chick chick sewing

Gift to a nine year old girl (hair accessory set)

2012-02-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

I handmade a birthday gift set to a very pretty girl who just turned nine. She has a long beautiful hair so I decided to put together a pack of hair accessories for her to wear.

This is a set of two large ribbons with pony tail holders attached to the back. Poly fill is filled inside to add softness to these ribbons, and I'll tell you. These ribbons are really LARGE in size! (About a size of my palm).

Another set of ponytail holders made of covered buttons with Rilakkuma fabric.

These are crocheted flower ponytail holders. Wood beads are placed in the center of these flowers.

Hair scrunchie made of fabric scraps in pastel colors.

The entire hair accessories were placed in this Rilakkuma drawstring bag that I handmade for her. The tutorial of this usable bag can be found here.

The recipient girl seemed to like my gift, and I was told by the girl's mother that she wore the red big ribbon ponytail holder to her school on the next day :D

For me, one of the joyful moments of crafting is making handmade gifts... And when my handmade gift makes the recipient happy, it just makes my day. (Or even a week!)

As long as I can craft and continue to make things for the special people around me... I'm a happy camper who loves her life to the fullest :D

Crochet star stitches seat cushion

2012-02-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

Recently, I crocheted this *star* stitches seat cushion.

In case you are not familiar with star stitches, they are decorative crochet stitches that add texture to the projects. As you can see, the individual stitches really look like *stars*! I also learned that these stitches are called "daisies" or "marguerite" stitches.

Here's the close up of the star stitches... I really like the lumpy *stars* on my new seat cushion!

First I was a bit intimidated to master these stitches on my own, but after playing around with yarns and hook for a while, I learned that these stars are made simply by the combination of chains and several half double crochets (中長編み）。

I followed instructions from this Japanese crochet book to make this seat cushion. Although I made the cushion size a bit bigger to accommodate my big b*** (lol)!

Book title: Winter Projects with Crochet Star Stitches

ISBN-10: 4579113683

ISBN-13: 978-4579113682

Publisher: Bunka Shuppan-Kyoku

There are also many helpful online resources out there to learn how to crochet "star" stitches.

http://crochet.about.com/library/blstar_stitch.htm

youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Voo3D3l_mpE

I used these "Thick & Quick" chunky yarns from Lion Brand...

The chunky yarns, crocheted into the puffy stitches, really add thickness to the cushion.

Back side of the cushion looks like this.

Crocheting star stitches is really addicting that I can't stop making more stuff with them :)

I plan to crochet another seat cushion (possibly in a larger size) for my mom in Japan.

Happy crocheting and happy star stitches ;)

Handmade door mat

2012-01-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

We had guests from Taiwan staying with us for a while, and before welcoming the guests, the first thing I did was to whip up this door mat! Our old door mat was getting so dirty from heavy use, so I definitely had to replace it with a new one.

To save time for quilting, I used pre-quilted fabric for the reverse side. For additional softness, I sandwiched fleece batting in between the outer fabric (gray floral) and the pre-quilted fabric used for the reverse side. Also to prevent the mat from slipping, a non-slip mat is placed underneath the mat, as you can see.

The reverse side of the mat looks like this.

Mitered corners...

As for the fabrics, I used my favorite DS quilt collection line from our local Joann store.

I don't even think that our guests will even notice my handmade door mat (lol) and despite the fact that I was in a big rush to make this one, I'm happy with how it turned out!

Thanks for visiting and hope all is well for my fellow crafty friends out there :)

***Love, Amy***

Rilakkuma mini tote bag

2012-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

I finally had a chance to make this bag for my twelve year old girl - a Rilakkuma mini tote bag.

She has been ~~nagging~~ asking me to make this mini tote for her for the past few months, but because I had a long list of "sewing to do" list during the holidays and for my shop, her request got pushed back until this week... Sorry, girl!

The Rilakkuma fabric used to make this tote bag has a canvas feel, which is heavier than the normal cotton. I also used home decor fabrics (in navy dots) for the bag handles and bag bottom for reinforcement. The tote bag is fully lined with fleece batting and interfacing for extra durability. The bag has a zipper opening.

She plans to use this mini tote as her lunch bag. She even bought a matching Rilakkuma bento box (lunch container) with her own money to go with this bag. (The red plastic container placed inside the bag).

Today, she brought her brand new mini tote bag, with her lunch inside, to her Saturday Japanese language school. As you can imagine, getting up early on Saturday mornings to attend Japanese school every weekend is not the most exciting thing for our kids (or for any kid!) I always tell our girls that it takes effort to grow up being a bilingual person, but the hard work will eventually pay off when they grow up... hopefully. (Fingers are being crossed... lol.)

Anyways, so on every Saturday mornings, I try to pack our girls' favorite lunch for their school. Today I fixed homemade gyoza potstickers and rice for them, and a new lunch bag like this one will hopefully make going to school on Saturdays a bit more fun for them :) Well, which means that I must make another lunch bag for my younger girl soon, too \*~*/

Thanks for reading and hope you continue to enjoy your weekend!

Crocheted scarf with flower corsage

2012-01-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

After working on it for the past few nights, I finished my crocheted scarf :)

I used one entire skein of yarn to make this scarf (and the corsage), so it was a quick (and inexpensive) project. You know, as a "fru-gal" (lol), I love something that doesn't cost a lot of money and that is also quick to make, so it was a perfect project for me :D

The scarf measures approximately 34 inches (86 cm) in length and 6 inches (15 cm) in width.

After going through several jars of my old buttons collection, I picked up two large buttons to go with this scarf.

Near one edge of the scarf, I attached one large dark brown button with yarns.

I also placed another large button (this one in light brown) to the center of the matching flower corsage that I crocheted.

The crochet flower has three layers of petals...

The button works to hold the scarf in place around my neck like this.

The handmade scarf keeps my neck warm and comfy (taken with my iPhone). Simple crochet pattern chart of this scarf can be found here.

Thanks for visiting and happy crocheting!

Crocheting again

2012-01-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm happy to post about my very first project in 2012. I just began crocheting a scarf using mix colored wool yarn (Patons classic wool merino).

It's a three day weekend here in the U.S. (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday) and for the past two nights, our girls' friends are staying over at our house for sleepovers. When the girls giggled and laughed and played games and painted their nails and stayed up late together at night time, I started to crochet this scarf to enjoy my own time from the room next door from them and while I kept my eyes (and ears) on them...

Here's the close up of my new project. I love the mixture of brown, ivory, pink, and dark pink colors of this yarn.

I got this (Japanese) crochet pattern chart from my friend a while ago. As you can see, it's really a simple combination made up of chains and double crochets.

I have no idea how long it will take me to finish this scarf, but I'm hoping that I'm able to wear it before the spring comes, as I have another scarf that I started a few months ago but never be able to finish (unlike this one, that was a knitted project).

So what's your very first craft project so far this year?

Happy 2012!

2012-01-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year and Happy 2012!

I hope you all had a warm and restful holidays and a wonderful beginning of 2012! Sorry for the long absence from this blog... I was out of town for the holidays, and now that I'm back in town and my kids are off to school (phew!), I am finally able to sit in front of my computer without any interruptions :)

Well, I haven't really had a chance to craft anything in 2012 (yet), but today, I'd like to show you some of the handmade Christmas gifts that I created for my family and friends in December...

These are gathered clutches made of imported Japanese prints. I followed this wonderful tutorial written by talented Anna of Noodlehead.

I love the design of these clutches, and I've always wanted to try this tutorial. I'm so glad that I was finally able to! I love how they turned out.

Back sides of the clutches.

I also crocheted a couple of gifts for the holidays. As you can see, these are crocheted room slippers. Here, only one pair of the slippers are shown, but I actually crocheted a couple of these for gifts.

Because I used these thick and chunky yarns of wool/acrylic blend, these slippers were fairly quick to make. They were so warm and comfy that I made a pair for myself as well.

For quick gifts, I made a couple of these small zipper pouches. I like to put some chapsticks or small hand creams inside these pouches as gifts to my girlfriends.

I was in such hurry that I couldn't take pics of other pouches that I made (sorry!) but this one is made of Japanese imported Echino fabric with birds (my favorite).

I don't really make new year resolutions, but my wish for this year is that my family, friends, and all of you kind crafty fellows out there have a healthy and joyful year! And of course, my another wish is to squeeze in more time to sew and to crochet again this year ;)

Thanks for visiting and hope you have a good weekend!

Recent handmade items (December 2011)

2011-12-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Hope you're all ~~surviving~~ enjoying this holiday season (lol).

I had been pretty busy lately, balancing my day job, kids, family, online shop, writing Christmas cards, preparing for the holidays, and making handmade gifts for my family and friends, of course... that I'm trying my best everyday not to faint and collapse :D

Although I'd been making things, I just couldn't find time to post my recent handmade items here lately. So today, I decided to list some of the stuff that I made over the past few weeks. Some are made for my shop, and some are made for myself, my family members, and for my friends.

