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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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/ Archives for Chie

Chie

Weekend recap

April 4, 2011 By Chie

Let me say this, Spring weather in Japan is so moody!  Its worse than pregnant women! Saturday was beautiful, it was the warmest day we have had in months. My parents and sister came over to my place, and we had a lunch together. We went to a place called Volks, nothing fancy, it’s just a Hamberg restaurant.  Many of you may be unfamiliar with the ways of Japan will not know the Hamberg but suffice to say we Japanese took the classic American hamburger and made out of it our own creation.  Volks is nice because it comes with a salad, soup and bread buffet. This time, I went little nuts with the bread bar – I’m usually staying away from bread because of the high calorie count, but on Saturday I allowed myself to enjoy as much bread as I wanted :p My family is excited for the arrival of the baby..maybe in less than 2 weeks now!

But getting back to the weather, Sunday unlike Saturday was miserably cold. Spring weather needs to make up its mind. Andy and I went to church, had people over for the Bible study, and I cooked dinner for the first time in months. I used to cook dinner every night, but for the last couple of months I have been so busy with sewing and work that Andy kindly took over that duty and has been cooking as one of his reular assigned duties. But Sunday I really wanted to feel like a good wife and cook nice meal. In fulfilling this urge I decided to make lasagna. I used to make lasagna a lot when we Andy and I were first married living in Philly, but we havent had it since we moved to Japan. So in preparation for dinner we went to a grocery store to get ingredients, but for some odd reason lasagna noodles in Japan are expensive to the point of being obscene. It was $6 for a tiny box of lasagna, and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for noodles that in the States cost $1. So, I ended up getting regular pasta, meat sauce, and cheese, but here again as with the lasagna noodles I was met with resistance.  The store didn’t have ricotta cheese. I was irritated but not to be defeated, I improvised.  I used crushed tofu mixed with salt, pepper, and cheese as a replacement  for ricotta cheese and regular spaghetti noodles as a replacement for lasagna. Below on the left is a picture. It wasn’t quite good-old Italian lasagna, but Andy and I were both satisfied 🙂 Below on the right is a picture of our $2.95 wine!  I had a taste and Andy had the rest.  It wasnt great but it was better than the boxed wine we used to drink!

As for is weekends sewing, I finished this custom order dress – a cut out dress in gingham check. I love how it came out and I think I’m going to make one for the shop as I still have some fabric left over.
I also finished the last batch of bridesmaid dresses before I go on leave. I’m happy with how the dresses turned out, all have a lovely pearl vintage button in the front 🙂 The same dress was featured on Washiongtonian.com, Etsy Stylist.

The weather was moody, my cooking attempt was weird but satisfying and the dresses were finished and I am pleased with the turnout.  Nothing eventful but not too bad of a weekend.  How about you guys?

Oh if you are interested, check out the interview I did with Girl With a Satchel! I’m also offering special discount at Fabulously Frugal.

Filed Under: every day life

Five lovely things.

April 1, 2011 By Chie

It’s Friday! I’m so happy..Hope everyone has lovely plans for the weekend:) Here are five lovely things that I would like to share:

1. I love this shop I found on etsy the other day: Flapperdoodle. She has the cutest prints ever! The shop also has a print for Japan earthquake relief.

2. Oilcloth storage bin tutorial at Design Sponge.  I personally dislike sewing oilcloth (I think oilcloth is really hard to sew!), so I might use regular fabric with thick iron-on interface instead. I need a couple of these small storage bins to hold my notions, lace, buttons etc and also for to hold some diapers and cute headbands for the baby’s room:)

3. Anarchy Street back lace cut out shirt
I’ve been eyeing this shirt ever since I saw Aime of Song of Style wearing it. Unfortunately it’s sold out now, but I’m thinking this can be made with a thrifted white shirt with lace?

4. Rucksack in Cinnamon Brown
Another find from etsy. I want this so bad, but $162 is a bit out of my price range… This would be perfect to hold my 15 inch screen laptop.

5. Longer length pleated skirt & flats
I don’t think I own this between knee, but not quite maxi length skirt. Natalie styled it up so nicely and I can’t wait to imitate her outfit above. As much as I try, I don’t think this style works well with my huge bump:p

Have a great weekend! 

