Crafts

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Tokyo Maker Faire this weekend!

Maker Faire has come to Tokyo! I’ll be participating this weekend with a fine group of Etsy crafters. So if you’re in Tokyo Dec. 1-2, come out to The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikain) in Odaiba, battle your way through homemade robots and come say hi. I’m easy to spot — I’m mostly human except for a large metal screw in my elbow from a freestyle walking incident.

The Etsy crew will have workshops all weekend, an open table for makin’ and hands-on crafting, and many holiday gifts for sale. This is a kid-friendly event, the more the merrier. Come and get your hands dirty glittered and glued!

Tokyo Maker Faire: Saturday December 1, 12:00-5:00PM, Sunday December 2, 10:00AM-5:00PM

Location: Miraikan, The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation

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Sashiko Gift Guide

The holiday season ’tis upon us again. Tokyo is blanketed in tiny LED lights and Colonel Sanders has donned his holiday Santa hat. The Christmas spirit and the smell of fried chicken are in the air!

My web shop will be offering Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials again this year, so I encourage you to take a peek! For all orders placed between Friday, November 23rd and Monday, November 26th use coupon code CHEER to receive 10% off your order and to receive a special little surprise gift in the package. It might be edible. It will definitely be weird. Orders will ship Tuesday morning and will arrive in plenty of time for Christmas.

Need a little help with your holiday shopping? I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a holiday helper guide. Friends, see if you can guess which one of these are you.

For the Crafty Teen :: Maybe they’re too smart for their own good, or maybe they just like to glue sh*t to other sh*t. Perfect for the girl who loves to mix and match accessories and colors and multi-color nail polish. Or for the full-grown woman who also loves these things, including dressing like a teen.

The DIY Brooch Kit, $15

For the Busy Mom :: They love to create but have troubling finding the time, because, you know, they are busy keeping tiny humans alive. These sashiko kits come with all the materials needed for a full project, and are easy to start, set aside, pick back up again, and finish by dim lamp light in the middle of the night.

The Genki Sashiko Coasters (Set of 4) DIY Embroidery Kit, $25

For the Friend Who Always Throws a Better Party Than You :: Wine parties, knitting parties, and impromptu I-just-threw-this-delicious-hotdish-together parties, she does it all. This friend enjoys creating a fun atmosphere for her loved ones and is very good at it, so the special touches really matter.

Traditional Sashiko Coasters, Set of 4, $40

For the Girl Who is Just a Friend :: You don’t want to give the wrong impression, like the time you gave her holiday-themed socks and you found yourself in an awkward position. You also know ladies love presents and you don’t want to take the heat the next time you introduce her to your new girlfriend, and she tells New Girlfriend how awful you are at gift-giving. Because you care enough to say you know she knows you care how she looks.

The Sashiko Pocket Mirror, $20

For the Inoffensive Coworker :: You like your colleagues but perhaps you don’t know much about them. Or maybe you do and pretend you don’t. A hand-stitched gift for an inoffensive coworker is the perfect way to say, “Have a fine holiday. But not too much fun that you run off and leave me with all this work.” Also, these ornaments are fun to make, so you might as well get something out of the deal.

Sashiko Starry Night DIY Felt Ornament Kit, $20

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That’s a Wrap!

Sometimes bad wordplay is too good to avoid.

I completed my chunky scarf, and took it out for a walk on the warmest day we have had in Tokyo in the past few weeks. The scarf turned out exactly how I wanted it to. I’m delighted. And overheated.

Also, the Japan Times gets credit for breaking this story since my photo appeared on their website today along with a little article. You can check it out here.

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Works In Progress: A little knitting goes a long way.

A classmate asked me to teach her how to knit. During a self-introduction exercise where I said my new hobby was sewing clothing, she asked me to teach her to knit a scarf. Sure, I follow the logic.

It has been a long time since I knit something. We went to the craft shop together and bought all the materials we’d need for chunky scarves. I’ve never done that for a knitting project before. It was quite satisfying. The weather is turning chilly and it’s an overcast morning, quite right for a knit.

Have you started cool weather knitting? What are you making?!

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Tied.

Does everyone know how much a necktie costs in a Tokyo department store? Let me help you – about ￥10,000, which translates to USD $127. For a basic, silk-ish boring striped necktie.

I haven’t bought my husband a new necktie in years because I couldn’t stomach paying that price for something I knew I had the skills and resources to make. This meant he had no neckties. I experimented with making ties using Liberty of London cottons, but the ties proved too flimsy. A good tie needs some heft, and the fusible interfacing in these made them more like wispy bits of cardboard hanging from a shirt. Recently, I tried again with wool.

The thicker wool and sew-in interfacing allow these ties to swing freely. Because we know men like their accessories to swing freely. I altered Burda pattern 3403 to create a skinny 2 1/2″ tie rather than the fat 4″ as instructed. The fabric is a Pendleton plaid with cotton shirting lining, and cashmere blend herringbone lined in red silk.

With more practice I think I’ll be able to master better points. More practice means more ties, and a way to lure someone into fabric stores with me.