Drawstring mini tote made with Japanese imported linen/cotton blend. I just love this beautiful purple roses fabric.

Drawstring opening seen from the top.

Hello Kitty small carrying bag with handles. For a pretty young girl.

Reversible market tote made with *lots of windows* fabric. This bag is very roomy.

The reversible side of the above market tote. Made of heavy denim with the pink closing ribbons.

Room slippers made of fleece and knit fabrics. Keeps your feet so comfy and toasty!

Water bottle holder made for a young athlete. He is a junior baseball player.

Wristlet pencil pouch made with Rilakkuma fabrics.

My Melody carrying pouch with handles, all lined up!

Just to let you know that I am NOT posting any of the handmade holiday gifts here (yet), as some things has to be kept secret, right?

Happy handmade holidays and I wish you all the best during this holiday season!!

Love, Amy***

Handmade baby hoodie with bear ears

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe it's December already... and hope all is well for you, my fellow crafty friends! Well, it's been a while since I last posted here, and I'm so glad to be back :)

Today, I'd like to show you what I had made for my baby nephew a couple of weeks ago. Baby Joe is my younger sis's 10 month old baby who lives in Japan, and although I have never met him in person (yet), my sis sends me weekly (sometimes daily!) photo images of him to my iPhone, so I feel like I know him so well just by looking at his pictures!

So, this is the latest project that I made for Joe ... It's a baby hoodie with bear ears.

I couldn't decide whether to make it a "polar bear" hoodie using white furry/plush fabric, or to use a brown plush fabric to make a "teddy bear" hoodie. But I finally decided to go with the "teddy bear" version so that the darker color can hide the daily wear and tear by the messy baby boy...

It has a snap closure. I used a large snap here and securely sewed it on to the hoodie.

Seen from above, the hoodie has a round arch shape.

For the lining, I used soft fleece, to keep the baby warm during the chilly winter weather in Tokyo. The hoodie can also be used as reversible.

I made some alterations here and there, but I basically followed directions from this Japanese book to make this teddy bear hoodie.

Book Title: Handmade Baby Items

Publisher: Seibido Shuppan

ISBN-10: 4415301932

ISBN-13: 978-4415301938

This is a well written book with cute baby items, but the only problem I had was the patterns printed in the last pages of the book, which had to be enlarged to specific sizes. And for this hoodie jacket, the pattern had to be enlarged to 285%, which was something impossible for me to do with our home copier! So I quite simply draw my own pattern, after many many trial and errors of copy taking and failures :(

Various baby bibs made of soft and comfy fabrics shown.

The baby shoes are so tiny and adorable...

Ideas of handmade fabric baby books. So creative and fun!

According to the online forecast, the weather in Tokyo today is 46F or 8C, which sounds sooo cold for the auntie who lives in Southern California (me). Hope this baby hoodie jacket will keep baby Joe warm and cuddly during this winter.

Well, thanks for visiting my blog and I wish you the best during this last month of the year! Yes, it's going to be the craziest month of the year for me, but I'll try my best not to go insane by squeezing in more crafting time whenever possible, to survive the holiday madness around here!! lol

Happy crafting and hope to see you soon :)

Love, Amy***

Making simple flower corsage with repurposed fabric

2011-11-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest quick project : handmade flower corsage embellished with wood beads and lace.

Close up

Here's the back side.

This corsage was very simple and fun to make, and the secret was...

I used this bow maker plates from Clover. This is an awesome product, which comes in three different plate sizes, and makes beautiful bows and corsages

The best part of this corsage making was that I made use of a repurposed fabric, or I recycled this dress that our girls used to wear. The girls loved this dress so much that I just couldn't donate it to the charities, like we normally do with our kids' old clothing...

The corsage looks really pretty on this plain linen bag, I think.

Happy corsage making and happy repurposing :) Hope you all have a great weekend.

Feedsack and linen bird coin purse

2011-11-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow crafty friends!

(From my handmade birdy pouches :)

These coin purses / mini zipper pouches are made of my original pattern, and this time, I made these cute guys with a combination of linen and my antique feedsack fabrics.

I purchased these feedsack collection at the Long Beach Quilt Festival in the summer of 2010, and I had been hoarding them ever since, imagining what to make from these precious bits of fabrics... I finally decided to make use of them, starting with small bits and pieces.

As I'd imagined, I think feedsack and linen is a perfect match!

These zipper pouches are fully lined and padded with fleece batting, so it's safe enough to carry small gadgets such as digital cameras and cell phones inside.

These bird coin purses are listed in my shop now. Hope they can find their new lovely home soon ;)

Handmade iPhone covers in my shop

2011-10-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

Ever since I began using my iPhone (which was a fairly recent event), I've been wanting to make my original iPhone / iPod covers using my favorite fabrics... and I finally made them :) I just listed these covers in my etsy shop.

These covers are made with a combination of Japanese imported cotton and linen. The flap with velcro closure securely holds the valuable gadget inside. They are fully lined with 100% cotton and padded with fleece batting throughout.

The convenient front pocket holds earbuds, credit card, ID card, cash, etc. inside. And these covers are designed to fit iPhones and iPod touch WITH additional protective covers, such as incase Sliders, Speck candyshell and other slim covers.

I attached a side tab with a nickel ring for keys and key chains.

The pattern of these iPhone / iPod covers is my original. After several trial and errors, I came up with this pattern. The image below is one of my sample cover made earlier... but failed :(

This one is another sample cover that I made earlier. This one was a bit too small in size...

These handmade covers fit not only the iPhone 3G/ iPhone 4 / iPhone 4S and iPod touches, but they also fit other popular smart phones and gadgets, such as blackberry, Samsung galaxy, Droid, and more. (I brought it to our local electronics store to see if they really fit... and it really did :)

I plan to make more of these covers in different fabrics.

Thanks for looking and happy sewing iPhone covers! (lol)

Knitting again

2011-10-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

This is something that I've been enjoying working on lately, while I wait for our kids after school classes (e.g., ice skating, gymnastics, math classes...) Yes, I picked up knitting again, and my goal is to make a cowl scarf / neck warmer for myself.

I self taught how to knit when I was a teenager (which is about three decades ago, by the way... lol), and back then, I did not know how to crochet, so all of my yarn work involved knitting. But ever since I learned how to crochet a few years back (yes, I self taught crocheting, too), I've been a crocheter more than a knitter. But in truth, I love to both knit and to crochet, so I decided to knit again!

Here's the close up of my knitted work so far. This is called "seed stitch" or かのこ編み in Japanese, and it has a bumpy look and feel. Basically, it's a simple stitch made of repeating single knit and purls.

I carry my knitting work in this Hello Kitty repurposed drawstring bag, which is made of our girls' old PJs that they no longer fit.

I keep this bag in my car, and in my car at the parking lot, I just knit, knit, knit, while I wait for our girls... which is a very fulfilling and happy moment for me!

Thanks for reading and hope you're enjoying your happy moments in your life :)

Making yarn wreath in autumn colors

2011-10-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here in Southern California where I live, we had steaming hot days over a couple of days last week, with temperatures reaching as high as 100F or 38C in October, which is above 20F above normal weather! (And even hotter in some areas...)

In a weather like this, not so many people are feeling *autumn* around here yet (how could we?), but I still managed to make this yarn wreath with my sweaty hands... lol :D

Do you remember this fabric wreath tutorial that I shared last holiday season?

Well, this time, I wanted to try something new, so I followed this tutorial to make a yarn wreath with felt flowers.

These are the supplies used: a yarn ball, few sheets of felts, straw wreath, and a glue gun (not shown).

This wreath requires no sewing, yet the end result is beautiful!

Fortunately, the weather is treating us better for the past few days (no more boiling temperatures!)

Whether you live in a hot weather or a chilly one, you may want to try making one of these yarn wreaths for your home. It's fun, quick, and addictive!

Matryoshka love

2011-10-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I love Russian matryoshka dolls so much. Especially the fabrics!!

I just listed these large zipper pouches in my etsy shop, in three different colors, which are made of my favorite matryoshka and dala horse fabric. These are corduroy print fabrics imported from Japan.

The zipper pouches has flat bottom which adds more room to the pouch. Small wood beads are attached to the zipper pull.

Because these pouches are fully padded with fleece batting, they're safe enough to carry small gadgets such as cell phones and digital cameras inside.

Just to tell you how much I love matryoshka prints, I'd like to show you some of my other handmade items made of matryoshka prints...

This one is a reversible everyday tote bag, featuring large matryoshka dolls and mushrooms. This fabric is also a Japanese import.

The reversible side looks like this... Can you see the tiny matryoshka tape tag attached to the side of the pocket? This bag has been already sold in my shop (thank you!), but I may relist it in my shop because I personally loved it so much :)

Here's another handmade item of mine made of matryoshka prints, also imported from Japan. This item is currently listed in my shop.

In the past years, I remember making few other items featuring matryoshka, such as these fabric covered button magnets.

Aren't they adorable???