Filed Under: inspiration

37 weeks

March 31, 2011 By Chie


 I went to my 37 week checkup yesterday. I’m almost there! I’m still not dilated, but because of the doctor’s schedule etc, I’m tentatively scheduled for induction on the 14th of April. That’s exactly two weeks from now. If the baby does not seem to be ready by the next appointment, which is a week away, the doctor might change the date to the 20th of April. The doctor told me to do a lot of squats so that the baby will drop… I am pretty convinced that doing squats, walking or jumping as a natural induction effect is a wives tale. I don’t think the doctor realizes how many squats I do.. but I decided to shut my mouth and ignore her comment.

Oh thankfully, no nipple pinching from the midwife this time. Thank goodness! Thank you again for everyone who gave me the advice on my last post about breast massage and breast feeding. It was so helpful! It seems pretty common to do the breast massage in Japan, and everyone talks about it here, but I’m glad to hear that it is not necessary or makes all that much difference at this point. I’d much rather leave my breasts alone now.

The weather is warming up here in Japan, and I’m glad to be able to use light weight dresses and cardigans without bundling up with heavy coats and scarves. I got this 50’s vintage gown from badcollavintage on etsy last Summer. The shop has a great collection of vintage night gowns, which can be worn as dresses, so I check out her shop often. I bought this one before getting pregnant.  I can still wear this comfortably because the fabric has a stretch to it. Plus, maxi dresses are great for times when you don’t feel like showing your legs or are feeling bloated.

 Last Sunday, Andy and I stopped by a small thrift shop located right close to our church. The place has all kinds of junk – washers, dishes, kimono fabrics, antique pins etc. I love going there from time to time to treasure hunt. You don’t know how excited I was when I found a used stair master and weights! I went to Sports Authority the day before I found these treasures, and the cheapest stair master they had was 5000 yen (about $50). I was so glad I didn’t pick it up on impulse. I actually haggled the price with the guy at the shop, and ended up getting both stair master and 4kg weight set for 1000 yen ($10).

Since my belly had grown so big, I adjusted my workout routine a bit. I used to do a lot of Bass Ruten’s  fighting workout (Thai boxing), but I can no longer kick comfortably, so I stopped doing his CDs. I still do regular boxing workouts, but this stair master and weight combination will be a nice new addition to my routine.

Here is some short video that Andy put together about my week 37 workout routine 🙂 Hope you like it! xo

Filed Under: pregnancy series

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大正から昭和初期、若い女性たちの間で流行した銘仙。 かすりの技法を用いた平織りの絹織物で、さらりと 大正から昭和初期、若い女性たちの間で流行した銘仙。

かすりの技法を用いた平織りの絹織物で、さらりとした軽い着心地と、鮮やかな色柄・大胆なデザインが特徴です。

境界がにじんだような風合いと、鮮やかで大胆な色使い🌈

独特のにじみは、たて糸とよこ糸をわずかにずらして織ることで生まれます。

自分の一枚を自由に楽しむために生まれた、女性たちの心意気そのもののような布。その大胆さをそのままに、クロップ丈のキャミソールとまとうラップパンツで、今の暮らしにも映える一枚へ仕立て直しました。

Photographer @capturetokyo
Model @yaos.aisai 
Make up and hair @mami_hmua

Meisen — the kimono fabric that swept through fashion among young women in 1912 to the early 1930s.

A plain-weave silk textured with a kasuri (ikat) technique, prized for its light, breezy feel and its bold colors and daring patterns.

That soft, blurred-edge quality comes together with vivid, fearless color combinations 🌈

The signature blur comes from weaving the warp and weft threads slightly offset from one another.

