Finally!

Our online shop is finally online! It's been a long time coming.  Here are some glimpses of what we've got in our catalogue:

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

In Store - Stamps

We often have various old Japanese stamps in the shop and they're always popular. The box of old wooden textile stamps that I put out this week are definitely my  favourites so far. There's a mix of traditional motifs including some very finely carved kamon (family crests). I took these photos before I put them out in the shop and quite a few of them have already gone.  I've been strong and only kept one for myself - I would love to have kept them all.

 

Around the shop...

Life has been hectic with one thing or another and I'm afraid I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping my blog up to date... I will try and write soon but in the meantime here are some pics from around the shop.
I'm putting out a few hina dolls:



I've started stocking some Olympus brand sashiko threads in a nice bright range of colours including some lovely variegated ones.

I've put out a box of terrific old theatre portrait photos, many of them signed

And more rolls of kimono fabrics  including a lovely big roll of black wool

I've got lots of mizuhiki paper cords  out at the moment  -  for beautiful gift wrapping



We've got a sale starting next week so I'll be restocking the rummage baskets

And discounting lots of things including our already incredibly cheap poly threads. These are excellent quality and very popular for machine embroidery. We're able to sell them cheaply because they're discontinued colours.

And the remnant basket is overflowing...









In Store...

Here's  a sample of recent additions to the shop...

At the moment I'm unpicking some lovely yukata. These are 100% cotton and a perfect weight for quilting.  (I know it horrifies some people that I unpick so many old kimono so in my next blog I might talk a little about that...)

We always have a small selection of netsuke in the shop. We recently put out a few more and this  charming ojime bead is my favourite. This serene little boy is only about 2cm tall. Ojime beads were used to pull together the cord that connected the netsuke to whatever item  (eg a medicine case) they were holding in place. The netsuke was tucked up and over a man's obi to secure the case hanging below.

These metallic papers were  intended for  weaving. They were cut into fine strips and used as woven embellishments on garments such as haori. Of course they can be used for other crafts as well.

Similarly this necktie silk doesn't have to be used for neckties! It's very affordable and lovely for other clothing and crafts.

Some wonderful little retro metal food containers. These aren't big enough for a whole 'bento' lunch but were used for side dishes and make great storage containers.

I've put out some rolls of mid-20th century kimono sample fabric. I sell these as whole rolls.   They were used as commercial samples to show what designs and colours were available. There was also a tradition of making the rolls up into nagajuban undergarment kimono when they weren't needed anymore.

Finally,  I've also put out a box of old  handmade washi paper oddments. Here are a few examples...







Vintage Yukata labels

I was asked if there are any more of the yukata labels from my last post to look at so I'm posting a selection.  They're all from a collection I'm selling in the shop. These photos would have been attached to bolts of yukata fabric to show how the fabric would look when the garment was made up. I think these are all post-war, many from the 1960's.

This last one with his unusually cheery smile is my favourite...



In Store...

A belated Happy New Year!  I know I'm slow getting started but I really do mean to post more this year.  Here are some items from around the shop to get  started.  We usually have some old china in the shop and this koi plate is one of my favourites...



I've started stocking some Japanese craft books. They're all inspiring and even though the patterns are in Japanese they shouldn't be too hard to follow.

I've got some quirly little kokeshi style ornaments including this pair of kappa. Kappa  are mythical water sprites who have a taste for cucumbers, among other things, which is why cucumber sushi rolls are called kappa-maki. They have bowl shaped heads which hold a magic liquid from which they gain their strength. They are not always malevolent but if confronted by a kappa you should bow low and when they return your bow the liquid will spill from their heads and they will lose their powers. I should note that there are varying versions of this story. 

I've been trying to sort out some of our paper and hope to be putting more out in the next few weeks...

Takashi put out some more chisels and saws over Christmas. The old Japanese tools are always popular. We had one family come in looking for saws  because a book on woodworking with children recommended Japanese saws for children to learn on. I guess they're easy to use because they have good solid handles and cut on the pull.

We usually have one or two 'haribako'  sewing boxes in the shop (lit. needle boxes) . This is a sweet  one probably from the 1950's  or 60's:

I'm not usually one for pinks and florals but I love the simple prettiness of this silk and I especially love the seersucker texture:

We have lots of these photo cards which were used as labels on cotton yukata  fabric to show what the fabric would look like when it was made up into a garment: