24 09 2012

beaded silk crocheted earrings

Hello, I am still alive. Have a look at the new earrings I’ve made.  Simple crocheted lace with an angle at the edge with beads.  There are three colours so far, grey/navy/red in two versions, silver and gold.

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31 08 2012

illustration bookmarks and posters

These are some design works I did for my brother’s shop, Entre-Box.

This one is to be on the display window to advertise the shelf space for rent. Minus Sun girl (=me!) is on the right wearing the Entre-Box apron and my brother is on the left holding the Minus Sun girl doll.

This one is going to be on the inside of the door. It says “Thank you very much.” Very Japanese.

These are bookmarks which are going to be given for free when a customer buys a book. The characters of “You’re all mine. (You’re all in me.)” are featured. They are all double sided and you will see the front and back of the characters. Even the letters of the main sentence for each character are mirrored at the back side as if seen from the back.

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22 08 2012

Olympics

Have you enjoyed the London Olympics? I would like to show you how I enjoyed it from the creative side.

Before it started, I prepared my nails like this! I did the 2012 logo and the Union Jack on my left hand and French nails on my right hand with the Olympic rings’ colours. Actually, this photo is after one week since I have painted them so a bit of gold is added on both hands where my nails have grown. Maybe you have noticed through my photos on this blog but I always have my nails painted. I care a lot about my hands and also what they make, of course.

I had bought the tickets to see the gold medal match of womens football in advance and I was planning to make a Japanese flag dress if Japan came to the finals and wow, they did. So I have made this dress on the day in a few hours. It’s just a simple white cotton dress with a red circle sewn on both sides so I will also look like a flag from the back side. Too bad, they didn’t win but it was great fun for me and my parents who were visiting from Japan.

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13 08 2012

the Sensuous Girl’s lingerie set

This look was for my masters project but I had only made the stockings at that time. I have recently made the bra and the knickers so here they are, the Sensuous Girl’s look for “You’re all mine. (You’re all in me.)” collection. The stockings are hand crocheted using silk yarn as well as the bra cups and the frills of the knickers. The fabric is cream cotton sateen. The straps of the bra are cotton grosgrain ribbons and have gold adjusters. The closure is by two covered buttons at the back.

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03 08 2012

the Smart Girl’s pleated skirt and full look

I have finished the pleated skirt as well as the blouse I had made before so here is the full look of the Smart Girl for “minus the sun, night all day” collection. Her style is school girl style.

The skirt is made with washed black cotton fabric and covered buttons in navy cotton drill.

The top of each pleat is embroidered with a star motif in lemon yellow.

The closure is at the left waist with one big and three smaller covered buttons in navy. The buttonholes are hand stitched in navy thread as well.

The hem is hand finished in a stitch which looks like a running stitch(it is actually a half back stitch to make it secure) in navy.

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28 07 2012

for my brother’s shop

My brother is opening his book/handicraft shop in Tokyo and I have been commissioned to make a few things for the shop. His shop is called “Entrebox”, a word made up by him combining “Entreprenuer” and “box”. The shop stocks mainly secondhand books related to starting up your own business. Also there are some shelves(divided into squares=boxes) which designer-makers can rent to sell their work. And of course I have my own section to showcase my work!

This is the apron for the staff. It’s only my brother at this moment but the one I’m wearing here is a smaller size which I’ve made for the future when he hires a cute girl. It’s made of heavy cotton drill in blue grey. Big pockets at the front, chest pocket, adjustable neck and waist ribbons.

The neck is adjustable by letting the ribbon go through the loop at one side and making a knot. The chest pocket is in the shape of the logo of the shop, a box with the shop name. You can acutally use it as if putting something in the box.

The shop name is hand embroidered. It is in Japanese but it says “Entrebox”.

This is the open/closed sign for the door. It is made of cotton fabric and grey herringbone ribbon to hang.
On the left of the words are two pockets with arrow-shaped cutouts. You can change the sign by moving the grey card from one pocket to another like this!

close up of the sign, hand embroidered “open” and “closed”

The back side of this sign says “break time” in Japanese for my brother’s toilet/lunch break.

This is a tissue box case for the shop. You never know what will make a shop special… This case is almost like origami but with cutout for the tissue of course and covered buttons for the lid section. I have also embroidered “tissue box” in Japanese because it goes well with the shop name “Entrebox”.

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22 07 2012

the Suicidal Girl’s blouse final ver.

So finally, I have finished the full look for the Suicidal Girl for this collection “minus the sun, night all day”. I hope you can see now that the concept of a single star in the night sky is represented by the lemon yellow top section of the blouse. French knots embroidered with silk yarn are the twinkle of the star which she will become in the end. I always like to design something quiet and romantic for her.

close up of the peter pan collar and the embroidered section

Covered buttons made with matching fabric blend in well.
The cuffs and hem are also embroidered with French knots.

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16 07 2012

the Suicidal Girl’s blouse calico ver.

This is the calico version of the blouse which goes with the bubble skirt in the last blog post. I am currently embellishing the final version which is taking some time. This blouse has a peter pan collar, raglan sleeves, change of fabric in a circular shape, gathered cuffs with binding, loop and covered button closure, and dots drawn with fabric pen. Buttons are in navy and the dots are sky blue.
In the final version, the top section is in lemon yellow and the bottom section is in navy. It is suppose to represent a star in the night sky. The dots are done by French knots representing the twinkle of the star. Hopefully, I will be able to show you soon.

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08 07 2012

the Suicidal Girl’s skirt

This is the skirt for the Suicidal Girl for “minus the sun, night all day” collection. I am making the blouse to go with this so it will make more sense when worn together but here it is, my first bubble skirt. I have been wanting to make one for a while. The concept is a single star in darkness and the black skirt represents the darkness. (The star bit will be represented in the blouse.) The phrase that came in my mind is “a star in the end.” I like the volume of it and the way the hem goes inside, making me think of a black hole. I have done some smocking near the waistline in navy just to emphasise the volume and the colour of the night sky. Made with black cotton sateen fabric, gold polyester lining, and black acetate grosgrain ribbon for the waist.

front side

back side with a blouse on top

grosgrain ribbon at the left side waist

smocking in navy

lining in contrasting gold (let’s give it some hope)

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25 06 2012

collaboration blouse

This was a collaboration project with my friend and we finally finished after a few months since we started. We made matching blouses together copying some ideas from a blouse by Beyond Vintage, customising some details. I was in charge of the silk crochet part and she was in charge of making the pattern and sewing up the cotton silk fabric part. The crochet part is exactly the same for both blouses, dividing lines matching the raglan sleeve, trompe l’oeil peter pan collar, mini diamond pattern, lacy flower bud motifs, and picot edges.

My blouse is slightly fitted and has full length sleeves

My friend’s blouse has a loose silhouette with gathers at the chest and cuffs.
The sleeves are three quarter length.

pearl buttons and hand stitched button holes

cuffs are crocheted as well

our collaboration label “Minus Sun & My Mum Made” embroidered with silver thread on grosgrain ribbon

together, back to back

playing with my crocheted eye mask

A new bunting I have made.

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