Etsy

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New, in my shop!

The City Tote.  Perfect for running errands around town, this bag is sized to fit the essentials — keys, wallet and a phone for that quick run to the corner market, laundromat, or mail box.

A DIY sashiko kit with everything you’ll need — fabric, blue and white thread, illustrated instructions, and pattern.  With a chic chevron pattern and beautiful nani IRO linen, what’s not to love?!  Wander over to my web shop to check it out!

If you’re new to sashiko and looking for tips, you can take a peek at my new sashiko how-to page.  Over there, you’ll find all sorts of photos and tricks.  Here’s a sampling:

You can find the how-to page on the “sashiko” tab above the banner, and more sashiko kits in my Etsy shop.  Good luck, and happy stitching!

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Sashiko! Sashiko! Rah rah rah!

It’s true, I was a cheerleader in high school. I’m pretty sure I was pegged as the grumpy cheerleader (bookish introverts probably shouldn’t be allowed on the squad), and I would have worn motorcycle boots with my uniform if they had let me.  But I digress.

I can’t help but cheer because my sashiko kits are finally up in my web shop, and I’m really excited.  I’ve been working on these kits for the past few months, and I’m happy to finally share them.  I designed the patterns and created illustrated instructions detailing the techniques I learned from my snappy old-lady friends in sashiko class.  Let’s take a peek:

I tried to marry traditional Japanese aesthetic with modern design and materials, which is probably how you could describe my taste at the moment.  Every dish and towel in my kitchen is indigo and white, and everything else in our apartment is either white, wood, or Muji-tan.  I find it simple and refreshing.

These coasters are also great because they provide almost-instant gratification for the busy crafter.  They take hardly any time to make, and class-up tea cups tenfold.  A few of the kits are geared for beginners and a few for more experienced needleworkers, but I’m happy to answer questions and do some virtual hand-holding for anyone wanting to learn sashiko and jump in head needle first.

I’m now moving on to a second batch of designs (on top of my Action Craft quilt project, which is still a sizable heap of scraps), so if you have pattern requests, let me know.  S – A – S – H – I – K – O!

Maybe that one needs some work.

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New Year, New Bags (and a giveaway!)

~ This giveaway is no longer accepting entries.  Scroll down to see who won! ~

Happy New Year and あけましておめでとうございます everyone!  In addition to wandering the streets of Tokyo in the middle of the night, I’ve decided that what 2011 really needs is a new stock of bags in my web shop.  Hooray for 2011!

Maybe you resolved to be a bit more organized?  Or want to treat yourself for surviving 78-straight hours of family?  Well, it’s your lucky day year!

And what better way to start a new year than to give things away.   That’s right dear readers, in honor of the Year of the Rabbit 卯 I’ve whipped up two (let the record show that I wanted to make 2,011…) polka-dot, sashiko-clad, bunny-lined zipper bags that are just hopping mad for some new homes:

If you’d like a chance at one, leave me a comment by 12:00 midnight EST USA time on January 4th (that’s 2 pm, January 5th Tokyo time).  Maybe tell me your predictions for 2011 (Zombies take over the world and finally rid us of teen vampire movies?  Yay!), or perhaps something you’d like to see on this blog (more ramen photos? OK!), or just a little note to say “Hi, friend.”  I’ll use the random number generator to select TWO winners, lucky you!  And you!

Fine print: One entry per person/e-mail address. The winners will be selected using random.org and announced as an update to this post, so come back here for the announcement.  Items can be shipped worldwide.  Good luck!

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And the winners are… commenters 15 & 9!  Congrats to Nick and Bridget, and a special thanks to everyone for their comments, predictions, and notes!  Keep an eye on Saké Puppets for more giveaways – this was much too fun to do only once!  You can also check out my web shop to score a bag of your own.  Happy Year of the Rabbit!  Best, Ang


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New!

New items are now posted in the web shop!  I apologize for the cyberquiet on the blog this past week.  Here’s what I’ve been up to:

My fingers have been busy.  Actually, they’re still stitching away (and loving every minute of it).  Though it might be tight in terms of Christmas shipping, I hope to keep the ball rolling and add more items throughout the week.  Thanks for looking!

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Holy Etsy, Batman!

Wow! Thank you, dear friends and readers — because of you, my Etsy web shop is nearly sold out!

I couldn’t be more excited/thrilled/astounded! Perhaps I need to lay off the caffeine this morning (and the exclamation marks), but I wanted to send out a big THANKS for the support, and let everyone know that more is on the way! I’ve got more lined up to post, and a busy weekend of stitching ahead of me. So check back, and again, thanks!