This fabric was born from women’s desire to wear something entirely their own — it carries their spirit of freedom in every thread. Keeping that same boldness intact, I’ve remade it into a cropped camisole and wrap pants that drape and move with you — a piece that fits naturally into everyday life today🧚

 #KimonoUpcycled #MeisenSilk #VintageJapan #着物リメイク #銘仙
和のかたちを、新しい日常へ。 一本の帯を丁寧にほどき、普段づかいできるワンショルダーバッグへと仕立 和のかたちを、新しい日常へ。

一本の帯を丁寧にほどき、普段づかいできるワンショルダーバッグへと仕立て直しました🌸

見た目からは想像できないほどの収容力。ハサミや糸、リッパー、ペンチ…制作道具もすっぽりまとまって収まります✂️✨入れるのは私だけだと思うけど😆

内側の裏地も可愛い♡

一本の帯が、誰かの日々をまとう相棒に生まれ変わりますように。

From tradition, into everyday life.

One obi, carefully unstitched and reborn as a one-shoulder bag for daily wear🌸

It holds far more than it looks — scissors, thread, a seam ripper, pliers… all my sewing tools tucked neatly inside✂️✨ Though I’m probably the only one who’d pack it like this😆

The lining inside is a little secret I’m quite fond of♡

#帯リメイク #着物リメイク #DIY #アップサイクル #制作動画
金色に輝く森は元は着物の羽織でした👘 漆黒の地に、金彩の木立が幾重にも連なって
夜の神秘的な森を歩 金色に輝く森は元は着物の羽織でした👘

漆黒の地に、金彩の木立が幾重にも連なって
夜の神秘的な森を歩いているような、静かで奥行きのある一枚🌳

水着の上に羽織れば、そのまま街へ歩き出せるビーチカバーアップにも。

お揃いのキャミソールは既に素敵なお客様の元にお嫁に行きました👰‍♀️
 
Photographer @capturetokyo
Model @kumabeeesan
Make up and hair @mami_hmua

A forest of gold, once a kimono jacket👘
L
ayer upon layer of gilded trees on jet-black silk. A quiet, deep piece, like walking through a mystical night forest🌳

Wear it over a swimsuit and go straight from the beach into the city as an effortless cover-up🖤

The matching camisole has already found its way to a wonderful new home👰‍♀️

#着物リメイク #ラップパンツ #kimonoremake
Furisode — the long-sleeved kimono young women tra Furisode — the long-sleeved kimono young women traditionally wear once in their lives, for their Coming of Age Day ceremony (Seijin Shiki) at 20 — often gets worn just that one time. I actually wore my cousin’s furisode for mine, so hers got a second life. But most don’t. They live for one single day, then disappear into the back of a drawer, unseen for decades 😴

But beautiful silk doesn’t have to end there.
From a once-in-a-lifetime ceremonial robe to something you can wear again and again. This piece — butterflies mid-flight, flowers in bloom — deserved a new season. So I remade it into an i line dress.

振袖は、生涯でたった一度しか袖を通さないことが多いです。

私自身は従姉妹の振袖を着たのでその振袖は二度人に着られたけど、成人式の日だけを生きて、あとはタンスの奥で眠り続ける😴誰にも見られないまま、何十年も。

でも良い生地には、終わりがないんです。

一度きりの晴れ着から、何度でもまとえる一着へ。蝶が舞い、花が咲くこの1着に、新しい季節を与えたくて、マーメイドラインのドレスに仕立て直しました。

#kimonoremake #振袖リメイク #upcycledsilk
オーストラリアからのお客様がオンラインで着物を選び、オーダーしてくださいました✂️ まずは仮縫いを オーストラリアからのお客様がオンラインで着物を選び、オーダーしてくださいました✂️

まずは仮縫いを郵送でお届けし、Zoomの画面越しに丈や身幅を確認しながら、少しずつドレスは形になっていきました。

桜の下で、鳥居の朱色の中で笑う二人の写真が届いたとき、 遠く離れた場所からでも、確かにこの手で紡いだものが誰かの人生の一部になったのだと感じて嬉しかったです♡

A customer from Australia chose her kimono online and placed an order✂️

I first mailed a mock-up, and little by little, checking the length and width over Zoom, the dress took shape.

