Two blogs I read all the time are Just Bento (about that very subject) and her sister blog Just Hungry (about Japanese food and culture generally.)  Both are written by Maki, Japanese woman with a finely tuned palate and a deep love of food and culture. If [...]]]>

Used with permission of Just Hungry

Two blogs I read all the time are Just Bento (about that very subject) and her sister blog Just Hungry (about Japanese food and culture generally.)  Both are written by Maki, Japanese woman with a finely tuned palate and a deep love of food and culture. If you really want the down low on what Japan is like from the inside follow her blogs.  She was recently back home and did a blog tour of the country, and in Kyoto took us to many places off the beaten track such as tiny little stores that sell artisan sewing notions like these animal pins, which are the essence of kawaii (a Japanese love of cuteness that lasts long after childhood. ) The link to her blog post has many more wonderful photos as well as an examination of hand sewing needles that reads like treatise on samurai swords, and I say without a trace of irony.  I want to go to Japan!

Okay shameless plug time;  in December 2009 I took a short class with Susan Khalje at the Gorgeous Fabrics Studio.  This was something I had wanted to do for literally 10 years and I was not disappointed.  Susan is a warm and personable teacher who is generous with her incredible knowledge [...]]]>

Me and Susan Kahlje

Okay shameless plug time;  in December 2009 I took a short class with Susan Khalje at the Gorgeous Fabrics Studio.  This was something I had wanted to do for literally 10 years and I was not disappointed.  Susan is a warm and personable teacher who is generous with her incredible knowledge of couture sewing and fashion history.    She told the class that her new web site would be up soon and it is, and there a couple things to let you know about it:  the copyright for Bridal Couture has reverted back to her and she  is making it available on CD-ROM in February 2010.  This book is indispensable for anyone who is serious about couture sewing technique.  Even though the  focus of the book  is bridal most of the techniques can be used with any type of garment.  A used copy on Amazon is easily $80 so I’m really happy Susan is making this great book available.

Also on her website Susan is selling  fabric,  very special French notions  and her favorite Japanese hand sewing needles, which are absolutely the best and they make hand sewing a joy.  I bought two packs of them!  And she has chain for Chanel jackets in gold and silver.

In my mind Susan is part of the sewing holy trinity along with Kenneth King and Claire Shaeffer and if you ever manage to take of her in-person classes you will absolutely love it!

Every sewer needs a bead stash, and it’s always a challenge to find the right colors and styles. The challenge is the same whether it’s fabric or embellishment – how do you find what you want?. A quick way to build a bead stash fast and inexpensively is to buy packs of beaded [...]]]> by Diva Phyllis 

Every sewer needs a bead stash, and it’s always a challenge to find the right colors and styles. The challenge is the same whether it’s fabric or embellishment – how do you find what you want?. A quick way to build a bead stash fast and inexpensively is to buy packs of beaded fringe and just cut the beads off and sort them.

This one came from Jo-Ann’s; you can also find them at craft stores like Michaels or A.C. Moore. There is generally about a yard or so in each package, which gives you a couple ounces of beads – plenty for most projects. Plus the color palette is already coordinated. Trying to do the same thing via bead catalogs or shows can just take forever. I usually sort the beads while I’m watching television.

These will be used to embellish the placket this for Simplicity 4124 tunic, View E (blue long sleeve version.)