Litlle Kitty Sewing

This little project has been gestating for a long time. I can't even recall where I picked up these vintage sewing/home pdf's. They've been sitting inside my computer for ages.

I remembered them last fall. And from there -another five months to make it happen.

I didn't want to do traditional embroidery on a traditional kitchen towel. I wanted to make some thread art with a scrappy feel.

There's seven in the set.

This was my inspiration

 I raided my overflowing scrap basket for tiny pieces of fabric. From the background white to the luscious pale pink for the kitty seamstress.

I used Wonder Under - a double sided fusible webbing to cut and attach pieces. When you iron them down - they don't move as you seam along the raw edges.

 I sewed my kitty down first. I had to re-do her right paw later when my sewing machine covered it up. I added scraps, stitched forward, reversed, forward, reversed again. This took a few hours of squinty sewing.

I used my frixion marker and a pencil to draw and for placement marks. I did learn that my frixion blue pen which is supposed to magically disappear when you iron it did  not disappear on the gray sewing table fabric. It left a ghost line. Good to know.

 I couldn't find a red scrap big enough or the right shade for the rug and in the end went with the thimble fabric. A  more red scrap would have been better, I think. But I like this. It turned out like what was in my head. And it is now out of my head!I also had some fabric stretching/puckering when sewing the letters S-E-W. I tried ironing it out. I thought hooping it would stretch it nicer. Probably one of those things only I can see.

This is a gift for a dear sewing friend - can't name her as it is now winging it's way towards her.

I also feel I am channeling my 70's upbringing making two hoop artworks - one after the other.
 

I can't show you the backside which is pink felt because I didn't iron it before gluing it down.

Japanese Tissue Holder

Janine and I both bought the same craft book when I was in Kyoto this spring and we challenged each other as to who would sew a project from the book first.

I lost.

Janine posted hers months ago.

 I finally got down to it and made something Janine had spied inside the book.

This is like our tissue holders with the slit for the tissue to pull up out of.
In addition, there is a zipper at the top to easily put a new pack in.
 
In Japan, there is often, very often, no toilet paper in public bathrooms. You often discover a vending machine nearby *after* you leave the facilities.

Everyone carries pocket tissues, just in case, as well as a cloth to wipe your hands. We are not going to talk about the squat toilets vs. western-style toilets in major tourist spots.

 Look at the inside, its prettier on the inside with that fiddly binding.

I wouldn't sew it this way with US directions but I was trying to make something  with Japanese instructions which are so cute and slightly unfathomable.

You read right to left and look for the a tiny # (circled) denoting the order of construction.
In this case, I started on the right and stayed on the top row and then went on to the second row of diagrams.

I scribbled notes as to cm = ?inches but in the end, just used centimeters. I have rulers with both ways to measure.

I had a tissue pack I brought back with me from Japan and noted this pouch was not quite tall enough. I added about 3/4 inch and it was just right.

 Janine liked this retro kitty fabric I used on some pocket tissue holders I recently made, so I wanted to use the same fabric in her japanese-style tissue case.  I really have no idea why you would want a zipper there because it was quite easy to insert the tissue pack via the slit opening.

 This is winging it's way to Japan and she should receive it any day now. It's been taking about 8 days back & forth to Japan lately.

I am done with pocket tissues, I think. However, my ah choo giveaway is still open to all blog readers if you would like your own. Holler at me. or, sneeze.