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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 blogs / every day life

every day life

2017 Favorite Links

December 21, 2017 By Chie

Over this past year, I started sending out a monthly newsletter. It includes highlight of my blog posts, favorite links and short messages. I thought compiling all my “favorite links” of the year might be fun, so here they are! Most of them are sewing-related, and some are small business tips and blogging tips. Enjoy!

January

♥ Beginning of the year calls for a new calendar! This super cool washi tape that turns any notebook into a calendar. 
♥ I love reading Brooks Anne’s journey of making a custom made dress.
♥ Great article on While She Naps about slow growth and the internet gold rush. I believe most good things in life are built slowly overtime. 
♥ Love every thing this girl does. This wrap dress (actually separates that looks like a dress) would be a perfect addition for the Spring wardrobe!
♥ Great tips by Maddie on how to travel with your sewing machine. 

February 

♥  This is great for lingerie sewers – 4 Sets of 12 mm Rose Gold Rings & Sliders for £3.50. Want! 
♥  Simple guide to creating an online course.
♥  Just added this Nimbus extension for my Google Chrome to take a screenshot of a whole webpage, not just the visible part. Very useful! 
♥  With Canva, it is easy to design facebook page cover photo or event invitation. I like the fact that you can pay as you go ($1 per design)
♥  I watched BuzzFeed women attempted to make their own dresses. It reminded me of the first time I made myself a top (Almost 10 years ago).
♥  How to be More Consistent at Blogging. Always my goal. 
♥  Sewing tip: Use graph paper to copy a commercial pattern. The grid is helpful in keeping the grain line straight.

March

♥  Free bra fit checklist PDF download at Merckwaerdigh!
♥  Five minute photo-filled history of Callot Soeurs (one of the most important couture houses of the Belle Epoque).
♥  Amazing behind the scene videos of Chanel and Georges Hobeika. 
♥  I learned in this article that ruffles are historically unisex, as opposed to our notion of ruffles as a girly statement. 
♥  DIY duct tape dress form! 
♥  Round up of fall 2017 trend. My favorite is little house on a prairie inspired dresses.
♥  Free swimwear sloper for download at Burda Style. It’s a good starting pattern for making a bodysuit.
♥  Helpful article in how to define your personal style. 
♥  I see embroidery everywhere this Spring. This free template from Burdastyle helps you jazz up a neckline of a Spring top!

April

♥  My friend from Philly sent me a brochure from the exhibition of 1960s Paris Fashion at FIT. I searched online, and found a recap of the exhibit. It’s great!
♥  EASIEST way to sew a ruffle. This is amazing. Just watch it! 
♥  Bridal gown new trend – “barely there” dress! 
♥  I was curious as to how actors fake accents as I watched Damian Lewis acts an American billionaire in Billions. Here is the answer.

May

♥  7 Questions to ask for a minimalist business owner via Amy Lynn Andrews.
♥  Love this free pattern – Unicorn Key Tag. Great as a gift.
♥  How to on making a mitered cornered welt pocket flap via Thread.

June

♥  Love this DIY linen jumpsuit!
♥  Have you had trouble turning a spaghetti strap inside out? Try this trick on how to sew spaghetti straps using cord. 
♥  Lessons from 7 Years of Blogging by A Pair and a Spare. Looking back, I started blogging around the same time and followed her blog since 7 years ago. Her site is somewhere I still visit on regular bases. I think she has stayed true to her style and did not sell out to sponsors or was less obnoxious about the sponsored posts. Read her tips! 
♥  Fun youtube video by with Wendy on How to Buy Fabric.
♥ What to do when you are feeling blah about everything.

September

♥  This girl’s patch pocket coat is so cute! Thinking of making this for Kiko this winter.
♥  Four rulers that I covet. 
♥  Sashiko embroidery tutorial with free patterns! 
♥  Honest opinion essay by the owner of Design*Sponge about the state of blog. Interesting.
♥  Pinterest hashtag tips.
♥  Quick tips for round hem. Would look great for a wool skirt.

