Umbilical hat

Doesn't this look like a mugshot? The harsh lighting, the slightly out of it expression...I wonder what Humphrey would be arrested for? Indecent exposure probably, he never does wear pants.
My friend H (not Humphrey) is in hospital this very minute, hopefully well on her way to pushing out a baby. This afternoon and evening I knitted up this baby hat, the umbilical hat from Stitch n Bitch.
I intended to make a pillow from some cute fabric I bought in Japan, but I didn't feel like sewing today. Maybe tomorrow.

Not related at all to the trip...

... unless you count 'refreshed wish to sew from exposure to new places' that is.

Here is a nice skirt, made from a thin fur from my stash (I reckon I have had this fabric for a good ten years) and the tried and trusted mid eighties Vogue 7074 (50c from an opshop in Preston).

This fabric is very similar to what one of my sofas is upholstered in - different colour but same fabric.

I added a few inches to the bottom of the skirt and sewed the back all the way down (no split) - one should wiggle in this skirt, methinks.

Hmm, I have some leopard left over. I'm thinking of a collar or suchlike on a little black top... time to review the pattern 'n fabric stash.

There was vintage kimono buying, oh yes there was

Um, it's bad form to have the right side crossed over the left when wearing a kimono, but honest, we were only trying them on. We are such gaijin!*

All yummy, all silk.

Kyoto has awesome flea markets.

*foreigner in Japanese

SHINJUKU!

We finally found Okdaya fabric/craft store in Shinjuku, a fabric and craft store over 6 and 8 storeys in two buildings, which we must have walked past 10 times without noticing. To be fair, the entrances are down an alley, with no rolls of fabric outside, and the only storefront window has their blingy jewellery department.
Here's Moggy on the 7th floor of the craft building, full of sewing, craft and knitting books. She added a few kilos to her baggage allowance here.

Clothstoppers!

Have you seen this woman?

Ah, Tomato in Fabric Street, Textile Town, Pinking Prefecture...

Yuzawaya!

Tokyo has amazing craft and sewing stores. One of the first ones Moggy and I went to was Yuzawaya, in Kichijoji.
Like everywhere in Japan, there is no easy way to find even an eight storey craft emporium, due to the (former) adorable custom of numbering buildings in the order they were built, rather than having regular street numbers. We knew it was near the train station, and it was eight storeys, how hard could it be?
Well, there are many eight storey buildings around most train stations in Tokyo, and surprise! most of their signs are written in Japanese! Who knew?
Fortunately, eagle-eye-Mogster spotted this knitting sheep logo, and we were there. Oh the notions! The fabric! The sewing machine feet! We both bought metal invisible zipper feet for our Janomes (they deserve gifts), and I bought a topstitching foot, which has a little guide to keep topstitching straight.
Topstitching, my nemesis, prepare for checkmate!

Cultural pursuits in Kyoto. And flea market shopping

We did Kyoto, oh yes we did. We may have bought several vintage kimonos from two fab flea markets. I'm not telling...yet. We even got us some culcha, going to see temples and all. This is the Golden Temple, Kinkoku-ji. Our guest house hostess told us there was also a Silver Temple, but not to bother to go there, because 'it's silver, this one is GOLD!' You can't go against advice like that.

and and and

We ate in vending machine restaurants (well, you ordered from a vending machine but real live people cook and bring you your food).

Oops, it was so nice I ate it before I had time to take a picture (Kitty may have the before shot). It was Tonkatsu, it was tasty, and it was only 680 Yen (about $7 I think).
Japan ain't as pricey as you think...

Back from Japan!

There was fabric purchased, there were cherry blossoms. It was fabulous.