Nippori

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Summer of Skirts Part 2: Zebra Forest Skirt

Summer play skirt by Saké PuppetsI’m quite proud of this next summer skirt because, it’s self-drafted!! I started with a square of fabric and nothing else, and then poof! made a skirt from my mind.

Confession: I actually created a pattern from a skirt that I bought at Anthropologie 4 years ago. I stared at the beloved garment for about an hour and was able to draft a pattern without taking my darling apart. I worked out the measurements and then constructed an exact replica. Except with zebras.

zebras on my skirt, by Saké PuppetsI purchased the fabric at Tomato in Nippori during our Tokyo fabric shopping meetup last month. Inna, Chie, Frances and I challenged each other to make garments using fabric we normally wouldn’t buy or wear. I resist pretty much anything with an animal print so this fabric definitely fit the criteria for me. Though, I love this fabric. It is a beautiful soft cotton and I think zebras in the forest are hilarious.

The waistband and hem are topstitched and I like the way they toughen up the skirt. It feels quite durable, suitable for a zebra frolic. I also included slash pockets, a hand-picked zipper, and lining.

a top stitched hemline

play skirt out on the town! by Saké Puppetsplay skirt out on the town! by Saké PuppetsThis has been a great play skirt for the summer. The cotton is soft but tough, the skirt is breezy and cool, and the pattern is crazy which encourages summer hijinks. I’m also quite proud of myself for constructing something wearable from almost no pattern. Hooray for new skills! (^O^)／

Maybe I’m still riding the zebra high, but I committed to joining Inna’s couture Little French Jacket sewalong. I’m not sure I’ll keep up with the big girls, but it will be fun to see what happens. Whaddya say, want to join us?!

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Summer of Skirts Part 1: The Sound of Music Skirt

Sound of Music play skirt by Saké PuppetsThis was a summer of sewing skirts. Tokyo gets so hot and humid that I frequently find myself a sweaty mess of stink by the day’s end. It is not exactly the type of weather that encourages you to wear anything nice. I decided what I needed this season were play skirts — easy, breezy, and sweat-absorbent.

This summer I created a uniform of sorts, and paired waist-fitting skirts with tucked-in tanks. Everything is interchangeable, which makes getting dressed a cinch. Because sometimes it is just too hot to have to think these things through, you know?

The first skirt in this summer’s trio is an easy flared Sewaholic Hollyburn. I love this pattern and made it once before, so this version came together quickly.

Hollyburn skirt for summer by Saké PuppetsSound of Music Play Skirt by Saké Puppetshow invisible is that zipper! I made pattern view A in a size 8 and it fits purrrfectly, though I shortened the hem so it hits more like view B. I didn’t line this version and finished it with an invisible zipper. The pockets pucker a bit, so I need to work on that for next time.

I bought the gray linen-ish fabric in Nippori for 100 yen a meter with exactly this play skirt in mind. I didn’t realize until halfway through construction that it looks like fabric for curtains. Now all I need is to climb some trees and I’m practically a Von Trapp! Sounds like a great excuse to eat more strudel.

I wish they'd let me join their gang.

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Nippori Fabric Party

I have been to Tokyo’s fabric district many times, but like a trail horse I always go to the same shops. Recently I’ve been feeling brave enough to start sewing garments with fabrics other than cotton or linen, but I have little idea about where or how to start. Sewing bloggers to the rescue!

Nippori meet up


Photo courtesy of Chie. We are all wearing clothing we made. 🙂

I met Chie of Vivat Veritas, Inna Thewallinna, and Frances of Miss Matatabi (hiding) for a day of shopping and fabric education in Nippori. It was fantastically fun. We showed each other our favorite shops, they answered my questions about synthetic and drapey materials, and we challenged (dared?) each other to make something wearable out of bright prints.

Nippori fabric haulI bought some knit jersey and flamingos wearing high heels from Tomato, the largest and most popular shop in Nippori. We also popped into Zak Zak where everything was 100 yen per meter. We were in and out of a few other shops along the way and ended with lunch at a Persian all-you-can-eat restaurant where the owner tickles customers, insists you eat with your hands and ride his camel.camelPhoto courtesy of Inna. I am frightened.

Thanks for the fabric education and great day, ladies! We’re planning another trip later this summer, so let us know if you’d like to come along!

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An Afternoon Stroll

On Saturday Dan and I took a stroll to Nippori in search of Yanaka Ginza.  We recently purchased a new camera and thought the quaint shopping street would be perfect for some practice shots.

But first, no afternoon stroll through Tokyo can begin without ramen:

We didn’t even make it to the train station before this stop, since this ramen-ya is in our neighborhood.  Dangerous, I know.  B1F, 1-7-9 Azabu Juban, Minato-ku  博多チムそば 麻布十番店、〒106-0045 東京都港区麻布十番１丁目７−９

On to Yanaka Ginza.  Well, almost.  To reach Yanaka Ginza we had to take the train to the JR Nippori station, which is also the home of Fabric Town:

Does anyone remember Cheapo in Minneapolis?  Oh, the hours I spent trying to look interested in used CDs while Dan click-clicked his way through new arrivals.  Apparently it’s payback time.  (You can find more info on Textile Heaven here.)  Only one hour was lost, and then it was back to our mission…

We got a little turned around, and eventually found our way across the train tracks via tunnel.  I sort of love/hate it when I’m in one of these tunnels and the train passes overhead.  Popping out the other side, we noticed people were gathering:

We’d stumbled upon Fujimizaka (meaning Fuji view slope), and joined just in time to watch the sun set over the city.  Everyone was gathered along a road that climbed up a steep hill (apparently some with better cameras than us).  If you are like me and need a little help, Fuji-san was just about here:

Finally, on with our quest.  We were looking for Yanaka Ginza, a small shopping street in northeastern Tokyo that is famous for maintaining the feel of Shitamachi, the traditional and lower class part of Edo which housed merchants and artisans in the marshy (read: humid and stinky) low part of the city.  Most of Shitamachi is gone, due to fires and wars over the years, but a few areas of Tokyo still do it right.  After some iPhone-led zig-zagging through neighborhoods, we finally arrived… and forgot to take photos.

Believe me though, it’s great.  We bought sencha 煎茶, stood in line for grilled meats, and wandered from shop window to cafe menu.  On our way home, we passed a small shrine tucked along the road:

A nice end to a lovely winter day.