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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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 
Find me elsewhere: 
I’m a complete novice when it comes to knitting, but I could not resist starting a project after looking at so many fun instagram photos of beautifully knitted projects (
Thankfully the yarns I used were navy blue which is very close to black, so it is hard to notice the mistakes. Or at least I’m hoping so. I got the yarn in Yuzawaya Shinjuku at the end of last Winter when they were doing massive store closing sale. This yarn is a mix of wool and cashmere. It’s pretty warm when wearing with my 
This knitted clutch was made by my friend. She gave me the knitted piece and asked me to just put it together myself since she knew I sewed. I added a zipper at top and lined it with printed corduroy. Also added a piece of plastic at the bottom so the clutch won’t sag when I put a lot of stuff in.
I’ve already started my second sweater project. This time I’m using a 
初めてのセーターを作りました。