October

♥  I love this top. I would love to make it in neutral colors like black, gray and white. This would be something I would actually wear every day. 
♥  This gave me a chuckle…How I Grew My Instagram Following from 430 to 433 in One Month!
♥  How to Sew Velvet like a Pro – via Threads
♥  How a Cashmerette sewing pattern is developed from start to finish. Inspiring! 
 

November

♥  My six-year-old daughter is really into crafting now. This “make your own button” project seems like a fun project to do with kids.
♥  I don’t quilt but this is an interesting article on how to buy quilting fabric wholesale.
♥  How to plan your blog content via a Pair and a Spare. Better blog content planning is in my to-do list for 2018! 
♥  This button hole attachment for industrial sewing machine is on my wish list! I use Juki D9000. I love the machine but one disadvantage is that it only sews straight lines, so I have to pull out my old home sewing machine to do my button holes. The attachment will solve the problem! 
♥  Wedding dress designer, Brooks Ann uses use fusible interfacing to make the sheer flower print pop, making it more opeque. 

December

♥  Free snuggly slipper boots patterns via Tilly and the Buttons. Great as a handmade Christmas gift! 
♥  Another Christmas gift idea you can make in a big batch for coffee lovers. 
♥  20 reflection questions you can ask yourself to say goodbye to the year 2017.
♥  Fun video showing how Christian Dior is training its next generation of craftsman.
♥  This article includes good tips on sewing french seams for chiffon…sew with the tissue paper!

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Filed Under: every day life, inspiration, my favorite Tagged With: business advice, sewing, small business tips

2016 in Review & What’s Ahead

January 1, 2017 By Chie

2016-in-review-and-whats-ahead-vivat-veritas2016 is ending soon. Thank you for all the support you’ve given this year. I hope to be able to keep creating beautiful things and sharing things I learn on my blog. To sum up the year, I wanted to recap some highlights from 2016.

Wedding dresses and client worksbridal photo in hamarikyuBridal photoshoot with Tulirefashioned wedding dress vivat veritas bridal3Refashioned wedding dresstulle-lace-wedding-dress-back-viewTulle knee length wedding dress
close up and back of purple dress
Lavender wedding dressivory-lace-mini-dress-by-vivat-veritasIvory lace mini wedding dress
white fur cape and sparkly romper
Sparkly costume for J-pop singersorange kimono dressKimono dressback view of emerald green kimono wrap dressMore kimono dress

35 Blog posts

I wrote 35 blog posts in the year 2016. That is much less than what I wrote last year, which was 69. There are many unblogged objects which I want to show here in the future. With limited time, writing blog posts was not my top priority and updating Instagram took over the place to showcase what I made. Of the small number of the blog posts, these three posts generated the most page views:

– Bluff-stitched patch pocket tutorial
– How to alter the back of a dress that is too small to zip up
– Realistic look on hours I spent on my handmade business

It’s interesting that these posts are informational posts as opposed to “what I made” posts that were popular last year.

Newsletters

I started a newsletter in 2015. For 2016, I wrote once a month. It is usually a recap of my blog posts of the month, some behind the scenes stuff and links of things I enjoyed reading/watching. If you are interested, sign up here.

What I sewed for myself
I had some opportunities to sew myself new clothes. Here is the roundup:
back style - beige wrap dressTransitional Piecestripes body suit and levis 501 jeans2Stripes body suitme made may outfit vivat veritas blogNeutial stripe skirtkhaki color wrap dress with big pocketsKhaki wrap dressmerckwaerdigh bhs10 size aMerckwaerdigh BHS10simple-outfit-white-button-up-and-blue-jeansArcher button-up with fly front modification

For Kiko
I sewed some stuff for my daughter. She recently turned five. We started going to Nippori together to choose fabrics. She likes that her opinions are incorporated in her clothes.
Princess aurora dressModern Princess Aurora Dresssimple knit dress in panda fabricPanda dresspeacoat-dusty-green-handmadePea coat

Most frequently used patterns
Last but not least, my most used patterns were Carolyn pj from Closet Case Files. It is a great pattern to make it as a gift! 
Carolyn Pajama Closet Case Files3
Carolyn pajama in silk satinaztec-pattern-carolyn-pajamas-by-closet-case-files-3Aztec Carolyncarolyn-pajama-pink-and-ivory-pipingCarolyn pajama in Pink

P.S. Here is 2014, 2015 in review.