And you may also recall these sachets, too. Sometime ago, I made these lavender sachets using my hand carved eraser stamp of matryoshka doll. Here's the post about these.

Maybe I was a Russian in my past life... Or maybe I was just a nesting doll collector... lol. No matter what it is, my love of matryoshka does not seem to stop!

Happy matryoshka and happy sewing! Hope you continue to enjoy your week :)

My first amigurumi

2011-10-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hello my dear blog friends and crafters :)

Today, I'd like to introduce to you this little amigurumi guy!

As you may already know, ami-gu-ru-mi (編みぐるみ）is a Japanese term for a crocheted or knitted stuffed toy. This one is a crocheted version made by me.

To make amigurumi, I had to begin by first crocheting these small body parts... a pair of hands, feet, and ears, as well as the large head, body, and an oval shaped mouth area.

I then stuffed each body part with a poly stuffing.

The body parts are joined... But he has no face yet (scary, huh?)

BTW, to make this amigurumi, I basically followed this Japanese book to make this bear guy.

Title: Cute Animal Amigurumi

ISBN-10: 4834729443

ISBN-13: 978-4834729443

Images from the book. Teddy bears and friends...

Cute pigs and meerkats...

A cat relaxing with his friend...

Finally, creating his face was the fun part :) I got his eyes from our local Joann store, and I carefully handstitched his nose and mouth.

With his new face, now he came to life!! Doesn't he look happy??

And here's a message from my little guy...

Happy crocheting and happy amigurumi making!

Hope you have a relaxing weekend filled with crafty moments...

***Love, amy***

Patchwork mini zipper pouches in my shop

2011-10-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

I just listed eight different designs of these zakka style mini zipper pouches in my etsy shop. I patchworked pieces of small fabrics to make one of a kind pouches. I enjoyed mixing and matching fabric bits to make my original creations :)

The width of the pouch at the opening is approximately 5 inches or 12.5 cm.

The length is 4.5 inches or 11.5 cm.

It has a flat bottom. The depth is approximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm).

The pouch is safe enough to carry gadgets such as digital camera, as it is fully padded with fleece batting.

Matryoshka, linen, and gingham check combination.

The wood bead is attached to the zipper pull with cotton cord. These attachments to the zipper pull not only adds that special touch to the pouch, but it also makes it easier to open/close the zipper.

These mini pouches are perfect to be used as coin purse, credit card holders, cosmetics pouch, etc..

This one is a combination of Kaffe Fassett "floating flowers" fabric and polka dots cotton in a light blue tone.

Echino bird in yellow and 100% linen patchworked together here.

Which one is your favorite?

Crocheting a small bag

2011-09-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I crocheted a small bag, using a gold sparkly yarn, which is one of my favorites.

Would you like to know how small the bag is?

Well, as you can see, it's so small that it can sit on my palm like this!

Here, I attached a chain to the *tiny* bag to make it into a necklace...

Or I can shorten the chain and hang it to my handbag like this.

This morning, I noticed that tomorrow is the last day of September, and I overheard our girls talking about what they want to be for this year's Halloween (October 31). And I'm thinking... it's Halloween already? Then comes Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year... OMG I'm feeling old again (lol)...

Well, I am going to enjoy my autumn days with more crafty moments (hopefully) before we hit that holiday rush again this year. Good bye September, and hello October. Hope you treat me kindly ;)

Handmade kitchen scrubbie with a ribbon

2011-09-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

For a quick project, I crocheted a square shaped kitchen scrubbie using 100% acrylic yarn from my yarn stock. I've made a couple of these scrubbies in the past , in different shapes and colors, and I find them very useful, eco-friendly, and gentle on my hands, when I do the dishes. BTW it's machine washable and dryer safe.

Of course I still use the ordinary detergents and a kitchen sponge when I clean greasy dishes or after I cut meat, poultry, fish, etc., but for non-greasy dishes, cups, and utensils, these kitchen scrubbies do the job just fine. These acrylic scrubbies work just like microfibers so in most cases, they make the dishes and glasses even shinier.

The size of this scrubbie is approximately 5 " x 5 ", or 12.5 cm x 12.5 cm. I did not follow any pattern to make this, I simply double crocheted several rows and then added a simple edging all around and a loop at the end. Yes, I know that white ribbon at the corner of the scrubbie wasn't really necessary, but I just wanted to add a little cuteness to our kitchen sink... ;)

I will hang this scrubbie like this at our sink.

Happy crocheting and happy dish washing! ...Well, hopefully ;)

Handmade room slippers

2011-09-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

I made a new pair of room slippers for myself.

I have cold feet (and hands), and I wear socks and/or room slippers throughout the year when I'm home.

To prevent from slipping, the back sides of the slipper soles are made of synthetic leather, which are machine washable.

The slipper exterior is made of 100% linen (navy blue). For the lining, I used 100% cotton double gauze fabric (roses on pale blue) which makes it very comfy to slip my feet inside!

Inside out of the slippers looks like this. You really can't tell from the image, but for the sole part, there are two layers of fleece batting sandwiched between the double gauze lining and the synthetic leather sole (which makes it a total of four layers).

I used slippers pattern from this Japanese craft magazine and made some minor adjustments. The slipper size is approximately size 5-6 in U.S. women's sizes, or 23 cm - 24 cm in metric size, which fit me perfectly :)

Magazine Title: Cotton Friend 2011 Spring edition (vol. 38)

Publisher: Boutique-sha

Image from the magazine.

It was my first attempt to sew handmade slippers on my own, and boy, how it was challenging!!

I almost gave up during the process... but after several trial and errors, I was glad to be able to complete it. Phew...

Above, my slippers are worn by my older daughter, whose height and shoe sizes are almost identical as mine (and she's only eleven years old!)

Stitching for (another) baby

2011-09-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow crafty friends :)

Our girls' schools started last week and we are back to our full swing schedule. I haven't had much time to sew lately, but I managed to stitch a special gift set for that special person... Yes, another baby gift set created for our friend's baby boy.

As you may recall, I've already made two of the similar baby gift sets in the recent weeks, one for the baby Kaito (boy) and another for the baby Reina (girl).

This time, it's for baby William... I handstitched his name using the chain stitch technique.

I selected the fun goat prints on aqua blue as main fabric, and combined it with linen and polka dots flannel.

The drawstring bag and the bib are fully reversible. Reversible side is super soft flannel in powder blue polka dots.

Once again, the reversible drawstring bag is made based on the awesome tutorial by Pink Penguin.

Well, this handmade gift set for William is the last baby gift item on my list (for now)... I really enjoyed making stuff for babies, and I can't wait to make another one!

Anyone expecting (lol)???

Handmade gift for a baby girl

2011-08-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hello there!

It's hard to believe that September is approaching, and I'm sure that many of the kids are going back to school by now... Although our girls' school year does not begin until later next week, and I can't wait!

(Confession by a tired mom from California... lol)

Anyways, today, I wanted to share with you another baby gift set that I finished recently.

This time, the gift is made for a sweet baby girl.

I used this lovely strawberry fabric for the bib front. The fabric is double gauze from Japan, which is super soft and smooth.

I did not patchwork the gingham check and the strawberry print... I'm not sure if you can tell from this image, but this is a *fake* patchwork fabric ;)

The opposite side of the bib is waffle cotton, which is super absorbent.

To match with the strawberry bib, I made a drawstring bag using linen and the strawberry print from my stash. As with my other drawstring bags, I made this bag by following my dear blog friend, Ayumi's wonderful tutorial here.

Close up of the hand stitched name of the baby... Although it takes time, I really enjoy stitching baby names by hand. While I stitch the name of the baby, I always wish that the baby's future will be filled with lots of happiness, love, and prosperity...

The reversible side of the drawstring bag. More berries on this side!

I just wish that this gift set will be used by the sweet baby girl and her proud mommy and daddy!

Thanks for reading and I hope to be back soon ;)

***With love, Amy***

My patchwork bib was featured in Sew, Mama, Sew! (plus more handmade items)

2011-08-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

Ms. Melanie of A Sewing Journal writes a monthly column for Sew, Mama, Sew! and she kindly featured my patchwork bib in today's column at Sew, Mama, Sew! - Sewing Trends and Free Fabric Friday.

Ever since I joined the Internet sewing community a few years back, I've been a big fan of Sew, Mama, Sew! online fabric shop and their fun blog, so I am so happy that my handmade item is featured in their blog! Yay!

Thank you so much, Melanie, for picking my patchwork linen bib from all of other handmade beauties out there ;)

***************************************************

Today, I'd like to show you few pics of my recent handmade items that I haven't had a chance to post here yet.

First one up is a reversible grocery tote that I made using this beautiful floral print in purple/blue tone. The floral print is from our local Joann store.

Reversible side is blue chambray fabric in home decor weight. I like the combination of this light denim color and the bright floral print used for the tie ribbons in the center. The bag will be a gift to our family friend who lives in Hawaii.

Second handmade item is a small zipper pouch that I made using leftover fabric scraps. The brown x pink polka dots used here is a sturdy home decor weight fabric.