During this photo-op Dan informed me he would never wear this outfit in public. He would obviously need to wear a suit jacket with a tie. Such discerning taste.

And yes, that is a baseball bat tie clip.

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New Sashiko Kits!

I’m delighted to announce I’ve placed some new sashiko kits in my Etsy web shop.

The first is a do-it-yourself sashiko and patchwork brooch. I am excited about this one, as you can tell by the goofy grin on my face. Kits contain a brooch setting, sashiko instructions and materials, and a selection of beautiful fabrics, including plenty of Liberty of London and Echino cottons.

I think these kits would make a nice gift for someone who likes to craft. I would give one to myself if I could. But that is weird. Sashiko Brooch Kit, $15

The second kit is inspired by the upcoming holiday season. This trio of starry night ornaments with sashiko stitching is a nice way to add your own handmade holiday cheer. Kits include fabric, patterns and sashiko materials, and heavy charcoal gray felt for stability and backing. It is really nice felt, I went for the good stuff. The crisp lines of these stars are simple to stitch, but look quite fancy hanging in a set.

Can you believe I found a Christmas tree look-alike in Tokyo this time of year? I can’t. I thought I would have to wait for the $500 trees to arrive and then photobomb them with my ornaments. I’m talking snap and run. But I didn’t have to wait that long. I just photobombed my neighbor’s bushes instead. I don’t mind if they think I’m strange, I already put more wine bottles in the recycle bin than they do, so they expect such things from me, no doubt. Starry Night Sashiko Ornaments Kit, $20

You can check out other sashiko kits and gift items in my Etsy shop. Thanks!

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Happy Kitchen, Happy Family

I have a confession. For the previous three weeks I was cattin’ around the US. I took a wee vacation to visit family, and what else to you do with your family on a lazy Saturday afternoon? You drink beer and make some Happy Kitchen, that’s what you do.

Before I left Tokyo I picked up a few of these kits to give as gifts. I don’t think other people are as excited about them as I am, but that didn’t stop me. These little Popin’ Cookin’ and Happy Kitchen candy-making kits are very cute, and a really good example of Japanese homestyle cooking: just add water.

Just kidding (kind of). These kits are just for fun and meant for children. Add water and poof! You’ve got a square meal of panda and donuts. Accompanied by some local beer, they suddenly become the perfect way to entertain your parents while dinner simmered. We chose the donut kit and dove in.

The kit comes with everything you need: vanilla and chocolate dough mix; vanilla, strawberry and chocolate frosting mix; crunch topping; sprinkles; donut molds; mixing bowls; measuring cup and mixing spoon. The directions are listed on the back of the box in Japanese, but the pictures give enough direction that you could figure it out in a pinch.

Each packet requires just one cup of water to be added to create the perfect texture — what science! Here dad illustrates the dough-making, and mom does the donut-mold-making. Now that is teamwork.

Everyone got to decorate. My mom disappeared to The Craft Room and returned with a mini spatula for our mini donut assembly line. There was some discussion over whether sprinkles or crunch were the superior topping choice.

The peanut gallery insisted I place them on a bigger plate. They needed to look as mini as possible.

Everyone took a taste. The consensus? Like play-dough and strawberry milk. Not bad, but not good either. I’d rather wait for the real thing, mini or not. Perhaps that’s the real difference between me and the 5-year old this kit was meant for. Though the donut flavor was a little disappointing, this kit delivered what was promised: a happy kitchen, full of a happy beer-drinkin’ family.

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English Craft Club, this Sunday!

The next English Craft Club class meets this Sunday September 23rd in Shinjuku Gyoen! This upcoming class is part of the American Quilt Series, and up this week is the Churn Dash.

Finished quilt blocks can be used to create a table mat, decorate a tote bag or cushion cover, or save to add to a larger quilt. All project materials and light snacks are included. Cost is 5000 yen per person, or bring a friend for a discount of just 3500 yen per person. The English Craft Club is open to everyone — men, women, both native speakers and those learning English. Special English language vocabulary and lesson notes are provided. If you are interested in joining the class, please send an email to sakepuppets@gmail.com to reserve a spot. More info can be found here. Hope to see you there!

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Stitch Lessons

I bought this Japanese craft book a few weeks ago and have thumbed the pages many times, trying to decide which pattern to stitch. They don’t make it easy.

The title translates to “Stitch Lesson: 6 basic stitches for lines and surface embroidery.” The book begins with basic instruction in the Big Six: outline stitch, backstitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, long and short stitch, and the couching stitch. In truth, I could use the help. I lean pretty heavily on the split stitch with a fat ol’ six strands of floss, so I thought this book would provide inspiration for some much-needed practice in the dainty-stitch spectrum.

Each page spread presents one project, the complete design on linen on the left and full-size stitch diagram and detail on the right. Patterns and project instructions are relegated to the back.

It is a beautiful book, but let’s be honest — the real reason I bought it was for the very last pattern:

Mmm, pudding.

I acquired some linen swatches that seemed perfect for dainty pudding stitches, but in truth, am having difficulty transferring the detailed patterns onto these coarser fabrics. So I might switch back to cotton, or maybe I’ll just stop whining. I’ll let you know how it goes!