2016年の総まとめをしてみました。こうやって見てみると色々作ったなとしみじみ。
作ってお客様に羽ばたいていったものたちや、自分のクローゼットに参加した洋服たち。
来年も素敵!と思っていただけるものを作っていきたいと思います。
今年1年、ありがとうございました!

chie sig2Find me elsewhere:

Filed Under: blog, blogs, every day life, 日本語 Tagged With: handmade clothes

Realistic Look on Hours I spent on My Handmade Business

December 24, 2016 By Chie

realistic-look-on-hours-i-spent-on-my-handmade-businessAs the end of the year is quickly approaching, I was thinking back of the list of things I wanted to do in year 2016. I wrote in this post back in 2015 that I wanted to track the number of hours I spend working on my business. The main part of the business is designing and making wedding dresses. A less time consuming, but equally important aspect of the business, is the culmination of other less time consuming projects. These are things like selling on handmade market places like etsy and creema, participating in various photoshoots and working on other sewing projects like custom kimono dresses and costumes. This past year, at the end of every work night, I would keep a log of the hours I spent in excel. vv-work-hour-log-screenshot

It is pretty simple; I only have three columns – date, hour and the specifics of my activity. Between January 1st to December 23rd (total of 358 days), I spent the total of 737 hours. On average, I spent two hours every day working toward my business. It is about 14.41 hours per week. In reality, I don’t work on Sundays and there are some days that I did not get to put my hours toward because of travel or family. So it might be more accurate to say that I spend 2.8 hours, or approximately three hours every weekday after/before my 9-5 job on my personal business.

I included the following to my log:
– Sewing time
– Time I spent on buying materials
– Blogging
– Writing newsletter
– Taking and editing photos
– Consultation time with clients
– Networking events or parties
– Time I spent on making my own clothes. Although it was not many hours, I counted this into log as my study time and material for blogging.
– Updating etsy and creema shops
– Accounting and taxes

I did not include the following:
– Transportation time from home to meetings or to fabric shops
– Knitting I do for pleasure
– Time spent at post office to ship orders
– Updating SNS

For the upcoming year, I am hoping to spend a similar amount of hours. About 2 hours a day would be a good goal for me to keep up my work/life balance. I am lucky to have a full time job that I can work from home so that I don’t loose time in transit. My kids go to bed at 7pm and don’t get up until 7am, which allows me to have the night and early morning dedicated for what I like to do. Looking back, the majority of time was spent on sewing, which is fun for me but I need to spend more time on marketing/networking. This will bring more business but would necessitate a decrease in time on the sewing machine. But there is the rub, if I cannot have more business but less time to sew. So, I need a sewing assistant who can come over to my house and help. So…. finding that person is my next goal.

I will continue to log my work hours in 2017. It would be interesting to compare again this time next year.
chie sig2

Filed Under: blog, blogs, every day life, FAQ

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@allpress_espresso のコーヒーバッグで作りました☕️ Cafés do Bras @allpress_espresso のコーヒーバッグで作りました☕️

Cafés do Brasil 豆を運んでいた頃の文字が、そのままジャケットの背中に残っています。
着物だけでなく、面白い来歴のある生地をもっと取り入れていきたいと思っています✂️
素材:コーヒーバッグ × 着物シルク

Made from a coffee sack sourced from @allpress_espresso.

Cafés do Brasil — the stamp from its days carrying beans stays right there on the back. 

Kimono fabric has always been at the heart of what I do, but I want to bring in more materials with a history — things that have traveled, carried weight, meant something before they became a garment.

Materials: coffee sack × kimono silk

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Model
@emorylove33

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#upcycledfashion #sustainablestyle #coffeesack #wearablestories #ReleasedReimagined
蝶は、繭の中でひとりで変わるわけじゃない。 縫う人がいて、形が生まれる。 描く人がいて、顔に光が宿 蝶は、繭の中でひとりで変わるわけじゃない。

縫う人がいて、形が生まれる。
描く人がいて、顔に光が宿る。
飾る人がいて、耳元に物語が揺れる。

そのひとつひとつが重なって、
一着の服がランウェイで羽を広げます🦋

今回のショーに関わってくださったすべての方へ💌
ありがとうございました。皆様の手が、この服を完成させてくれました。

A butterfly doesn’t transform alone.

