Neve Tsedek neighborhood in Tel Aviv

Many old buildings in Neve Tsedek are now occupied by designer shops or restaurants

You'll find many restaurants like this in Jaffa's flee market area

You have guessed: this shop sells buttons

 My second favorite place after streets with fabric was Carmel market. You'll understand why.





2012 is a year of Art in Israel. You'll find pianos standing here and there around Tel Aviv and absolutely everybody can play! Good for the neighbors, they are locked during the night.

Now I am running to my sewing room after 3 weeks without sewing! I'll be back soon with new garments!

Do you also buy fabric when travelling?

Cute dress but even cuter fuchsia tights

Easy-to-make & practical coat to wear on cold days

Did you notice that it's made from Liberty?

Stripes = so Japanese!

This books gives lots of confidence and inspiration not only to beginners but also to more advanced seamstresses. The instructions are very straightforward: you don't need to know Japanese to understand them. And that's why I like Japanese craft books SOOOOOO much!

Do you feel inspired by the book? 

That's what they called a collection in the April issue of Burda Style. Nine Zen patterns for a relaxing summer. And because I'm going on holiday SOOON, I desperately need a few outfits for my early summer break. This pattern caught my eye from the very beginning and I put it on my 'To Sew' list.

Fabric: NaniIro Star Fog double knit. I bought 4.7m (used 4.5m) because of the strange width: 80cm.
Time spent: 4 hours without muslin.
Size: 38
Cost: ~ $75
Modifications to pattern. 

The instructions suggested to use lightweight jersey, but I just fell in love with Star Fog. Hence the fabric is heavier and does not require any lining. You can clearly see that that the fabric does not drape the same as on the original photo. I don't regret using heavier fabric - it creates a smarter look and I could wear it to the office!

I reinforced the neckline with silk organza. I also omitted the casing. Since the fabric is pretty heavy, the waistline would have looked bulky and not very flattering.

Instead of the casing, I attached the bodice to the skirt with two rows of elastic thread.

Smooth feel of the fabric on the body and lots of "holes" create a nice air-conditioning effect for the hot weather ;)

Using twin needle I stitch all along the armholes and the neckline

Oh, and if you are a  NaniIro fan as me, and like their knit collection but cannot find it in your local fabric store, I would recommend Miss Matatabi on Etsy. Her prices are the same as in the shops here in Japan, plus the shipping cost is a good deal!

What are you sewing for summer? 

Fabric or pattern? That is the question.... Which one do you buy first?

Are you also tortured every time you pass by a fabric store or browse the Net, and see a fabric/pattern you like but doesn't really suit to the pattern/fabric you already own? In most cases I buy fabric & patterns because I like them. But if I don't change my attitude I'll end up with a wardrobe full of useless fabric!

Heres is a "chicken or egg" example. I bought these three beautiful fabrics in the picture below right (silk and chiffon) in India on a business trip two years ago. In the fabric shop, I was so overwhelmed by gorgeous silks, cottons and eyelets that I bought random yardage hoping that one day I will use it for a nice project. Two years later, the fabrics are still here. Only yesterday I started a jumpsuit from the black polka dot silk, based on the pattern from this Japanese sewing book. But then - OH GOD! I did not have enough fabric for the jumpsuit but only for pants :(

Angry, I left home for more fabric shopping in the hope of finding similar silk to finish the jumpsuit. But of course, they had everything but black polka dot silk. Still, I did not come home empty-handed, but with all these lovely colors in my Yuzawaya bag!!!!!!!!!

The God of sewing gave me reasons to add more fabrics to my stash!

Reason #1: "The yellow woolen blend will work for this pants pattern; 2.30m!"
Reason #2: "The fuchsia fabric will make pretty shorts: only 1.30m !"

By the way, those colors are such a perfect match for my Spring&Summer 2012 palette challenge.

Both patterns are from the May edition of Burda Style magazine. Not available online :( Sorry!

April Burda Style magazine. Not available online ;(

Listening to the voice of reason, I will try to use my stash more effectively and stop buying fabric for the sake of it.

So what do you buy first: pattern or fabric? Do you choose fabric to match your pattern? How do you manage your fabric stash?  Do you also make a "I-stop-buying-tons-of-fabric"resolution?

Old room

Since three weeks, I've been privileged to own an entire room for sewing! No surprise that I quickly transformed it into a cozy island in the middle of crazy city :)

New room

The room shines of all colors. People who know me won't be surprised. All my wardrobe consists of bright colors (besides 2 black dresses and 3 black t-shirts).

Doesn't the room looks like an IKEA showroom? In Japan, IKEA is my second home since most of the interior design and furniture shops are overpriced. On the other hand, we have no plans to retire in Japan. Maybe couple more years, and we'll go to a new country.

I love this funky table top. Because the top is not attached to the shelves, and I can easily move it when drawing patterns. And, No, it does not move when I sew.

Table top & two shelves

Practical IKEA rack

Super cute duster

Overlock, pressing tools & thread track

Brand new mannequin and ironing corner (& work in progress)

Sewing books, patterns, fabric and other craft supplies

I bought tons of acrylic boxes to host all possible and impossible sewing tools

I've never been a fan of fashion magazines but I like to buy an issue from time to time, especially when I travel. When the plane takes off I flip the pages over, taken into a journey.

Since I moved to Japan I noticed something different in the women's magazines: presents! Almost every women's magazine contains a little something in every issue: pouch, perfume tester, shopping bag, notebook, pen etc. The present's picture is featured on the front page. Isn't it a great strategy?

Having looked at the covers of these magazines for two years, I finally bought the June issue of ELLE. Their marketing strategy worked on me too ｡◕‿◕｡

Rainbow pouches were the present in ELLE

This little box inside is hiding something!

Ta-dah! Two cute pouches

Well, the quality of these presents leaves a lot to be desired. But I had so much fun! And, of course, I can read ELLE for my Japanese lessons and enrich my "girlie" Japanese vocabulary.

Do you read women's magazines? What do you like about them?