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Vivat Veritas

Custom Wedding Dress & Kimono Upcycled Clothes | オーダーメイドウェディングドレス&着物ドレス

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Chie

April Free Sewing Workshop

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april 2018 free event

Hey guys! Do you live in Tokyo? Are you visiting Japan? Come to my studio in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa for a free sewing workshop! Stop over to chat, learn, and talk about sewing. This is my attempt to get to know other sewists in the community, talk about sewing and having small business and just having fun. 

Date: 4/14/2018 (Sat) 1-3pm (Please RSVP)

We can work on the following things together:

Sewing techniques

  • How to install zippers
  • Using a serger
  • Try out an industrial sewing machine
  • Pressing tips

For brides

  • Make a veil
  • Hair accessories
  • Come up with a plan for making your own wedding dress 

For moms

  • Baby items such as bibs, onesies, dresses
  • Kids clothes

Where

Vivat Veritas studio in Kiyosumi Shirakawa (Oedo line or Hanzomon line), Tokyo. The details will be provided upon reservation.

How to RSVP

Email me with the following information:
1. Number of people attending (Feel free to bring your friends!)
2. What you would like to work on or learn.

Note:

  • Please refrain from bringing children.
  • Please bring your own materials(fabric, patterns, etc) to work on. I have an industrial sewing machine, serger, scissors, rotary cutter,  rulers and other sewing equipment ready here.

Exploring the backstreets of Omotesando

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ドミニク　アンセル　ベーカリー　表参道

The weather is absolutely gorgeous right now in Tokyo. Cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, and people are out and about, enjoying much needed Vitamin D! I went out with a friend to explore Omotesando the other day and wanted to show some shops I discovered. I had never really gone into those small backstreets, which are set off from the main avenue (similar to Fifth avenue in NYC, with high end brand shops). I was pleasantly surprised to find tons of stuff which had previously not been on my radar.

ドミニク　アンセル　ベーカリー　表参道Dominique Angel Bakery
5-7-14 Jingumae, Shibuya (東京都渋谷区神宮前5-7-14)

This place, located in the narrow street off the main Omotesando street, is a child’s dream. Even though we visited there on a weekday afternoon, people were lining up to get in. They have a “cookie shot” which is a cup made out of rich cookie covered with chocolate with almond milk poured in. I can imagine my girls going crazy with the thought of drinking milk and eating the cup too. They also have a chiffon cake in a big balloon, called “zero gravity chiffon cake.” You  have to pop the balloon to eat it. The other stuff I wanted to try were  fronzen s’mores, and Paris Tokyo. More menu here.  The café is pretty spacious and has upstairs seating too.
ドミニク　アンセル　ベーカリー　表参道 ドミニク　アンセル　ベーカリー　表参道 ドミニク　アンセル　ベーカリー　表参道 ドミニク　アンセル　ベーカリー　表参道cookie shot空飛ぶシフォンケーキ

Maison Miyavie
5-3-12 Jingumae, Shibuya　（東京都渋谷区神宮前5-3-12）

I always enjoy a free gallery! I could not help but step into a strange house with mirrored slide door and multiple golden triangle decorations in the window. It’s a showroom of Koichiro Kimura. He designs furnitures out of recyclable polyethylene. The gallery is both first and second floors, and the entire place is decorated with white ceramic pyramids.メゾン　ミヤビメゾン　ミヤビ メゾン　ミヤビ メゾン　ミヤビ メゾン　ミヤビ メゾン　ミヤビ

Yes!

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Thoughts on Sewing for Other People

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ironing boardReading this blog post, made me think about the reasons I sell my clothes, as opposed to sewing only for myself. I have read and seen sewists’ struggle (too dramatic?) to keep their closet small on the blogsphere and Instagram. We love making clothes. We sew when we get new fabric. We sew when new patterns are released. I have been sewing clothes for more than 10 years. Can you imagine how many clothes I would have accumulated by now had I kept them all to myself?! I live in Tokyo. Tokyo apartments are notoriously small. I only have one tiny closet which I split in two to store my own clothes and the clothes for sale. Besides that, as a seamstress, I have a lot of other stuff to store in my house, such as patterns, threads, notions, fabrics, fabrics and fabrics…. 

Selling my handmade creations helped me keep my closet considerably minimal. Selling my clothes helped me keep going with my sewing obsession without filling the house with countless clothes. 

kimono upcycle dressRecent custom order, from antique kimono to wrap dress

Here are some ways that selling my creations helped me:

Sewing for other people is fun
Often, other people give me ideas that I would not have come up on my own. Sure, you might not be sewing exactly what you want to sew all the time, but it gives you more variety. Requests are unexpected, which is great depending on how you look at it. My kimono dress series wouldn’t have started unless I taken on a project for a client to upcycle her kimono. I would not have any ideas on how to make costumes. I would not have learned how to fix wedding dress when it is too small for a bride. The list goes on.

Sewing for other people challenges me

Had I not taken the offer from my friend to make her wedding dress back in 2011, I would not have had wedding dress business. Taking on an unfamiliar project is intimidating. But once you get over the fear and tackle the project, you learn. You learn new skills. And the more you do it, the easier it gets and less intimidating for you to take on new challenges.cream shift dress

Cream shift dress

I’m not criticizing for people who only sew for themselves. I think it’s great if you are like Katie, who sews for herself, reflect upon what she’s made and take and run with it. She learned what her style is, and was able to better create her capsule wardrobe. If she did  not sew for herself, she might not have gotten there. By writing this, I wanted to remind myself why I do what I do and that is is good for me to do. Sewing for other people is for my personal development and creative fulfillment as well as making other people happy with their new clothes. I also LOVE sewing for myself, and in fact, am currently enjoying wearing this new button up. Any thoughts? 

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Want to join my free sewing workshop?

Next one is on 4/14/2018 (Sat), 1-3pm!