1 July 2012 by Angela

English Craft Club 7月8日: Flying Geese Quilts

The next English Craft Club class meets Sunday July 8th in Shinjuku Gyoen! This upcoming class is part of the American Quilt Series, and up this week is the Flying Geese block.

This block was fun to put together, and can be arranged in a variety of ways to create some interesting patterns. Come try it for yourself!

Finished quilt blocks can be used to create a placemat, 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 and get a discount! The English Craft Club is open to everyone — men, women, both native speakers and those learning English. If you are interested in joining the class, please send an email to sakepuppets@gmail.com to register. Hope to see you there!

You can find more information about upcoming classes by clicking the links below. Thanks!

Sunday July 8th: Schedule
12:55 Meet at the Okido Gate at Shinjuku Gyoen
13:00 Class begins! Choose fabric and begin project
14:00 Break for snacks and refreshments
14:30 Class instruction ends, but feel free to stay until 15:00 to finish your project and chat with instructors and new friends

* * *

キルトを学びます。型紙の写し方、キルトのステッチをお教えします。キルトはテーブルに置くコースターか、トートバッグの飾りとして使えます。

計画
12:55 新宿御苑の大木戸門で集合
13:00 レッスンを始めしょう！単語集を習ったり、ご自身で布を選んで頂きます。
14:00 休憩
14:30 ワークショップ終了。15:00までは講師が残っています。

含まれる材料：ご自身で選んだ布、糸、型紙、レッスンメモ

『The English Craft Club』は楽しく英語を勉強するクラブです。毎回のクラスごとに、皆さまに各自で作品を作って頂きます。クラフトをしながら、様々な表現や英単語を楽しく勉強していきます。

『The English Craft Club』に参加をご希望の方は、以下のアドレスまでご連絡下さい。ご質問もお気軽にどうぞ。（英語・日本語どちらでも結構です）sakepuppets@gmail.com

7 June 2012 by Angela

The English Craft Club 6月10日: Log Cabin Quilts

ミニログキャビンのキルトを学びます。型紙の写し方、ログキャビンのステッチをお教えします。キルトはテーブルに置くコースターか、トートバッグの飾りとして使えます。

計画
12:55 新宿御苑の大木戸門で集合
13:00 レッスンを始めしょう！単語集を習ったり、ご自身で布を選んで頂きます。
14:00 休憩
14:10 レッスン再開
14:30 ワークショップ終了。15:00までは講師が残っています。

作るもの：ミニログキャビンのキルト
含まれる材料：ご自身で選んだ布、糸、型紙、レッスンメモ
場所：新宿御苑　（12:55大木戸門に会いましょう。）
参加費:￥5000

* Update: I’ve got a doozy of a cold, so have decided to reschedule this class for another day. Sorry! かぜをひきますから、ワークショップを中止しています。ごめん！

Please join us for the next English Craft Club class, this Sunday June 10th in Shinjuku Gyoen! This week’s craft project is a mini Log Cabin quilt, which you can use as a placemat, decorate a tote bag, or save to add to a larger quilt. Cost is 5000 yen per person, and snacks and all project materials are included. If you are interested in joining the class, please send an email to sakepuppets@gmail.com to register, or meet us at the Okido Gate at 12:55 pm on Sunday (a map to the class location can be found here). Hope to see you there!

You can find more information about upcoming classes and Facebook photos by clicking the links below. Thanks!

Sunday June 10th: Schedule
12:55 Meet at the Okido Gate at Shinjuku Gyoen
13:00 Class begins! Learn new vocabulary, choose fabric, and begin project
14:00 Break for snacks and refreshments
14:10 Continue working on projects
14:30 Class instruction ends, but feel free to stay until 15:00 to finish your project and chat with instructors

25 May 2012 by Angela

The English Craft Club, this Sunday!

There are still a few spots available for the English Craft Club in Shinjuku this weekend. If you are studying English, love crafts, and live near Tokyo – this is for you! This week we’ll be learning embroidery. Please RSVP for details. Drop-ins are welcome on a first-come, first serve basis. See you there!

2 May 2012 by Angela

Being a Broad in Japan

Being a Broad, a blog and online magazine for foreign women in Japan, posted a little feature of me on their site today.

I’m not used to being pampered and primped, so needless to say I was a bit on the awkward side during the photo shoot. In most of the photos I look like a mousedeer caught in headlights, which, now that I’ve experienced flashbulbs, I can sympathize. But Kerry (photos) and Elena (makeup) were great, and I even caught myself having fun. Thanks again to both of them, and the editors at BAB – a great experience!

Head over to www.being-a-broad.com to check it out.

25 April 2012 by Angela

Kawaii (Cute!) Mushroom Tutorial

More vegetables are popping up…

This was the result of a rainy weekend in Tokyo. What was I supposed to do, study Japanese? Bah!

Some folks expressed interest in making their own veggies, so I thought I’d share a short tutorial. This mushroom pattern is super easy and comes from this book, which is from the Heart Warming Life Series and translates to “Full of Cute Vegetables and Fruits.” As I mentioned in my earlier post, these felt fungi stitch up quickly and are really satisfying to make — they’re maybe even a bit addictive. Consider yourself warned!