I wanted to make a small zipper pouch to carry various cards in my wallet.

After I made the polka dots zipper pouch, I made three more zipper pouches in same size and shape, but using the red goat fabric selected by my friend.

These pouches were made as custom order from my friend.

I also made these matching pocket tissue holders using the same fabric. According to my friend, these matching pouches and tissue holders will be gifts to young girls.

The last item I'd like to show is this flex frame pouch. The size of the flex frame is 12 cm (4.7 inches) wide.

This pouch is reinforced with fleece batting, which makes it safe enough to carry small gadgets, such as digital cameras and cell phones inside.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the above photo, but I attached a small matryoshka ribbon tape in the side of the pouch.

Can you see the small matryoshka?

Well... that's it for today's post! Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with lots of crafty moments ;)

***Love, Amy***

A new pair of pants for baby

2011-08-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

Remember this baby gift set that I made for our family friend's baby (below image)?

Using the same elephant fabric, I whipped up a simple pair of pants and a matching small drawstring bag for my baby nephew, who is now six months old.

Does this pants look too big for a six month old baby? Well, you may be right... But I thought it's better to make a bigger clothing than a smaller one for a growing baby, and it turned out like this...!! (lol)

I serged all seams, so it was very simple to sew. Hope my baby nephew wears this pants, if not now, hopefully in a few months...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Today, I have a small notice to my etsy shop customers. I will be temporarily closing my shop from tomorrow, August 19, thru the end of this month, to spend more time with my girls and my hubby, before the summer slips away!

I plan to reopen my shop in early September, hopefully with more new items, so please check back in a week or two, if you can :)

Thanks for visiting my blog, and I hope you continue to enjoy your remaining days of August with your loved ones ;)

***Love, Amy***

My handmade item was featured in this Japanese craft book (OMG)!

2011-08-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I have a surprising news that I wanted to share with you...

My handmade digital camera pouch that I made a while ago was featured in this Japanese craft book from my favorite author/crafter, "komihinata" or Mioko Sugino!!!

I've been following and reading her inspirational craft blog for a while, and what a honor to be able to be part of her latest craft book...!

Book title: Small Handmade Items by komihinata

Publisher: Shufu-no-tomo-sha

Publish date: May 2011

ISBN-10: 4072766828

ISBN-13: 978-4072766828

Here is the page where my handmade digital camera pouch is featured. The page is titled "Handmade items made by the author's blog and craft book readers"

I feel so delighted to have my digital camera pouch featured with all of the handmade beauties here (no matter how small the picture of my pouch is on this page...LOL)!

And this is the close up of my handmade pouch... I think I made this item about two years ago, based on the previous book by the same author, but I still use it to this day, because this shape is very cute and practical!

Thanks for reading and hope you continue to have a wonderful weekend :)

Stitching for baby

2011-08-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, while our girls watched T.V., I sat together with them on our sofa and did some hand stitching work. I made a baby gift set for our family friend's baby boy. Well, I used sewing machine to make both the bib and the drawstring bag, but the embroidery is hand stitched by me :)

This colorful elephant fabric placed in the center of this patchworked bib is my recent find from our local Joann store. I think it's perfect for making baby items (both for a baby boy and a girl).

Close up of my hand stitched work... I used the embroidery pattern of this spoon with a ribbon from this Japanese embroidery book:

"Basics of Embroidery and Applique" by Ayako Otsuka

ISBN-10: 4072589748

ISBN-13: 978-4072589748

The reversible side of the bib is soft cotton flannel...

Here, I embroidered the little boy's name on to the drawstring bag. BTW this reversible bag was made based on this awesome tutorial from Pink Penguin!

Close up of the baby boy's name... Kaito

Reversible side of the bag: a bunch of colorful elephants :)

As you can probably tell, making handmade gifts is one of my favorite things to do, and I especially enjoy making stuff for babies :)

And the good news is that I will be making two more baby gifts like this one soon for more babies arrived around our family friends. Yes, it seems like there is a baby boom around here and I'm so happy for them!!

I hope this gift will be used by the baby and his family...

Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying your weekend as much as I'm enjoying mine ;)

Kawaii carrying pouches in my shop

2011-08-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

I just listed these small carrying pouches with handles in my etsy shop. They are all made of kawaii (cute) Japanese cotton fabrics that are imported from Japan.

The exterior of this carrying pouch is "bear with sweet macarons"... So adorable :)

This one is made of Cinnamoroll print (cute dog with large ears character) with baby blue x white polka dots combination. Our girls just love Cinnamorolls!

Pink My Melody print (bunny with pink ears) with baby blue x white polka dots print. Very sweet ;)

I attached small wood bead to the zipper pull for all of these pouches. (Note: not intended for young children under 3 years of age for safety reasons...)

9 inch zipper is used at the opening. It's a perfect size to carry pencils and pens for young girls, or for grown ups to carry keys, cell phones, and other small belongings as a carrying pouch on the go.

I really enjoyed making these kawaii items... Our girls gave me lots of inspirations and ideas when I made these girly projects, and I really thank them for their help.

Thank you so much for looking and I'll be back soon for more handmade items... ;)

Handmade apron for my daughter

2011-08-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Last week, my older daughter (11 years) was attending a weekly summer camp that had some cooking activities in the program. She wanted to bring her own apron to the camp, so I quickly sewed up an apron and a matching drawstring bag for her, using the fabric that she selected from my stash.

As always, she came back from the camp one afternoon and asked me if I can whip up a new apron for her by the next morning...! Talk about rush deliveries around here :p

I didn't follow any specific patterns or instructions to make this one... I simply tried to imitate an apron that we had in our house. Can you tell that I sewed a little heart ribbon as a "tag" at the front pocket?

To adjust the length of the ties around the neckline, I used this vest buckle that I had in hand.

And here she is... a happy cook with a brand new apron :)

Also, just to let you know that I'm having a sale of selected items in my etsy shop from today, August 1. Come check it out if you have a chance!

Thanks for visiting, and happy sewing to you all :)

Recycled crocheted mat... finished!!

2011-07-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

This week, I finally finished working on my recycled crocheted mat, which has been sitting underneath my craft table for a long time...

For how long this *unfinished project* was sitting around... I wasn't exactly sure. But after going through a list of my previous blog posts, I realized that I began this making this item in June of 2010... which means it took me more than a year to complete this simple mat!! I don't even know why it took me so long to finish this, but I'm so glad that I was finally able to finish it after all these months... :P

This recycled crocheted mat is made of old sheets, our kids' used clothing, and various fabric scraps I had in my hand. To crochet this mat, first I simply made several of these fabric yarn balls by hand stripping recycled fabrics. It's really an eco-friendly way to recycle unused fabrics and clothing around our house (which we happen to have so much!)

Work in progress...

Here's a close up of the crocheted mat. I tried to make this mat using pinks and blues, but I guess I ended up using some navy, greens, and even yellows...

It's really comfy to put your bare feet on this recycled crocheted mat, especially during the hot summer days. I decided to use this one as our kitchen mat.

But I need more than one mat in our kitchen, so I shall start making another one like this soon... and

this time, I wish I can finish it sooner... We'll see :D

Ruffled wristlet pouch

2011-07-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

I've been itching to make something with ruffles... and I finally did :)

This is a ruffled wristlet pouch made with natural linen and black embroidered cotton lace with scalloped edging. The size of the wristlet pouch is approximately 9.25 inches x 5.5 inches, not including the handles.

Each row of embroidered ribbon are carefully sewn on to the face of the wristlet pouch. To avoid fraying, I finished the top seam of the lace ribbon with rolled hem function using my serger.

The wristlet pouch is fully lined with fleece batting, and the interior fabric is black x white polka dots cotton.

The back side of the pouch is simple linen only...

Here is the side view.

I just listed this ruffled wristlet pouch in my online shop.

I think I really love the ruffles!! Now, I'm in the "ruffles" mood and feel like making more of these :)

Thank you so much for reading!! I'll be back soon :)

Linen cutlery (and chopsticks) organizer

2011-07-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all :) Hope you're enjoying your summer days.

Well, for our family, it's been five weeks into our kids' summer break, and I'm having a challenging time of the year... I mean, it's so hard to keep a schedule and do my work, keep kids busy and keep myself sane, all at the same time when kids are free in summer!!

Anyways... I haven't really had enough chance to sit in front of my sewing machine lately due to the above reasons, but I managed to make these linen cutlery organizers with handles recently :)

These fabric organizers are fully reversible. As you can see, I used linen on one side, and home decor fabrics (pink and navy dots) on another.

I lined them with interfacing, and with a combination of home decor fabric, they are sturdy enough to stand on its own.

Side view. The approximate height is 2.75 inches (7 cm), not including the handles.

Bottom view. Depth is approximately 3.25 inches (8.25 cm).

I made these linen organizers to store our cutlerys and chopsticks to place them on our kitchen table...

But it can also be used to store stationery around the desk, or to store sewing supplies at your sewing area.

