Hello, Some of you may know I've been helping out with my friend Keiko's triplets for nearly a year now. Keiko often has live-in helpers from Japan who stay for 6 months or so, helping with the day-to-day routine of living with 3 babies, while I come along in the evenings to help with the dinner/bath/bedtime routine. One of Keiko's friends has sent me some kimono silk, after discovering I like to sew! I have two pieces of salmon/pink with red and white flowers, one of lavender/white with pink and red flowers and one red with white and taupe flowers. I have no idea what to make with silk! Akiko also sent a book of Japanese fashion sewing, with pictures of bags, hats and a cute little stuffed cat. I did have the idea of making a little cat out of the pink silk and sending it back to say, "Thank you!" I need ideas of what to do with this silk, to do it justice.
I'm wondering about that myself. The silk DH brought back from Viet Nam is waiting for the perfect project. Mine is beautiful on both sides and I eventually will have to decide which side I want to be the right side!
OOO -- How much kimono silk do you have? If the pieces aren't large enough to make a garment out of, then I think you should get some neutral color silk that is about the same weight and make yourself a lovely blouse or jacket. If you aren't in a hurry to use your silk, wait until I finish the projects I have planned for my kimono silk and I'll send you some of what I have left. I have panels and panels of Japanese kimono silk (all between 12 &
14" wide and most between 40" & 50" long)) I have been collecting for several years. Some of it -- intended for a "decorative" quilt -- will be strip pieced together so that I don't have to cut away any of the lovely fabric. I'll add a border and that will be it for the front. The rest of my kimono panels will be made into a VERY scrappy lightweight dressy jacket for myself. The only thing that will be made of the same fabric is the shawl collar and the facing for the roll back cuffs. I will line the whole thing with plain off-white silk. I have one absolutely gorgeous panel that is much longer than the others -- almost 80" long. There is a lot of design and embroidery (about 30") on one end and a smaller amount of design on the other end (18") with lovely mottling in between. That piece will be cut for one jacket front and part of the back on the same side so that when sewn together it will look like the design continues unbroken from front to back. As for the rest, all the pieces will be trimmed so that only the most decorative parts are used. Then I will sew all the strips together to make a piece of fabric large enough to cut the garment pattern pieces out of. Now all I have to do is get the backyard finished, decide how I can "bustle" the wedding gown I am altering, make the pirate dress for the SMDGD, finish the white silk quilt for my DNiece...........I think I need a nap -- LOLOL! CiaoMeow >^;;^<
PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at
Kumiko Sudo has several books on little things to make with silk (or you could use cotton): little pouches, pincushions, etc. are in "Omiyage". Good directions, easy to follow. I started at the front of the book and couldn't stop for a while, made lots of fun little things, great for little gifts. Or use the silk in quilts -you can combine with cotton of about the same weight. Silk is a wonderful strong fiber and no trouble to care for, as long as you avoid enzyme detergent. Check first for runny dye. Roberta in D
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A lucky friend recently finished a quilt made with fabric her son sent her from Vietnam. Must have been similar stuff. She did simple quarter-square triangles, using both sides of the fabric, alternating silk squares with black cotton. Looked stunning! Roberta in D
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A friend of mine has a RTW silk outfit---not the kimono silk, but a pretty print---that is pants and a matching jacket. Maybe your silk would work for that, even if it is pieced with a solid to make it wider. Since I really don't want you to spend much time worrying, you could send it to me and I'll see if I can get it to work into me an outfit. Barbara in SC, practicing on my begging
Well, I thought this would be an obvious idea, but since no one else wrote to you about it...maybe I'm the only one thinking about it. Why not make a kimono quilt? There are several paper pieced patterns out there that are really cute and it would be an awesome way to use the fabric! (I forget who was trying to figure out what side of the fabric to use...but you could use both in this project!!)
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