Someone sews, and a shape is born.
Someone paints, and light finds a face.
Someone adorns, and a story stirs beside the ear.

Each gesture layered upon the next —
until one garment spreads its wings on the runway🦋

To everyone who was part of this show 💌
Thank you.🥹Your hands brought this to life.

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88

Model
@yui78_02

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#ReleasedReimagined #kimono #着物リメイク #sustainablefashion #runway
Before the doors opened, there was this. Garments Before the doors opened, there was this.

Garments waiting on the rack. Brushes in hand. Quiet conversations in corners. The unhurried moment before everything becomes a show.

""Released. Reimagined."" with @designerhelen was made possible by so many generous hands — our makeup and hair team, our models, every person who showed up early and stayed late. Thank you for caring for these pieces, and for each other, the way you did.

More to come🤍

扉が開く前の、静かな時間。

ハンガーに並ぶ作品たち。メイクブラシの音。片隅でかわされる小さな会話。 すべてがショーになる前の、穏やかな瞬間。

@designerhelen との“Released. Reimagined."" は、たくさんの方々の手によって生まれました。 メイク・ヘアチームのみなさん、モデルのみなさん、早くから駆けつけて最後まで残ってくれたすべての方へ。 本当にありがとうございました。
次回も頑張ります🤍

Photographer 

Models
@emorylove33
@naka_kanar
@bethenny.x
@izumi_nishida
@yui78_02
@aino.yamada03
@_kasumi.y
@sienna.christinaaa

Nails
@ms_muse_nail

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#releasedreimagined #KimonoUpcycling #BehindTheScenes #SustainableFashion #着物リメイク
Behind the Scenes🪡 →The Runway ✨ カオスに包まれたアトリエから、ラ Behind the Scenes🪡 →The Runway ✨

カオスに包まれたアトリエから、ランウェイへ。

1つのコレクションが形になるまで、床が見えなくなるほどの生地、型紙、そして数え切れないほどの試行錯誤の時間が詰まっています。

命を吹き込んでくれた素晴らしいモデルの皆さん、そして支えてくださったスタッフの皆さんに心から感謝💝

あなたのお気に入りのルックはどれですか?ぜひコメントで教えてください👇❤️

From a chaotic atelier to the runway.

Before a collection comes to life, there are floors buried under fabric, pattern pieces, and countless hours of trial and error.

A heartfelt thank you to the incredible models who breathed life into each look, and to every member of the team who made it all possible 💝

Which look was your favorite? Let me know in the comments 👇❤️

#ファッションショー #ランウェイ #バックステージ #fashiondesigner #runway
Something I've been building since 2008 — taking k Something I've been building since 2008 — taking kimono fabric, fabric that already holds someone's memory, and giving it a new life.

Last Saturday, I got to share that with someone very special.

@designerhelen is a designer from New York who first reached out to me through my little sewing lesson account. When we started talking, I realized we were asking the exact same question: how do you take something with a past, and carry it forward?

We met in person here in Tokyo last December. That conversation became Released. Reimagined.
Two designers. Two cities. One shared belief — that beautiful things deserve a second life.

None of this would have been possible without our incredible team:

👗 Models: @emorylove33 @naka_kanar @bethenny.x @izumi_nishida @yui78_02 @aino.yamada03 @_kasumi.y @sienna.christinaaa

💅 Nails: @ms_muse_nail — gorgeous handmade nail designs 
💍 Jewelry: @viviange — pieces specially designed to coordinate with each piece
✂️ Hair: @angh0 @sho_kanaida @iam__little__boy — next level editorial 
💄 Makeup: @glam_by_jyoti — 8 models, flawlessly done 
📸 Photography: @nothing_special_88 — can't wait for you all to see his shots 
🎯 Model Coordinator: @naka_kanar — styling schedules, rehearsals, walkthrough, everything