We've been using these at our kitchen table lately, and these are very convenient to use.

I realy like the combination of polka dots and simple linen :)

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and I hope you're enjoying your crafty moments, no matter how busy your schedule may be... ;)

***Love, Amy***

Drawstring mini tote bags

2011-07-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hello! How have you been?

It's been a while since my last post (three weeks?) but I'm so glad to be back with my latest creations to show you today...

I just added these mini drawstring tote bags in my shop.

The bag exterior is made of a combination of Japanese imported cotton print and home decor fabrics. Home decor fabrics are used for the bag handles and the bottom, for added sturdiness.

The bags are fully lined with 100% cotton and fleece batting. It's perfect to be used as everyday tote, or as a lunch bag (or a "bento bag" as we call it in Japan) or snack bag.

As you can see, the tote has a drawstring opening, but you can easily fold the drawstring part inward to use the bag as ordinary mini tote (without the drawstring).

And BTW... do you remember from my last post how my kitchen looked like during the remodeling, after everything had been removed? It was totally empty like this...

After few weeks, the remodeling is finally over (phew!), and here is a snap shot of a our kitchen now...

I am so happy (and relieved) that now I'm able to cook and eat in our kitchen. Living without a kitchen (especially with kids) was tougher than I had imagined...!!

I literally had to "cook" in our living room with my rice cooker, microwave, refrigerator, and a Japanese portable gas cartridge stove, and I washed those plastic dishes and utensils in our shower!! (Well, I could of disposed them, but I didn't want to throw away everything during our construction, which lasted over several weeks...)

Thanks so much for visiting my blog, and happy cooking and crafting to you all :-D

Kitchen mats for my sis

2011-06-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

I had been really busy over this past week and I haven't really had a chance to do anything creative : (

All I could manage was to sew two of these kitchen mats for my younger sis #1 who lives in Japan. (I have two younger sis and two younger bros, all living in Japan, and this sis#1 recently got married and moved into a new house).

I simply patchworked several matching cottons in blue/navy tone, and sandwiched two layers of fleece batting to add a little softness to the feet...

I don't even know if the blue color matches her new kitchen or not, but even if they don't, I guess I'll just make another mats for her... So just let me know if you want them in different colors, sis :P

The back side of the mats are a simple navy/white floral prints. I thought a print like these would hide all the messiness that can result from cooking and eating.

Speaking about the kitchen, we just began to remodel our old and worn out kitchen from this week.

Here's a sneak peek of how our kitchen looks like right now... Yes, it's literally empty. Our contractor took out all of our cabinets, tiles, refrigerator, dishwasher, and everything else in our kitchen!

Living without our kitchen is tougher than I had imagined. Before the construction began, I had been cooking in my kitchen almost everyday for my family, so it's so inconvenient to live without a kitchen.

Anyways, when our kitchen work is done, I plan to make new kitchen mats for myself, too. And I can't wait for that day to come...!!!

Flower shaped pincushions

2011-06-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been hooked in making these flower shaped pincushions.

I've listed a couple of these in my online shop, and I've also given a few of them to my crafty friends as gifts.

The pincushion comes in a compact size. It can sit on my palm like this. Fabric covered buttons are placed in the center of the pincushion, in both the front and back sides.

The pincushion is filled with a mixture of poly fill (fluffy image in the above right), along with the 100% wool felt roving (image to the above left), to prevent needles from rusting...

Pincushion featuring the Swedish *dala horse*

This fabric is a Japanese imported cotton :)

Country apples pincushion with brown and white polka dots fabric covered buttons.

Each pincushion will be packaged like this when ordered from my shop.

What kind of pincushions do you use when you sew?

Personalized pillow cover

2011-06-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

My nine year old girl is invited to her friend's birthday party this weekend, so I quickly whipped up this personalized pillow cover for the birthday girl, with her name appliqued on to the front side.

Here is the close up of the applique... My daughter and I selected the fabrics together.

I downloaded the alphabet template from here, and basically enlarged each letters to 200% using our home copier. Then I used the paper backed iron on interfacing (or Heat'n Bond) to make my own fabric alphabet applique.

There are many online resources out there such as this one with simple instructions, for making your own applique if you are interested.

I used blanket stitch function of my sewing machine to sew these alphabets on to the face of the pillow cover.

Although this pillow will be given away as a gift, I think it matches pretty well with our living room sofa... don't you think?

BTW the crocheted granny square throw that is used as a sofa cover in the below image is handmade by my mom in Japan, a.k.a. the "crocheting machine"!

What amazes me the most is that my mom completes these large projects of granny square blankets/throws in about a week or two, and she often makes several of them in one winter for her friends and family. Now you know why I call her the "crocheting machine", because she's indeed a super human crocheting "machine"! (lol)

Well anyways, now that the pillow gift is completed, my daughter needs to create a handmade birthday card for her friend. Hope the birthday girl likes her new pillow, and I hope that you all continue to enjoy your weekend.

See you again soon :)

Thank you! I reached my Japan Relief fundraising goal of $1000!!!

2011-06-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

A huge THANK YOU to you all for your support and encouragement toward my Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief fundraising efforts!!

I am delighted to announce that earlier this week, I was able to reach my fundraising goal of $1,000 through sales proceeds of my handmade creations, and I just sent my second donation check of $500 to the Japanese Red Cross Society, through Consulate General of Japan Los Angeles. The first $500 donation was sent in early May.

My 2nd donation check of $500

When I began this fundraiser in March of this year, I could not have imagined that I was able to reach my goal within less than three months... Without all of your support, I could definitely not have done this... (*in tears of joy*)

After all, considering the scope of the major disaster that struck my home country on March 11, 2011, I know that my donation amount is just too tiny to help those people who are still in need. But I still wanted to do my part by doing what I like to do the most, which is to make handmade items and by selling them, mainly through my etsy shop.

Thank you again to my etsy shop customers, my friends and family members, and to you all supportive blog readers for encouraging me at all times. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Oh my eyes are getting *watery* again... Arigato!!　ありがとう！！謝謝！　Merci!　Gracias! Thank you!!

2 way tote bag (red flowers)

2011-06-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Today, I wanted to show you something that I made a while ago, but haven't had a chance to post here on my blog. It's a gift set that consists of a 2 way tote bag, a pouch, and a key fob, all made of matching red flower fabric.

You remember this 2 way elephant tote bag that I whipped up for my younger sis a while ago? Well, this time, my sis asked me to make the same bag, using a different fabric, for her good friend as a birthday gift.

My sis selected this red flower fabrics (home decor weight) for her friend. First I thought that this print may be a little too loud and flashy, but after looking at the finished items, I thought it turned out okay. Or I should say, it turned out very pretty!

Below, a green tree cotton tape is attached to the side of the outside bag pocket as a "tag".

In the past, I've made several projects for my family members as gifts to them (for free of charge, of course), but this time, my sis insisted that she was willing to pay me for this gift set. So, without any hesitation, I gladly accepted money from my sis (which was actually nice :D).

Well, after all, my sis knows about my Japan Relief fundraising efforts through my handmade creations, and I think she wanted to support me through her payments. Thanks, sis, for your generous payment toward my fundraising efforts!

Just like many other bags that I create, this bag is also reversible. This is the reversible side of the 2 way tote bag. I actually like this reversible side more!

Although it may look like solid navy, I used navy x white polka dots cotton for this side.

According to my sis, her friend seemed to like the gift set, which made me very happy and relieved, too!

Thank you very much for visiting my blog and I look forward to come back soon ;) Your visits to my blog and comments, especially, are really encouraging and I am very thankful for every one of you crafty and kind folks out there!! Arigato always to you all ;)

Zakka Style patchworked flex frame pouches

2011-06-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow crafter/blogger friends!

I just listed these patchworked flex frame pouches in my etsy shop :) Yes, my Japan Relief fundraising effort is still going on, and 100% proceeds from the sales of these flex frame pouches will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Let me show you some images of these convenient pouches on this post today...

10 cm (4 inches) flex frames are used at the opening.

Flex frame pouches squeeze open very easily... with just one hand.

These pouches are fully padded with fleece batting, which makes it safe to carry valuables/fragile items inside, such as eye glasses.

It measures approximately 4 inches (10 cm) wide and 7.5 inches (19 cm) tall, from top to bottom. It's a good size to carry pens and pencils, crochet hooks, sanitary items, craft items and notions, or any other miscellaneous items inside.

On the side of the pouches, I placed a small "tag" to add that little cuteness... Here, a Japanese ribbon tape with a flower print is attached as a "tag".

For this "leaves and dots" pouch, I attached a handmade "tag" on to the side.

The handmade "tag" shown in the above image is made from my hand carved eraser stamp. The hand stamped cotton tape is carefully pressed with high temperature iron, to set the flower print permanently on to the tape.

I love the zakka style look of these flex frame pouches :)

Well, I've been working on several handmade projects nightly, but I just couldn't find enough time to post about them on my blog here :( For me, whenever I can find any spare time for myself, I always end up sitting in my crafting area, and not in front of the computer... I wish I had enough time to both craft AND to blog, and not either or... But after all, I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much, as long as I can find time to craft at least ;)

Thanks for visiting and I'll be back soon!

