Zakka Place

Squirrel from Finland

Lovely Squirrel Cozy made by Sanna H. from Finland. The cozy was made with vintage felt stock. Take a look at her beautiful blog on her various craft projects (written in Finnish): PUDONNUT SILMUKKA

Thanks, Sanna!

Jeans repair with sashiko

Sashiko is a simple stitch technique that originally used by fishermen and farmers to mend / reinforce their worn clothing. Last week I repaired my husband's jeans with this technique! As you can see in the photo below, it's got a small hole, approx. 1" x 1/2".

First I cut out a small fabric piece from my old jeans that I saved for this very purpose; to patch! The piece should be large enough to cover around the hole. I wanted to give a generous coverage because the fabric around the hole was getting thin-- so I decided to use a piece approx. 3" x 1 1/2". I trimmed the 4 corners round to prevent unnecessary frays (so the patch is now oval / cupsule shape).

Flip the jeans inside out, pin the patch around the hole. Using light blue cotton thread, whipstitch around the edge of the patch.

Using the same cotton thread, I start small sashiko stitch where the patch is attached.

I make sure to fill in the area with a series of sashiko stitch -- including the area around the hole that's getting thin. The more stitch the better. Then... Voila! The hole is now completely covered with sashiko stitch + reinforced with the patch! I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I think it would be fun to use more colorful thread, rather than using simple light blue -- I'll try that next time.

close up...

This is the thread I used this time.

Jeans repair with sashiko

Your version of hand made zakka to share... (Linen Basket by Sara)

Beautiful Linen Basket made by Sara -- I love the combination of the colorful polka dots fabric inside and the wooden button (with snow background). Absolutely cute! Thanks Sara.

New item from Miso Style (Kaoruko Takeda)

My friend Kaoruko Takeda, a crafter / designer who lives in Tokyo sent me a photo of one of her new products for summer 2009. They are hair accessories but can be worn as a necklace as well (the flower part is removable). Silk and linen. Her handmade Handkerchief can be found on page 138 in Zakka Sewing. (Her website is currently under construction but you can still see some of her products.)

Felt Tray

When I was getting ready for my group show last year, I thought I wanted to have some kind of small tray to put my business card -- but I couldn't find anything that perfectly fits my card size (2 1/8" x 2 1/8"). So I quickly made this "Felt Tray" from scratch. It's quite simple yet pretty sturdy (thanks to the cardboard support that I put inside) - I was very happy with the way it turned out. Here is how to make the Felt Tray:

Prepare 4 Sides

(1) To prepare four sides of the tray, cut eight trapezoid shapes from the felt using the pattern A.

(2) Cut four trapezoid shapes from the cardboard using the pattern A'. These cardboard pieces will be used to reenforce the felt tray. (Tip : Use thinner cardboard - not a corrugated kind. Try cereal box)

(3) Sandwich one piece of the cardboard from (2) with two felt trapezoids. Using all-purpose thread, blanket stitch around all four corners. (See illustration below) Repeat the same process to make all four side pieces. Set them aside.

Make Bottom Piece

(4) Cut two squares from the felt using the pattern B.

(5) Cut one square from the cardboard using the pattern B'.

(4) Sandwich the square cardboard from (5) with the two felt squares. Blanket stitch all around the four corners using all-purpose thread. See illustration below:

Construct Felt Tray: connect four sides to bottom

Take the bottom piece and one of the side pieces. Blanket stitch to connect the bottom piece and the shortest side of the side piece. Repeat this process until all four sides are connected to the bottom. See illustration below.

Construct Felt Tray: connect all four sides

Whipstitch stitch to connect all four sides to form a tray.

Optional: If desired, attach a decorative label or small charm of your choice to one corner of the tray to personalize it.

Kyo Uchiwa (Kyoto round fan)

"Uchiwa" or round fan is an icon for summer season in Japan and is a Japanese traditional handicraft. It is made by cutting a bamboo into narrow splinters which are then splayed out in the radial shape of a fan. These in the photo are colorful "Kyo Uchiwa" from Kyoto. Its origin is very old, introduced by Chinese back in The Nara Period (645 - 794). Back then Uchiwa was used not only for cooling purpose but also used as ceremonial accessories by the aristocracy as its designs become more intricate. (Photo: copyright 2009 Sankei Digital Inc.)

Here are some of the beautiful uchiwas I found...

morning glory

bunnies (I love the long wooden handle)

and a black fish -- for kids!

Your version of hand made zakka to share...

I would like to upload more handmade zakka project photos from our readers. This Cross Tote Bag is made by Keiko T from Oakdale, CA.

Squirrel Tea Cozy by Rebecca from Lawrence Township, NJ.

These are all beautifully made! It seems that Squirrel Tea Cozy is the most popular project probably because of its simple construction. Anybody made Digital Camera Cozy or Room Shoes?? Thanks so much for those of you who emailed me the photos! I will announce the winner of the Sashiko needles & thread set very soon. More coming...

*Carissa's Bunny Wallet*

This lovely Bunny Wallet is made by Carissa! She says that she gets compliments on it every time she uses it :D Her version of Bunny Wallet doesn't have a bill-sized pocket, but has an extra row of pockets for her membership cards, gift cards, etc (so her wallet has 8 pockets total instead of 5). She also used two small magnets instead of snaps for the paw closure which I think good option. I love the way she puts brown hues on the bunny's face & his button eyes -- Thanks Carissa!

Hato Sabure

I was so happy when my friend brought me these bird-shaped biscuits from her trip to Japan! This cute looking biscuit is called "Hato Sabure" (Hato = Dove, Sabure = cookie). I was born in Kamakura, Japan where is a popular tourist destination for its many temples, shrines, and monumental statues such as the Great Buddha Statue (Daibutsu). Anyway, this Hato Sabure is one of the most popular souvenir in Kamakura-- and this reminds me of my childhood as this used to be my favorite afternoon snack.