Thank you to everyone who came🤍

Photos by @robertorivera.mx

2008年から、ずっと作り続けてきたもの——誰かの記憶を宿した着物の生地を手にとり、新しい命を吹き込むこと。

先週の土曜日、その想いをとても大切な人と一緒に分かち合うことができました。

@designerhelen はニューヨークを拠点とするデザイナー。最初に連絡をくれたのは、私の小さなお裁縫レッスンのアカウントを通じてでした。話し始めてすぐに、私たちは同じ問いを抱えていると。過去を持つものを、どうやって未来へ連れていくか。

昨年12月、東京で初めて直接会いました。その会話が、このショーになりました。

Released. Reimagined. ふたりのデザイナー。ふたつの都市。ひとつの共通した信念——美しいものには、もう一度輝く機会がある✨

#releasedreimangined #tokyofashionshow #harajuku #japanfashionshow projectrunwa
この会場を見つけるまで、けっこう歩き回りました。原宿竹下口から少し路地に入ったところ。前面ガラス張り この会場を見つけるまで、けっこう歩き回りました。原宿竹下口から少し路地に入ったところ。前面ガラス張りで光がたっぷり入って、一目見て「ここだ」と思いました🌱

入口すぐの受付エリアには @brownie_shots のポップアップ、中央スペースはランウェイ会場になります。VIP席も準備中です✨

イベントまであと1週間を切りました。当日、いいお天気になりますように☀️

It took quite a bit of wandering to find this venue. Tucked just off a quiet side street from Harajuku’s Takeshita Exit — full glass frontage, light pouring in. The moment I stepped inside, I knew🌱

Right at the entrance, @brownie_shots will be running a pop-up☕︎ The central space becomes our runway. VIP seating going in now.

Less than one week to go. Fingers crossed for sunshine ☀️

#Harajuku #FashionShow #KimonoUpcycling #SustainableFashion #TokyoEvents
【VIP限定✨】 5/30のファッションショー、席付きVIPチケットをご予約いただいた方は、こちらの 【VIP限定✨】
5/30のファッションショー、席付きVIPチケットをご予約いただいた方は、こちらの帯をリメイクしたオリジナルポーチをプレゼント🎁 

意外とたくさん入ると大好評。
鍵、カードケース、スマホ、メイクポーチまでしっかり収納できる優秀サイズです。

パーティーにクラッチとして、ループにストラップを付ければショルダーにもなる✨

どの柄が届くかは当日までのお楽しみ🤫💕

🗓 2026.05.30 (Sat)
📍 Harajuku, Tokyo
Runway Event & Pop-up Store
詳細はプロフィールリンクをチェック🔗

【VIP Exclusive ✨】
A little sneak peek at the special gift for our VIP ticket holders🎁

For the May 30th fashion show, all VIP guests will receive this original pouch made from upcycled Kimono Obi.

It’s surprisingly spacious! It easily fits your keys, card case, phone, and even a makeup pouch. Wear it as a chic clutch for the party, or attach your own strap to the loops to transform it into a shoulder bag✨

Each one is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece. Which design will you get? It’s a surprise until the big day! 🤫💕

#帯リメイク #サステナブルファッション #ファッションショー #原宿イベント #着物リメイク 
ファッションイベント HelenCastillo
五月なのに、秋色🍂 日中は汗ばむくらいなのに、 夕方になるとふっと涼しくなる🌬️ この季節のそのギ 五月なのに、秋色🍂

日中は汗ばむくらいなのに、
夕方になるとふっと涼しくなる🌬️
この季節のそのギャップが、なんか好き♡

深みのある金茶とテラコッタ。
春の光に当てると、
秋色が美しく見える気がします✨

朝晩の肌寒さには、シルクの羽織りがちょうどいい。

It’s May — and yet, fall hues🍂

Warm enough to break a sweat by noon,
then a cool breeze sneaks in by evening🌬️

I kind of love that about this time of year♡

Rich amber and terracotta.
Something about spring light makes these autumn tones look even more beautiful✨

For those cool mornings and evenings,
a silk haori is just right.

Photographer @renphoto
Model @hotpotpancakes

#着物ガウン #春コーデ #アースカラー #サステナブルファッション #アップサイクル kimonostyle
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