Custom orders of tote bags

2011-05-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is what I had been up to lately... making many many tote bags!

I made a total of eight tote bags in all (although only seven of them are shown in the above and below images). All of these bags are made in same shape and size, but in different fabrics. I used beautiful and sturdy home decor fabrics for the bag exterior. These tote bags are fully lined with matching solid cotton and durable fleece batting.

Yes, making eight different tote bags involved a lot of cutting fabrics, ironing, and sewing... but I really enjoyed each and every step of the process. I just couldn't wait to see the finished bags while I was making them :)

The bags were made to fill the custom orders placed from two different customers, who are both my good friends and acquaintances. I really appreciate their generosity and support for my shop.

The sales of these bags did not go through my etsy shop, but the entire sales proceeds I receive from these bag sales will be donated to Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief, as with any other sales I generate from sales of my handmade items.

Here are the close ups of each bags.

Brown and pink polka dots prints...

Green and white floral print...

Black and gray leaves print on white canvas...

Gorgeous Magnolia flowers print...

Lavender and white floral prints...

Purple roses with green accent on the bag bottom and handles...

Red, brown and white stripes print with a French taste...

Navy and white floral prints...

Each and every bag is original and special for me. I just can't decide just one favorite from here, but which one do you think you like the most?

Reversible library tote bag for a nine year old

2011-05-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here is something that I made a few weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to post...

It's a reversible tote bag that I made for a nine year old girl for her birthday. She is a good friend of my younger daughter, who selected the fabrics of the bag exterior. It seems like the 3rd grade girls nowadays are really into these "peace sign" prints...

This is the reversible side of the bag. Can you tell that I selected the fabrics on this side??

I like the fresh combination of green x white polka dots and strawberry prints.

This is the handmade bag charm that I made with a few strands of embroidery threads and pom poms. I simply crocheted embroidery threads to make cords, and sewed pastel colored pom poms on both sides of the hand crocheted cords.

I like to attach these pom poms to the handmade bag like this...

Side view. The bag can carry enough library books and personal belongings for a young girl.

I love to make handmade gifts for young children, and I just wish that this bag will be (heavily) used by the nine year old girl :)

Thanks for looking and hope you continue to enjoy your week!!

Flex frame eye glasses case

2011-05-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends asked me whether I can make her a handy eye glasses case, using flex frames. She found out about my Japan Relief fundraising efforts through my handmade creations, and placed me an order, which was very kind of her!

She selected the fabrics (cute goats on red) and I quickly whipped up the eye glasses case for her.

This flex frame case is fully padded with fusible fleece, and I think it's a good size to keep the eye glasses inside. It measures approximately 4 inch x 7.5 inch, or 10 cm x 19 cm (from top to bottom).

Flex frame pouches can be opened easily with just one hand...

Using the same cute goat fabric, I made a matching small tissue cozy for her to keep in her purse.

Hope she likes the set!

And before I go, I wanted to share these beautiful images of the flower bouquet that I received recently, from my friend.

Unbelievably, my friend arranged this lovely bouquet by herself, and she's not even a florist!!

It's been quite some time since I received such beautiful flowers from any one... and that is including my hubby!!

Of course, I bragged about this beautiful flower gift to my hubby and explained to him in detail how much I was delighted to receive such pretty bouquet from my friend... I hope he sensed that demanding look in my eyes and hopefully he would get me one of these pretty flowers in the near future... although I know that is very unlikely...

After 20+ years of being together, I know that my hubby is not a kind of guy who would buy flowers to his *loving* wife... He is more of a guy who would buy fresh sushi or a big bucket of green tea ice cream to his wife to please her (not to mention that sushi and green tea ice cream are HIS favorites and NOT mine!) lol

Flower gift or a sushi gift... which would you rather receive? Well, whichever it may be, I wish you all have a lovely weekend!! Ciao!

Where is my post?!

2011-05-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

If you blog on Blogger, you know what I'm talking about.

My earlier blog post titled "Yay! I reached my Japan Relief Fundraising goal! (and my linen pouch with flap)" mysteriously disappeared last week during the Blogger's down time and it never got restored...

I was hoping that my post gets recovered like many other bloggers' posts, but it seems unlikely as of now... Oh no!! What a bummer!!
&*%$>:"*@+*&!!!!

Actually, losing one of my blog post isn't that bad after all, but what I will miss forever are those nice comments left from my blog readers for that particular post. I am terribly sorry to you kind folks!! Gomen nasai!! (I'm sorry in Japanese).

Oh well, my post may mysteriously get restored again, who knows... But in case it doesn't, please excuse me that I am repeating the following info about my recent donation made for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief.

I wanted to let you know (again!) that I accomplished my etsy shop sales goal of $500 toward Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief donation! The money was generated from 100% sales proceeds from my etsy shop.   Thank you so much to my etsy shop customers, my family members and my friends, and to you all supportive blog readers for encouraging me at all times. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Initially, my plan was to donate my entire shop proceeds to the American Red Cross for Japan Earthquake Relief, but I figured that it makes more sense to me to donate the money directly to the Japanese Red Cross through Consulate General of Japan Los Angeles, which I did.

I sent out a $500 donation check last week, and I decided to continue my Japan Relief fundraising efforts until I reach my next goal of $500 (a total of $1,000).   I will keep you posted on my continued fundraising efforts here on my blog :)
... And that was all I wanted to mention (or repeat, I should say) about my fundraising efforts. Thank you for bearing with me!!

So, here is my handmade creation that I wanted to show you today. It's a mini patchworked fabric basket made based on Pink Penguin's awesome tutorial.  This tute, put together by my dear blog friend Ayumi, is so easy to follow and a joy to make!

I used fabrics from the Buttercup line from one of my favorite fabric designer, Darlene Zimmerman, to make this one.

I think this is my third, or even fourth time I make this basket, and it's funny that every time I make a new one, I want to make more!! It's so fun and enjoyable to make these cute baskets :)

This time, I placed some chocolate candies inside the my handmade basket, and presented to my girlfriend as her birthday gift.

I hope she liked my handmade basket, as much as she liked the Lindt chocolates inside :)

Oh, and here are the linen pouches with flaps that I mentioned in my earlier (missing) blog post, just in case you missed it...

I like the combination of linen and the flower cotton prints. It's my forever love combination!

Thanks for reading today's post and I'm sorry for the repetitive information for some of you who had read my earlier (mysteriously lost) post...

I just hope that this post will not mysteriously disappear again... and I'm having my fingers crossed...!!

Thanks with love,
from Amy xoxo

Handmade gifts for the Mother's Day

2011-05-06T00:39:00.000-07:00

Mother's day is right around the corner, and today I'd like to show you some of the handmade gifts that I made for my dear *moms*...

This gift set is made for a special lady who lives in Hawaii, who I admire very much. Well, she is not my real mom, but I wanted to show my love and appreciation for this Mother's Day, for being so kind to my family and I.

She mentioned to me earlier that her cell phone gets "lost" in her purse often, so I decided to make her a cell phone pouch that will hopefully make her life a little easier when she picks up her phone.

The cell phone pouch is lined with double fleece batting, to protect the phone and for the snug fit.

I hope she likes this handmade set of cell phone pouch and the flat zipper pouch :)

I really like this beautiful roses and birds print in midnight navy. You can find the same zipper pouch in my shop :)

This purple flex frame pouch was made for my mom's best friend who lives in Japan. I've known her since I was a baby, and she is like a second mom to all of us siblings in our family.

Flex frame pouches are very convenient to use, as it easily opens with just one hand.

The pouch is a good size to carry small gadgets, cosmetics, or other belongings inside a purse. Hope the recipient *mom* likes the gift!

And these flex frame pouches look familiar to you, right? I just love the beautiful floral fabrics used for these pouches, so I decided to send the blue one to my *real* mom (lol) and the purple one to my mom-in-law.

BTW these flex frame pouches are also sold in my etsy shop now.

All gifts have been shipped out to the recipient *moms* already, along with the Mother's day cards I wrote for them. Unfortunately, I cannot spend the Mother's day with my dear *moms*, but I just wish them the happiest Mother's Day of all and that they enjoy my handmade gifts :)

Thank you for reading, and to all the mothers, grandmothers, daughters, nieces, friends... Have a Blessed and Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Everyone is Japanese Fundraising Charity Event

2011-04-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today, I have an announcement to share with you about the upcoming fundraising event for Japan Relief.

My girlfriend belongs to a nonprofit organization called Melting Pot Moms, in the Orange County area of Southern California, and they are having a fundraising event "Everyone is Japanese" on this Sunday, May 1.

The event will be held at:

Flintridge Clubhouse

28112 Roanoke Drive

Ladera Ranch, CA

On Sunday, May 1, 2011

6 - 9 pm

$10 donation is suggested for entry, and the event will feature Japanese traditional dance, origami crafts for the kids, hors d'oeuvres and beverages, an opportunity raffle, and all donations will be sent directly to Miyagi Prefectural Government of Japan.

