Rumi-san showing me how to pin certain parts:

Kyoko-san's katsura - I styled the top part and placed the ribbon and kanzashi in:

Yoshiko-san (koto player), Kyoko-san and My Friend:

My friend practicing backstage, before concert:

Hanhaba Obi and Two Piece Juban

2005-03-20T23:21:00.000-05:00

For Hatsume Festival this year, I really wanted to wear one of the light blue kimono that I have, that has random smatterings of pink flowers over it. The only problem was: I didn't have a matching obi. So - straight to the fabric shop I went to look for some fabric!

I was lucky that I found a pink fabric that matched the pink in my kimono perfect. What more - it was a nice subtle plaid. The kimono and obi together made me think of the new, modern way of wearing vintage kimono I've seen on Japanese websites. I tried to make a bag out of the same fabric to match - but my sewing machine needle broke, and it was already 1.30am on the morning I had to dress in kimono.

A close-up of the patterns:

Front (my husband and I are on the right side)

Back view:

I was quite happy with how the outfit pulled together, and I received many compliments at the festival.

The week before - I worked on a juban I already owned. I had received the juban in a box of damaged kimono to be used for fabric. At first I loathed the colour of it...but over time it grew upon me. I decided not to cut it up early on in the game especially considering it was in great condition. I figured I could use it for costume design or something similar. The only problem with it - it fitted me everywhere perfect...except it only came to just below my knees...instead of above my ankle.

At last, I finally got enough courage to attempt to re-construct it into a two-piece juban. I personally find two-piece juban much more comfortable to wear - and, it lends hope to those of us who are taller (I'm only 165cm - but by kimono standards - that is huge! yikes).

A lovely friend of mine who lives in Holland sent me photographs with measurements of her two-piece juban. It was quite useful, as she is taller than I am so I was able to make it to fit. I had to try to keep as much fabric in the skirt part as I could. To achieve this. I cut the top of the juban shorter, and added white cotton around the bottom to give it length. I then added white cotton to the top of the juban skirt to give it a bit of extra length and ties.

I was very happy with the outcome!

Burlesque Kanzashi

2004-12-19T23:20:00.000-05:00

My close friend is a professional dancer, concentrating in both asian/oriental/middle eastern dance and burlesque/fusion type dance. I wanted to make her a kanzashi for Christmas...but was kind of stuck on what type to make. I then remembered that she is incorporating an ostrich feather fan dance in her burlesque acts. My brain got ticking over and I decided to make a feather based kanzashi for her that has a very vintage, burlesque feel to it that she can wear as a part of the costume.

I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I used two different cream/ivory toned vintage kimono silk lining fabric for the flower. You will have to pardon my bad photographs - I have barely any light here at night time.

Checkered Pouch

2004-11-08T23:19:00.000-05:00

I originally made this pouch to donate to my Japanese dance class to sell at the O-bon festival...but, one of the dancers liked it so much, that she purchased it there and then :] She told me that it would be perfect for when she is doing tea ceremony - to hold utensils and papers. I was rather happy to hear it go to such noble use!

The technique for this one was a lot of fun - I had to create a bunch of fabric strips and weave them together, to get the top panel. I have another one in blues half made - I just need to get off my butt and finish it! :]

Back View

Lining View

Fun Items

2004-11-08T23:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some cute items I've made for fun!

Bird Pouch:

Cicada Brood

Tiny Thistle Pouch

Sakura Pouch:

Coin Purse:

Butterfly Pouch: