Tokyo Quilt Festival 2017

Where did February go?? 28 days passed so fast. I always feel the first 3 months of the year is the slowest but looks like it's different this year. 

I had an amazing time in Japan last January . It was a dream trip since I always want to see the Tokyo International Quilt Festival and yes it's worth every penny.

I went alone from India all the way to Japan and met my friend who was traveling solo from Indonesia. We planned to see the show for one day and then we'll check the fabrics stores around Tokyo, but we ended up 2 full days in the show. Yes, you need at least 2 days to see (almost) everything to see the displayed quilts and the market stalls...ahh there was just soo many amazing handmade stuff there.

Here's some of the amazing photos from the show :
(More photos can be seen HERE)

  

and my fave:

And the market booths

and of course we visited all the Fabric "shrines" where ever we went. We discussed our itineraries for months out of excitement and all the historical shrines suddenly forgotten when we knew there were fabric stores in vicinity LOL. Well, I can go  back with the boys for those historical places, right? 

Truthfully, the show is sort of one stop shop if you want to buy any craft supplies, fabrics and meet the designers. Oh yes, I met the Suzuko Koseki. I've been a big fan of her works and she was such an awesome person. So humble and obliged when I asked for a photo. I bought 3 of the recent books too. I'd love to go back every year if I had my way LOL.

Besides, where ever you go in Japan, there is always fabric shops. The famous one would be Yuzawaya. You can find it almost in every city, I guess.

In Kyoto, my fave would be Nomura Tailor. It's the best. I don't remember which bus we took, just consult your Google Map (thank you Google) when you are in Kyoto. 

Look at those yummy fabrics!! -- Nomura Tailor Kyoto

Nomura Tailor Kyoto

Yuzawaya - Kyoto

and of course one have to Visit Tomato in Nippori. It's fabric heaven!!

The only thing to remember is in Nippori the shops closed at 5 PM. Some of the shops closed at 6 PM and some at 8.30 PM,

 

So you have to think and decide fast when you have little time ^___^ 

  

That's the most difficult part of fabric shopping in Japan. To buy or not to buy. 

While choosing all those beauties, my mind did quick calculation - will it be over luggage (I was allowed 30 kg) , do I still have balance in my debit card - some of the shops accepted cards payment (to my hubby's dismay)

 

So, I came back home happy with full suitcase of fabrics, quilting books and happy memories and an empty bank balance. 

Now, I better get some sewing done 

Stay tuned for exciting offer in my next post ^^

Happy Sewing

{ NEW PATTERN } - CARD WALLET ORGANIZER & TESTER PHOTOS

Yay! Finally now the pattern is LIVE on Craftsy, Etsy and Chezvies. It will be on SALE until I come back from my trip to Japan by End of January. 

First of all I want to thank all my friends for generously help me testing the pattern and also for their invaluable input/comments which help me in perfecting the pattern ❤❤

The pattern features :

12 or 16 cards slots, 2 flap styles included in the pattern templates, 2 zipper pockets and 2 slip pockets, clear step by step instructions with graphics and photos. 

In my previous post I mentioned about the fabulous tester result by my generous facebook friends. Now you will get to see them and what they think about the pattern. Let's Start! 

Maria of Miacreates  was the first one to post and I love how neat her work is. It's simply perfect. You will love all her shabby chic style creations. Here's her comments about the pattern : Great pattern and love the inside concealed zipper

 Sudha Sekhar from Madras Motifs always come up with something quirky and unique. And sure enough she came up with this cute Elephant print CWO.An elephant wallet with bright contrast card slots inside and she said "All in all its a very simple, straightforward pattern"

 

Novi is my bestie from college. She converted into the world of sewing few years ago and I love her one-of-a-kind style. Whatever she made, she never made them twice. She came up with this cute Japanese Linen wallet. Using different print for flap really give a unique result.

My BFF Agnes tested the first draft and she's one of my "brainstorming" buddies. She tried the triangle flap and I love how neat it is. This is what she said about the pattern "This CWO pattern is very clear and easy to follow, especially the pictures, they are very helpful". Her hubby thought she bought it! Ha, I guess it's high time to take your sewing hobby to a different level ;)

And here's Susan of SKH51 Teal and Grey Wallet. I really love her fabric choice. This is what she said about the pattern "It's a really super pattern!" Susan's work is alway fantastic. You can follow her works in her instagram and I am sure you will love it too!!

Here's my friend, Hernik of Jemariku from Kuala Lumpur who loves anything shabby chic. I always love her work and how neat it is. Red is another fave color of mine. It's my "cheer-me-up" color. I love how she added a fancy leather strap there. She said she loved the pattern, because she can fit in her phone too!  

Alka of Sew Fab Stories really live up to her brand name. Whatever she does, it's fabulous. I love how the green binding make the orange pop. And look at how neat her work is. She said "Wonderful pattern with clear instructions" 

Sudesh Jangra of Stitch A Memory came up with this bright & beautiful red wallet. She just released her pattern too, so make sure to check out her Instagram to get a look at her popular pattern. 

Poonam of Quiltsiop is another artist that I admire. Her works show how much love and dedication she put into each one of them.  Don't you love this modern look wallet? Perfect binding too. She said "It was my first pattern testing and that's a wallet. I enjoyed making it. Instructions, measurements were clear to understand and follow". 

Prabha Mathew of Quiltaholics did another pretty wallet in spite of her busy schedule. She said  this is the first time she made concealed zipper and she was happy to be able to do it in one go. And it's pretty neat zipper!!  

I'm super happy everyone finds the wallet is easy to do and it's a fast project to sew. Perfect gift to make for your friends and family.

Once again, don't forget to get your copy while it's still on SALE.

Pattern Available here:

Craftsy

Etsy

Chezvies 

until then,

Happy Sewing

Coming Soon ~ Card Wallet Organizer Pattern

I'm so excited to announce that my second PdF Pattern is coming  real soon. Right now it's being tested by my fabulous Facebook Friends (I love facebook for that!!) 

The tester photos have been coming out really fabulous!! I love how everyone is using different kind of fabrics and each one is so fantastically pretty. (sneak peek photos soon!!)

I have made few wallets from this upcoming pattern few months ago (here and here)

 

Pattern making is a learning process for me. Even if I wrote several tutorials before, but selling pattern is totally different. There is a certain degree of  responsibility that I feel. Maybe it's just me, but I want those who buy my pattern will feel "yes, it's worth it".  From my First Pattern I learned  how to convey what's in my head  with less confusing sewing terms or less confusing photo angles. I tried my best to use a simple English that can be understood by non English speaker. 

 

This time around, I learned to make graphics (instead of photos) to use in the instructions and also added alternative designs (yay!!)

I've been trying out the pattern using different kind of interfacings too, I will elaborate more in my next blog post. 

I'm so excited about this pattern! I'm sure you will love it. 

Sign up for updates in the top right corner of this blog and get the first  updates of the release.

Until then,

Happy Sewing

Small Family Travel Wallet

I made smaller version of the Family Passport Wallet. Instead of 6 passports, I made the 4 passport slot version. And it turned out really cute. I think I'm going to make more for the shop. 

Many family travels the world together. Our family travel to Indonesia every summer holidays to visit my Mom and sisters. Keeping documents in one place in very necessary when you travels in group. So many documents to keep, from e-ticket print outs, hotel bookings, multiple boarding passes if you change flight multiple times, foreign currencies, etc.

Mini Zipper Pocket & ID card slot included

This travel wallet is perfect to help you organized while traveling. No more searching through numerous envelopes or pockets to get your travel documents. 

Slim & Sturdy even when fully loaded

If you already purchased the pattern, you can modify it  by omitting the middle passport slot and lining pieces. Reduce the main panel length by 1" and reduce the flap width by 1" too. That will give you cute family passport holder perfect for family of 4 . 

Passport Wallet Pattern available in:

CRAFTSY

ETSY

CHEZVIES

Hello 2017

Hello, I hope you all have a great start in 2017. Last year was a lot of great fun and achievements, if I may say so. As family we traveled and explored quite a lot too. 

Umngot River/Dawki Border

And as crafter, I crossed 2 things from my bucket list i.e I decided to branch out from Etsy and started my own webstore and I released my first Pattern.

In December, my friend Prabha Mathew of  Quiltaholics conducted a workshop on my Family Passport Wallet in The Square Inch studio (by Tina Katwal) in Chennai. 

It was a great fun and success. They sent me these pictures and they made my day!! I wish I could be there in person ^^ 

So, if you're in Chennai or visiting Chennai, get in touch with The Square Inch (TSI). They have many fun classes going on. 

Meanwhile, my year starts with my next pattern is being tested right now and hopefully by next week (which is hubby's birthday) I will be able to release it! I'm so excited and nervous. This time, the pattern will use colourful diagrams. 

It's fast & easy pattern! So watch this space for the release!

Until then,

Happy Sewing

Fabulous fabrics

I've been busy revamping my shops. Running online shops is not as easy as one two three anymore. Most people are selling online, so we have to get more creative in presenting our products. Thousand of competitors are emerging everyday. And VISUAL presentation is VERY important. So during this break time I pull out my stocks and starts re-taking pictures and editing and update the shop. And believe me, it's tiring LOL it's so worth it!!

 

I started one morning, I decided to pull out my stocks from the cupboard and start sorting out by the sets. Cutting, folding and ironing was the next step. Stacked them neatly for photo shoot.

Winter sun was not so bright, the good thing is I can take photos until 1 pm in the afternoon. I set up my "photo booth" and start styling and start clicking. In between I took photos with my phone and posted them in Instagram. It took me almost 2 weeks to get most of the stock photographed.

I'm still editing few of them, but  most of the fabrics are updated in my website. Speaking about website, now I know why many handmade business coach always said about starting your own website or webstore? because it's SO MUCH FREEDOM, not to mention that you get to keep most of the the $$$, unless someone is paying thru paypal then you have to pay the paypal fees. 

I have added currency converter too so it's easier for shoppers from outside India to purchase. 

I've been working on the website  from scratch since October. It still need a lot of improvement. 

I am using Ecwid  which I find quite easy for me with limited knowledge. I found using Ecwid starter site is quite beneficial to me. 

So, please take a little time to visit my store at CHEZVIES and let me know what do you think about it. I'd love some feedbacks ;)

Thanks a lot for stopping by

 until then...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!

Simple Zippy Pouch and another Heidi

Remember I made Shibori Heidi foldover clutch last week? I simply love white and blue shibori, so I decided to make this simple zippy pouch and combined it with blue denims

Sometimes this simple thing that can make you happy. 

this zippy pouch is perfect to carry in your big purse. I always keep at least 2 pouches in my purse. It's so handy to keep your bag organized. 

I added this simple pouch in my Etsy shop and the shibori fabric is available in my fabric shop.

And I finished another Heidi in Japanese linen. The fabrics were from long ago. I found it when I was looking for another fabric. That was some kind of aha moment. I thought of doing similar to the previous one with the accent at the bottom. But as I was ironing the interfacing I was thinking why not using 2 different fabrics? Et voila, la Heidi with vintage floral linen and newspaper print linen. 

For the strap, I cut my genuine leather sheet I got from my last trip to Indonesia. I simply cut 3/4" x 115 cm and added swivel hook at both ends. I didn't have a slider yet, maybe I should get some. 

This is the smaller size of the Heidi pattern by Swoonpatterns. It's perfect size to make sling bag. I still have enough fabric to make another one. 

I know I'm going to make more Heidi, maybe a little variations. 

That's all I finished this week, until next time

Happy Sewing

Yarn Over

It's almost end of the year. I'm taking time off from taking custom orders to explore more and sew more fun projects to add to the shop. 

I finally began learning crochet too from youtube. And my current favorites are B Hooked Crochet and Bobwilson123 channel. 

Now, I can do crochet while catching up my my fave Korean Drama and also while waiting for the boys in their music classes. 

This is my first crochet finished : Crochet Cowl tutorial from BobWilson123. I gave this to my MIL for her to wear when she goes for morning walk. 

 

My SIL also started picking up her knitting needles and whipped up these cute baby booties in no time. I told her I'll list it in the shop. She made loads of knitted sweaters for my sons when they were babies and sweaters for me. And many more as gifts. 

So we decided to give "brand" byjulie. Julie is my SIL's name. We often talked about how we want to start having handmade business. But being a doctor, her time was limited. This year she took a little break and start working less hours, and I told her she can start doing and I'll list it in my Shops. 

So, be sure to check my Etsy Shop and my Website (if you are in India) for more knitted stuff. We're going to play with yarn a lot this winter. 

What have you completed this week?

Have a nice day