As for my part, I plan to donate several of my handmade items, including flat zipper pouches, wristlet key fobs, and reversible mini drawstring bags, to this fundraiser. My handmade items will be up for sale during the event, and entire proceeds will be donated to Japan by the organizer.

On top of the zipper pouches, key fobs, and drawstring bags, I made these reversible tote bags using Japanese fabrics for additional donated items.

The first bag I made is a Hello Kitty tote bag. Initially, I purchased this fabric in Japan a while ago for my girls, but I thought it is a good chance to use this lovely fabric for this occasion.

The reversible side is solid pink.

The bag has flat bottom and is roomy enough to carry everyday items, or it is a good size to be used as library tote for young children.

Another bag I made for this fundraiser event is this one. The bag is also reversible, and the exterior is made of Japanese fabric (linen cotton blend). I used pink x white polka dots flannel print for the handles and the pocket.

The reversible side is also pink x white polka dots flannel print. I love the combination of dusty pink and white dots of this soft flannel fabric.

Unfortunately, I may not be attend the event myself... but I hope you can join if you are in the area ;)

Thanks for reading and thank you for your continued support for Japan Relief...!

Patchworked flex frame pouches

2011-04-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hello, there!

Today, I wanted to share with you about my latest additions in my shop - flex frame pouches.

The exterior of these pouches are made by combining several different fabrics, mainly featuring the floral prints from the "Betty Dear" line from my favorite fabric designer Darlene Zimmerman. I love these beautiful floral prints!

For those of you who are not familiar with "flex frames", these are the 12 cm (4.5 inch) sized flex frames that I used to make these pouches. By the way, flex frames are very popular in Japan.

The opening area is approximately 12 cm (or 4.5 inches) wide as shown below.

Flex frames make the pouches very convenient to use. You only need one hand to open the pouch, with just a touch of a "squeeze"!

These pouches are fully padded with fusible fleece, so it's safe enough to carry your valuable items such as cell phone, smart phone, digital camera, other gadgets, jewelry, cosmetics, craft items, etc. securely inside.

The pouches has flat bottom of approximately 1.5 inch (4 cm) in depth. With the fleece batting used throughout, these flex frame pouches are pretty sturdy and they can stand on its own like this.

I think these pouches will make wonderful Mother's day gift ;)

And here is just a few update about my fundraising efforts through my online shop sales proceeds...

As of today (4/19/2011), I've raised approximately USD $400 from my shop's sales proceeds, which I continue to plan to donate 100% to the American Red Cross Japan Relief. I am short of $100 to reach my initial goal of $500 in sales proceeds... which I think is great!!!

My fundraising effort continues, and here are some of other new items added to my shop recently.

More Reversible mini drawstring bags in eye catching fabrics...

And this is a newly added padded long zipper pouch in Roses on blue stripes, which is made of Japanese imported quality cotton.

Thank you so much for reading my post, and I just can't thank enough to all of you for supporting my fundraising efforts for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief, through kind words and encouragements, and through purchases from my shop.

*Arigato* to you all, and I'll be back soooon!

Reversible mini drawstring bags and more

2011-04-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow crafters and bloggers. Hope you're enjoying your crafting moments, as much as I am enjoying mine :)

As you may already know, I've been selling my handmade items in my online shop for about a month now to generate money for Japan Earthquake/Tsunami fundraising. And so far, I've raised over USD $350 (as of 4/16/2011) and I am thrilled! Thanks to all of you who continue to encourage and support me and my shop in many ways. I truly appreciate your kind heart and generosity.

Well, my fundraising efforts continues, and I've added new items in my shop recently.

These are mini drawstring bags, that are reversible and comes with fun cotton prints.

Grosgrain tapes (3/8 inch / 9 mm) are used for the drawstring cords, and it's a good sized pouch to organize small items in your purse such as cosmetics, keys, cell phones and gadgets, snacks, kids' toys, etc.

I think it's also nice to use these mini drawstring bags as gift wrapping, to hold small gifts such as hand cream, chap sticks, soap, jewelry, gift cards, etc. inside, and present it altogether to your friends and loved ones.

This is the reversible side of the drawstring bags.

I love the unique *dew drop* shapes of these pouches!

Also, in an effort to raise more money for fundraising, I will be selling some of my favorite Japanese craft books. I selected the ones that are used gently and are in very good condition.

Some of the craft books are already listed in my shop. The remaining will soon be listed, so go check out my shop if you are interested.

Well, thanks for stopping by and hope you continue to enjoy your April days. See you soon ;)

2 way tote bag

2011-04-12T00:58:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am back in town from our family trip and our kids are back in school from today, after one week of spring break. My online shop is now open, too :)

Well today, I'd like to show you this 2 way tote bag that I whipped up for my younger sister who recently had a baby boy in January...

I call it a "2 way tote" because this bag can be used as a regular tote bag (with two bag handles), or it can be carried as a shoulder bag/messenger bag (using the attached long strap).

From my experience, I know that new moms need to carry TONS of baby stuff in their bag... and I thought it would be convenient if one bag can be used both ways as tote bag and a shoulder/messenger bag.

Side view

I added a small *tree* tag on the side of the bag exterior...

I used this polka dots fabric for the bottom of the tote (home decor weight).

This is the reversible side of the bag. Both the floral print and the blue polka dots print fabrics are soft flannel.

This 2 way bag is pretty roomy. As you can see here, 2 half gallons of milk (1.89 liters each) can be easily packed into the bag.

The exterior elephant fabric is one of my favorite. It is a sturdy home decor fabric that is thick and strong.

Hope my sis likes the tote!

And here is just a few updates from my online shop...

I've added more padded flat zipper pouches in my shop. These pouches are all made of quality Japanese imported fabrics, and are fully padded with fusible fleece. 9 inch (23cm) zipper is used for the opening.

As of tonight (4/11/2011), I've raised $280 from my shop's sales proceeds, which I plan to donate 100% to the American Red Cross Japan Relief. I will continue my fundraising efforts until I reach my initial goal of $500 in sales proceeds.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and thank you so much for supporting Japan Relief!!

Hope you all have a wonderful week :)

Tiny pincushion made with crochet, linen, and a hand carved eraser stamp

2011-04-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Today is April 1st, and here in Southern California where I live, all of a sudden we are experiencing a springlike weather with temperature rising as high as 82F (28C) during the day... Our girls went off to school with T shirts and shorts, and I had them bring big bottles of icy waters to school this morning. Talk about sweaty kids around here :D

Anyways, today, I wanted to show you something I made several weeks ago but hadn't had a chance to post here. It's a tiny pincushion made with crochet, linen, and a hand carved eraser stamp.

Side view

The pincushion bottom is crocheted with wool yarns in gray and white, and the cushion part is made of 100% linen, filled with poly fill. I stamped my hand carved eraser stamp on the top of the pincushion to add a finishing touch.

Bottom view

The round bottom makes it somewhat unstable when placed on the sewing table... but I really like the simple look of this pincushion.

By the way, I have few announcements about my etsy shop.

As you may already know, I reopened my shop in the end of March, in hope to raise money for the Japan Earthquake Relief.

Images of padded flat zipper pouches sold in my shop.

I am very grateful to announce that so far, I've raised ~~$227~~ $267 (as of 4/2/11 midnight) from sales proceeds, which I plan to donate 100% to the American Red Cross Japan Relief. I still plan to continue my fundraising efforts until I reach my initial goal of $500 in sales proceeds, but I can't thank enough for those of you who continue to support me for this cause. Thank you very much!!

Also, I will be closing my shop temporarily from tonight, 4/2/2011 midnight, for a week, until 4/8/2011, as I will be out of town with my family members to visit our elderly relative who lives out of state.

I will be taking a short break from crafting and blogging, but I plan to go back to my sewing table when I return home, to continue to raise money for the Japan Relief.

Thank you very much for visiting and reading my blog, and hope you all have a wonderful month of April!!

Featured in the Etsy Treasury lists

2011-03-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

Over this weekend, I added more padded flat zipper pouches in my shop.

Just like any other items sold in my shop, the 100% proceeds of these zipper pouches, less shipping and handling, will be donated to the American Red Cross Japan Relief fund.

I am thrilled to announce that I've raised $136 through my etsy sales toward the Japan Relief donation, in just one week so far!! Yay!! Arigato everyone!!

As mentioned earlier in this blog, I will continue to create and sell my handmade items until I reach my initial goal of $500 for Japan Relief, and I'm hoping to further increase my goal amount if all goes well :)

I can't thank enough to those of you who generously support my shop, and for all of you readers and my dear blog friends, who continue to encourage me in every way for my fundraising efforts. Thank you again!!

Also, I am very honored and blessed that many of my handmade pouches are featured in several Etsy Treasury lists. Etsy Treasury is a comprised list of items that are sold on etsy, curated by etsy members. What amazes me the most is that the etsy curators created these Treasury lists solely to promote sales of Japan Relief items, and they are not curated for profit making themselves.

For instance, my plaid bird coin purse is featured in "Relief for Japan" Treasury list...

And my floral bird coin purse is included in the "Help Japan AND get wonderful Art" Treasury list...

The red girly Japanese print padded flat zipper pouch is featured in the "100% Hope for Japan" treasuries...

And the red plum blossom flat bottom zipper pouch is featured in two of the etsy Treasury lists, which include "the colors of my heart" treasuries and the "J is for Japan Relief" treasuries...

The red lamb padded flat zipper pouch is listed in "A Bear Hug for Japan" treasuries...

The growing leaves padded long zipper pouch in espresso, is featured in the "Japan Still Needs Help" Treasury list...

Both the colorful blocks padded zipper pouch and the pink girly Japanese print padded zipper pouch are featured in the "California Support for Japan" treasury list...

I am so grateful for the kind and caring souls from around the globe, who selflessly trying to support Japan in the wake of the recent natural disaster and the ongoing nuclear plant crisis...

I still feel helpless and effortless for not being able to do as much as I want for my country, but with the support from everyone, I will continue to do what I can do now at this situation. For me, it is to make use of every little chunk of time that I can find during the day, to create and sew handmade items for fundraising purposes. The best thing about it is that making handmade items for this specific purpose really helps me to mend the sorrow and helplessness that I've been feeling, ever since that catastrophic earthquake struck Japan a few weeks ago...

Well, thank you for reading this longer-than-usual post, and hope you all have a wonderful week!

Flat zipper pouches for fundraising

2011-03-23T23:21:00.000-07:00

My sewing buddy (or my Brother machine) and I were sewing up a storm over the past weekend, making many, many zipper pouches like a maniac... I made ten of these flat zipper pouches, currently up for sale on my etsy shop.

Yes, I just reopened my shop! And I decided to donate 100% sales proceeds of these pouches, excluding shipping and handling, to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund.

The exterior of these pouches are made exclusively of Japanese imported cotton and cotton/linen blend. Each zipper pouch measures approximately 4 inches x 9.25 inches, or 10 cm x 23.5 cm in size. They are fully padded with fusible fleece batting.

As you can see, I attached a small wood bead using cotton cords, to the zipper pull of each pouch.

It's a good size to hold a cell phone, digital camera, and other gadgets...

Or to carry crochet hooks, a small pair of sissors, and yarn needles in one place...

And it's a perfect size to store pens and pencils, of course.

In addition to these flat zipper pouches, I listed these wristlet key fobs that I made earlier, on my shop.

Initially, I made these key fobs to donate entirely to my friend's upcoming fundraising event, but I learned that there are still a couple more weeks until the event. So, I decided to sell these online for now.

(I will make more for my friend's fundraising event later).

Just like the flat zipper pouches, I will donate 100% proceeds of these wristlet key fobs (excluding shipping & handling), to the American Red Cross Japan Relief Fund.

My goal is to raise and donate $500 proceeds to the American Red Cross, through my creations. So wish me luck on sales of these items, and more creations to come!
Thank you for reading and hope all is well for my dear fellow crafters and blogger friends :)

More handmade key fobs for the fundraiser

2011-03-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

I made more of these key fobs, or wristlet key chains, to donate to the fundraiser to help the recent quake/tsunami victims in Japan.

These are the additional ones that I made last night.

I wanted to make more, but I ran out of supplies...!!

Now I have to decide the pricing. My selling price was $7 an item on my etsy shop, but I plan to reduce the price a bit, with a hope that more people would buy.

Thank you for reading, and wish me luck that these key fobs would find their

new owners at the fundraiser :)

Key fobs for Fundraiser

2011-03-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

Ever since the catastrophic earthquake struck Japan one week from today, I had been so worried and depressed, feeling helpless and powerless, thinking about the people in Japan and the continuing concern over the nuclear crisis.

Then, my girlfriend contacted me recently to let me know about the fundraiser that she is planning to have to help the recent quake/tsunami victims of Japan.

Without any doubt, I immediately decided to join the fundraiser, and last night I made these keyfobs, or wristlet keyholders, for donation.

I plan to make more items and to donate the entire proceeds to the fundraiser. At the same time, I decided to reopen my etsy shop soon to list more handmade items to donate the proceeds to the charity.

What I can do now for the quake/tsunami victims is very small, but I hope that I can at least do something and not just to sit around and watch the news crying... :(

Thank you very much for reading, and please continue to join me to pray for Japan... Thank you.

Japan's Earthquake

2011-03-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

As you already know, Japan was recently struck by a most powerful earthquake in the recorded history of the nation, followed by killer tsunamis, leaving thousands already reported dead and even more people missing. At this moment, there are a very serious concern about the nuclear radiation exposure in the area, also.

During this very difficult time, I would like to thank every one of you who contacted me about the well being of my family members relating to the earthquake. My family members live in Tokyo and Nagoya, and my husband's family also lives near Tokyo, which are all quite away from the epicenter of the recent quake. I am grateful to let you know that all of the family members of myself and my husband's are safe.

And I'd also like to send a big thank you to all of you out there who has sent prayers to the recent earthquake and the tsunami victims in my home country, Japan.

For me, it's very hard to cope with this tragedy living away from my country. I cannot stop thinking about the quake and the tsunami victims of Japan, and the ongoing uncertainty and fear of the nuclear plant disaster over there. I normally almost never watch T.V., but right now, I just cannot stop myself from watching the news about Japan whenever I'm home. (In our house, we can view NHK, or Japan's largest broadcast station, to get more detailed information).

Meanwhile, I had been busy with my kids health issues (they're getting better now), and my work (the tax deadlines!!), and I just couldn't find time and energy to update my blog, which may have added concern to some of you nice readers/friends about my family's situation in Japan. Thank you very much for caring about us, always.

Although the death toll and the scope of destruction seems to mount every day in Japan... I still feel that the Japanese people can overcome this serious disaster and to eventually rebuild the country, with strong will and wisdom, and with the support from people around the world.

Thank you again for thinking and praying about my country.

Crocheted pouch with a doily flap

2011-03-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

This is what I just finished making last night... It is a crocheted pouch with a doily flap.

I used 100% wool yarns and placed a small wood bead in the center of the flap.

When making this project, I first crocheted a simple pouch measuring about

5.75 in x 4.5 in (14.5 cm x 11.5 cm).

The bottom view.

Then I changed the yarn color and crocheted a half size doily on to the opening of the pouch to make a flap.

I lightly followed instructions from this Japanese book: "Small Lace Crochet Projects"

ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-4834729627

Here are more of the beautiful images from this book...

Below, the pouch is sitting on my younger daughter's (9 yrs) palms...

She helped take pictures of the pouch.

I think I really like the natural look of this :)

Well, thanks again for reading, and hope you have a good week :)

Girls Day 2011

2011-03-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Today, March 3rd, is Girls day in Japan.

On this day we celebrate to ensure our daughters' future happiness by displaying Japanese traditional emperor and empress dolls in our home.

This is how one corner of our living room looks like right now.

Our dolls may not be as traditional as it should be in Japan... but I still like to celebrate this day with our girls (and my hubby ;) by displaying our small dolls and crafts.

And something from the crafty side...

I embroidered my newly born nephew's name on to linen this week.

Here are some quick peek of it.

Hopefully, I can finish this project during this weekend for the baby.

Happy girls day to you all!

Decorating baby onesies and clothing

2011-02-26T23:44:00.000-08:00

My younger sister recently had her first baby boy... and I've been itching to

make some handmade gifts to celebrate his arrival.

I have many gift ideas in my mind... but I haven't actually had a chance to

begin making any gifts yet :(

Meanwhile, my sister asked me to look for any hand-me-down baby clothing that our girls wore when they were still babies, and send them over to her asap.
(They live in Tokyo). My sis even told me that it doesn't really matter whether the used baby clothes are pink or blue! :D

So, after selecting the "good" and the "okay" babywear from our storage boxes, I decided to decorate these *used* baby clothing to make them a little bit special for my nephew.

For this onesie, I machine appliqued my favorite Beatrix Potter fabric. I love Peter Rabbit!

For this one, I appliqued these colorful pears...

Then I used this fun Japanese print of elephant and his cookie :)

This one features the Snoopy fabric... another favorite of mine :)

When I machine appliqued these onesies, I first backed each fabric piece with fusible batting.

Then I pinned it on to the clothing, then machine appliqued using either
zig zag stitches or blanket stitches of my sewing machine.

For these baby cotton cardigans, I used alphabet rubber stamps to make handmade name tag applique for the baby.

Well, after all, these are all *used* baby clothes... but I tried my best to make them personalized and fun for the baby :)

Aside from these decorated hand-me-downs, I am still trying to make *new* handmade gifts for my lovely nephew, so I'll keep you posted...!!

Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying your *crafty* weekend
as much as I am enjoying mine :)