When the photos arrived of the two of them smiling under the cherry blossoms, in the vermillion red of the torii gate — even from far away, I felt so happy knowing that something woven by my hands had truly become part of someone's life♡

📷@whoshotthephotographer
👰‍♀️@cscambary 

#KimonoUpcycled #MadeToOrder #BridalCouture
#着物リメイク #国際オーダー
このシルクの軽さ、暑い季節にちょうどいい🫠 一枚の着物から、ワイドパンツを作りました✂️薄手のシル このシルクの軽さ、暑い季節にちょうどいい🫠

一枚の着物から、ワイドパンツを作りました✂️薄手のシルクは風を通して、歩くたびに裾がふわりと揺れます♪

後ろ姿には、着物の袖だった部分を使っていてお尻の部分の花柄が上下逆さまになっています👻最初は迷ったけれど、これはこれで面白いなと思ってそのまま残しました🫶🏻

一点ものなので、この一本だけ。気になる方はプロフィールのリンクから見てみてください♡

This silk is so light, perfect for the hot season 🫠

I made these wide-leg pants from a kimono✂️ The thin silk lets the breeze through, and the hem sways softly with every step ♪

The back is made from what used to be the kimono sleeves, so the floral pattern on the hips ends up upside down👻 I wasn’t sure at first, but honestly it grew on me, so I left it as is 🫶🏻

One of a kind, just this one pair. If you’re curious, the link is in my profile ♡

#着物リメイク #kimonoremake #正絹 #一点もの #和柄 夏の装い ワイドパンツ
数年前に制作したシルクのドレス。 今回「Released. Reimagined.」というコンセプ 数年前に制作したシルクのドレス。

今回「Released. Reimagined.」というコンセプトに合わせて、@redyeingproject さんに黒染めをお願いしました。

Helen x Vivat Veritasのイベントにベンダーとして出展してくださったご縁から生まれたコラボレーションです。

「服を捨てる前に、黒染めという選択肢を。」
色あせた服を、グラム単位の染め直しで蘇らせる——そんなコンセプトに強く共感しました。

天然素材のシルクスカート部分は深く美しい黒へ。
シャンティレースの部分は、少し緑がかった表情のある色に変化しました。

一着を長く着続けるための、小さな選択。
Before / Afterの写真、ぜひご覧ください🩷🖤

A silk dress I made a few years ago.

For this ""Released. Reimagined."" concept, I asked @redyeingproject to dye it black.

This collaboration grew out of a connection made when he joined the Helen x Vivat Veritas event as a vendor.

""Before you throw it away, consider black dyeing.""
His concept — reviving faded clothes through by-the-gram redyeing — really resonated with me.

The silk skirt, a natural fiber, transformed into a deep, beautiful black.
The chantilly lace took on a subtly greenish tone.

A small choice, in service of wearing one piece for longer.
Take a look at the before/after photos🩷🖤

黒染め
@redyeingproject

Photographers
@nothing_special_88
@japanphotographer_

Model
@sienna.christinaaa

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up and videos
@glam_by_jyoti

#黒染め #RedyeingProject #ReleasedReimagined #着物リメイク #サステナブルファッション
実はこのお洋服、今回のショーに入れるか自分では迷っていました。結構前に作った作品だったので。でもヘレ 実はこのお洋服、今回のショーに入れるか自分では迷っていました。結構前に作った作品だったので。でもヘレンと話す中で、これも一緒に見せようと決めました。

ヘレンと3週間近く一緒に準備を進める中で、コレクションの作り方、見る人を楽しませる魅せ方、ルック全体の組み立て方など、本当にたくさんのことを学びました。自分一人だったらこのルックスを入れる決断はしなかったと思う。誰かと一緒に作ることで見えてくるものがあるんだなと、改めて実感しました。
ヘレン、ありがとう♡

Honestly, I wasn't sure whether to include this piece in this show. It was something I'd made a while back. But talking it through with Helen, we decided to show it together after all.

Working with Helen for almost three weeks to prepare for the show, I learned so much — how to build a collection, how to style looks that engage an audience, how to put together a look as a whole. I don't think I would have made the decision to include this piece if I'd been on my own. Creating something together with someone else really opens your eyes to things you wouldn't see alone.

thank you Helen @designerhelen♡

Model @izumi_nishida

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#KimonoUpcycled #SustainableFashion #DesignerCollab #着物リメイク #ものづくり
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