Kawaii (Cute!) Mushroom Tutorial

Here we go!

Gather your materials. You’ll need white and dark brown felt, a pair of scissors, a needle, stuffing, and some matching thread. I use embroidery floss because it’s what I have handy, but any thread will work as long as it matches your felt.

Cut out your felt pieces. I like to make a paper pattern first, and then trace around the pattern onto the felt. From the white felt cut out two circle “tops” 35 mm in diameter (1 3/8″), and two “stems” approximately 25 mm (1″) in height. From the brown felt cut one circle 55 mm in diameter (2 1/8″).

Assemble the mushroom. Stitch the two white circles together, sewing 3/4 of the way around the perimeter. Fill your mushroom top with stuffing, and then stitch the circles closed. Repeat this process for the stem, leaving a little tail of excess thread. I recommend using a blanket stitch, because it leaves a nice edge, but use whatever stitch you’re comfortable with.

Next, attach the stem to the top using that extra bit of thread. Make little stitches around the open edge of the stem, securing it to the top until it is nice and stable.

Make the mushroom cap. Stitch along the outside edge of the brown circle using a running stitch.

Now the fun part — gently pull your thread tight , and your mushroom cap should slowly take form…

Slip the assembled mushroom inside the gathered brown felt, placing the mushroom cap on top of the assembled mushroom like a hat. Continue to tighten the brown thread until the mushroom cap hugs evenly around all sides of the mushroom top.

Tie a tight knot and hide the tail of your thread inside. Nice work! Now make a few more, and watch your own garden start to grow. (＠⌒ー⌒＠)

In the spirit of sharing and caring, please don’t use this pattern for profit, and give credit to the book’s author when credit is due (前田智美). Thanks!

11 April 2012 by Angela

Hanami Lunch

A friend and I stopped into Shinjuku Gyoen for lunch yesterday. We found a spot under a tree with big draping branches, so it felt like we were inside a sakura-lined fort. Every so often, someone would duck in, say hello, wander by. We ate sakura mochi and drank tea like two civilized ladies.

[husband editor’s note: While Ang was being a fancy lady, she used her hanami placemat – coincidentally, on sale now on Esty – while her doting husband dined on two-day-old sushi at home.]

This is probably the cutest thing I have ever made. I am both ashamed and proud.

Hopefully we’ll get to hanami again. It’s fleeting!

10 April 2012 by Angela

A Hanami Lunch

A friend and I stopped into Shinjuku Gyoen for lunch yesterday. We found a perfect spot under a tree with big draping branches, so it felt like we were inside a sakura-lined fort. Every so often, someone would duck in, say hello, wander by. We ate sakura mochi and drank tea like two civilized ladies. [husband editor’s note: she tried out her hanami placemat – coincidentally on sale now at Etsy – for the first time, while her doting husband dined at home on two-day-old sushi.]

This is probably the cutest thing I have ever made. I am both ashamed and proud.

Hopefully we’ll get to hanami again. It’s fleeting!

17 March 2012 by Angela

A Springtime Sashiko Giveaway!

* This giveaway is no longer accepting entries. Thanks! *

It’s almost hanami time! Yipskip!

I love hanami, the glorious time of year when people lay blankets and tarps in every park and available green space, spread their picnics, and enjoy the scenery. This year, I was inspired to make a new sashiko kit to celebrate.

Meet the Spring Hanami Sashiko Kit. Set yourself up with a classy picnic, or perhaps bring some hanami indoors.

And, I want to share the hanami love! One lucky reader will receive a Spring Hanami Sashiko Kit, and perhaps some other sakura styled treats from Tokyo. So tell me, what is your favorite thing about spring? Leave a comment by Tuesday, March 20th to enter the giveaway. One commenter will be selected at random (one entry per person, please).

The Spring Hanami Sashiko Kit is a limited edition kit for the spring season and will be available in my Etsy shop beginning next week. Though, if you’re really excited about it — like I know you are! — you can pre-order by sending me a message at sakepuppets@gmail.com. I can accept payments via PayPal, and orders will ship next week.

The 2012 Spring Hanami Sashiko Kit, $35

This design was inspired by the fluttering of petals as they fall from sakura trees on a breezy day. I love to stand underneath the trees and watch them swirl around me. The design is stitched using high quality, 100% cotton sashiko thread in pinks and white onto a gradated blue cotton fabric. It may look like just the lighting in the photos, but the fabric actually changes from dark blue to light. Sometimes this shading reminds me of the sky, and sometimes a stream. I’ll let you decide.

This kit includes everything you need to make one 16″ by 18″ (40 cm by 46 cm) table mat, including front and back fabric, pattern, materials for transferring the pattern to the fabric, needle, thread, and illustrated instructions. All materials included in the kit are of the highest quality and have been made in Japan. You will need to supply your own scissors, pins, and needle and thread. A sewing machine isn’t required, but it might be nice.

Want to learn more about sashiko? You can check out my online tutorial here, or stay tuned for how-to videos, coming soon!