Loot from Japan

The family vacation is officially over *sniff* *sniff*. I take comfort in the fact that all 3 of us enjoyed ourselves, and that I managed to find all the fabric stores I had planned on visiting. I admit to being very conservative with my purchases, knowing we will have to haul the entire lot across Tokyo JR station at morning rush hour on our return trip. There were plenty of the cutesy Kawaii prints available but a lot of my choices were made on price and availability from the online stores (fabric shopping was done on our first 2 days there so wasn't certain that we had enough cash to for Disneyland.). Nevertheless, it was rather enjoyable oogling at the HUGE range of fabrics and notions they have over there. No regrets!

Found the Freebird range for only 380yen a meter!

Couldn't resist the fat quarters at the Tomato main store 5th floor.  You will understand if you have ever visited the place. I swear they must be dispersing some narcotic through their ventilation system because there is definitely a sense of euphoria as you browse.

Also seemed to gravitate toward these elephant prints throughout the trip. Not sure why....

On the advice of a friend, also hit the laminated fabrics and pre-quilted sections,  though I am not entirely sure what I am going to do with them!

For those of you who plan to go fabric shopping Tokyo soon, do note that the Yuzawaya store Kichijoji is currently undergoing extensive renovation, and the premises have moved about a block to the XoXo building. Its condensed to 2 floors, so you may be a little disappointed with the fabric selection.

I found the Nippori textile town a dream come true. For detailed instructions on how to get there with a map of all the shops, visit this link. You may also find this link useful.  Tokyo Crafty Shopping for some other finds in Tokyo.


Here are some other fabrics which arrived while we were away:

So many projects, so little time.

Novel method of destashing / Pin cushion caddy

Get your kids in the act! My 5 year old has decided that she wants to be just like mummy and cut up beautiful fabrics into teeny tiny pieces :) I've given her a plastic box to store her own "stash" and she is quite happy to snip away with her little pair of scissors right next to me. She has now taken to raiding my scrap bin to replenish her stocks. Probably going to make a collage from the bits.

Finally managed to make my pin cushion caddy (Pattern from Seams to Me by Anna Marie Horner) which I have been meaning to do for ages. So sick of the standard issue tomato pin cushion, it had to go. Been saving some scraps specifically for this purpose. In the picture you can see the last of my flutterby in teal by Tula Pink. Absolutely obsessed with her fabrics, can't get enough of it. 

 
Also almost finished with Emily's baby quilt. Just need to hand stitch the binding to the back and I'm done! (pictures to come soon) Don't think I'll be able to do it within the next few days though as I have to travel for work. Hope to be done before we're off to Japan on a family vacation. Yes, I will definitely be sending back a report of the wonderful stuff I find there.

Happy Mother's Day! Easy six pocket tote #2 / Whirly wheel's quilt top

Mad rush to finish the 2nd bag for mum in time for Mother's Day. The first one was too small to hold an A4 size folder, so agreed to make another. Added a button this time round too, as the interfacing was more floppy and needed to keep the ends together.


Also managed to finish the main body of Baby Emily's Whirly Wheel's quilt top. Need to add the sashing and then I'm done! Quite happy with how it turned out :) All in all a pretty productive weekend.

 

Tula Pink's Big Give

Do check it out. Tula Pink, is giving away Jelly Rolls over the next 5 wks. Good luck!

 

Hope she re-releases Neptune and Nest! Have been trolling the online stores to get my hands on these 2 discontinued lines with little success. Pity I only got bitten by the fabric obsession this late or would have stocked up on these while they were popular :(

Success! Whirly Wheel block

It's true, if you make the effort to piece the block slowly, the points will meet! Just completed 1 block of the Moda Bakeshop Whirly Wheels pattern. It took a little longer than usual, but definitely worth it.  Just 19 more to go.....The new Ofla rottary cutter was also a hit. You don't realize how much these gadgets can make the job so much easier. Thanks Y!

Also managed to take a picture of the current stash. Modest by most standards, but it was enough to go to Ikea to get a storage solution. I like the table top top and plan to use it as a portable workstation.