Designing my own fabric was one of my goals as a sewer. One deterring factor of not accomplishing this goal is that I’m not good at drawing. I’ve attempted a few times to consistently drawing, but it never lasted long. I just could not get into it. But! I have a good friend who can draw amazing flowers that would be perfect for dress fabric. Natalie Bleakly is a illustrator with a fashion background now living in Tokyo. She is showing her illustrations at a cafe gallery named ginger.tokyo in Kiyosumi Shirakawa. She was gracious enough to help me with my fabric order. 
Here is Natalie:
“The Camellia flower (a.k.a Tsubaki 椿) is a common flower found in Japan. The white camellia is definitely more rarely seen than it’s red or pink counterpart. I wanted to paint something that most people living in Japan would recognise straight away but, also admire the beauty and rarity of the flower. Although, the Camellia is not a rare flower in Japan, seeing it in white is really something special as it can mean several things including desire, passion, longevity and faithfulness. In Japan, is symbolizes the divine. It is often used in religious and sacred ceremonies and also represents the coming of spring. They can also mean purity, the love between mother and child or mourning when used in funeral flowers. When presented to a man, a white camellia is thought to bring luck.”
I’ve used Spoonflower in the past, but this time I ordered from Contrado. It’s great that they offer their services in multiple languages including Japanese. I first ordered a fabric sample pack as I was unable to decide between different types of satins. Fabric swaps were very helpful! It came with bunch of different fabric samples, including organza, scuba, stretch knits, chiffon etc. it’s a maker’s dream! I ended up with Duchess Satin. It has a very elegant sheen and nice weight for a drape.
Here is the fabric that’s arrived. It’s exactly what I wanted – thanks to Natalie who scaled the flower print in the size I needed! I’m going to be making a simple I line dress to show off the print.
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After knitting 
I started this project in mid November, so it took about three months to complete. I found the Japanese knitting patterns so much easier to follow as they have many graphics. I used 80 grams of Hamanaka Mohair. I bought them in this app called 
The patterns for the white pants are 
I knitted two sleeves at the same time, using the method I learned from 
michiyoさんの「
Find me elsewhere:
Near my house, there is a craft shop called 
I have drafted a high waisted pants pattern and have been modifying over the past few months. It started when I made 
I added back pockets which are never going to be used but it is a nice detail. The buttons are a gift from my friend, who found many vintage buttons at a flea market in England. 
I also made the front pockets, but it was not until I finished that I realized the design flaw. Since the pants are high waisted, they should have been placed on the side, from about five centimeters from the waistline so you can stick your hands in. Turned out I have four pockets that I won’t be really be using.
The hem is wrapped with beige silk satin bias strips (left over from 
Worn with crossover back chambray shirt (blogged 
I am satisfied with the end result and already started thinking of making another pair for warmer season. Maybe in bright red linen with cropped hem? 
These earrings are also my recent make. I took a 