Deviating from crafting, but also a passion of mine is supporting the Japanese arts

A special musical fundraiser for the Japanese cultural fair happening on March 9 from 7-9pm in Seabright area and tickets are $20. Please help make the Japanese Cultural Fair happen! For more information and to buy tickets at:http://m.bpt.me/event/340696

Sweater Boots Tutorial

I redid my sweater boots to a covered pair of shoes. I previously used an old pair of sandals, which were not tight enough and water leaked in when it rained or the ground was wet. The shoes I used were flexible, because you will need to bend the shoes slightly to fit the finished sleeves right side out and I will explain in the end of this tutorial.
First, cut the sleeves off the sweater of your choice (I bought mine at the thrift store for approximately $2.)  However, I recommend a darker color, so it will not get dirty easily.  Second, turn the sweater sleeves inside out, with the shoulder side of the sleeve to go on the front of the shoes and the armpit side of the sleeves will align on the heel side of the shoes like this:

Third, glue the edges of the sleeves on the sole of the shoes and do not worry if the glue is showing on this side, because it will be covered when you turn the sleeve right side out.  In the following picture, it shows I started gluing on the front side of the shoes, but it does not matter where you start gluing.

Fourth, continue gluing around the edges and pick one side (front or heel) to start gluing on the shoe face, while turning the sleeve right side out. Here are the completed boots!

Guess what I am currently knitting?

Sew a simple roll up jewelry bag

I made this jewelry bag at Fábrica for my grandmother's birthday.

Front

Back










 October 2011

Slipper (flip flop) booties for newborn babies

When my cousin was expecting a baby, I crocheted this pair of slipper booties, because my cousin's family is in Hawaii and it is warm year-round. See the pictures of the booties below and how it looks on the newborn's feet!

October 2011

How to knit or crochet an easy baby bootie

Baby booties I knitted for the children's hospital in San Jose, as part of the Japanese Senior Citizens' project at Yu-Ai Kai.

This pattern basically is two rectangles, one for the base (sole) and the second for the top part. I made two separate pieces and sewn the two together all around the base. The Louise Mac's simple crossover pattern has the two pieces knitted or crocheted together.







6/23/11

Pillowcases made from two different fabrics

I made two of these pillowcases from two different fabrics from my dear friend Mie, she bought these fabrics on clearance from Walmart! I still have some fabric leftover, which I will make a surprise gift for Mie, to be posted next month for Mie's birthday. I love how the orange matches the duvet cover I already had, which I bought for less than a dollar at Goodwill's Bargain Outlet bin in Santa Cruz (duvet cover is an Ikea brand originally around $20-50.)
January 2013

Make a candle using oranges, tangerines, or cuties

I was inspired by a post I saw using the stem of an orange as a wick for candles! Here is a version of my candle using a tangerine or cutie. I rubbed a bit of olive oil on the stem and used "poop" from the other candle's wax that dripped out onto the glass holder. The candle was not as effective until I dropped the match over the tangerine's stem and added lots of shavings from the other candle's poop to use as fuel to light on its own. It was fun to see the flame scarred the orange wall when I put the skin too close to the flame, but the tangerine did not catch on fire. However, I would keep a close watch or be near by when using this orange candle.
January 2013

Snowman hand sewn bag or notebook cover

Season Greetings! I hand sewn this using canvas, first using a rectangle piece of canvas, I ironed the two longer sides to hem, so I can stitch using red embroidery floss to resemble a candy cane. Second, I sew three white buttons in different sizes from small to large, the two smaller one went on the top flap and the bigger button was sewn on the bottom flap. I stitched using black / dark brown thread for the eyes, mouth and hat; red thread was for the shirt and green thread was for shorts or skirt portion. Third, I used a white yarn or you can use cotton to sew the "snow" part. To make this into a notebook cover, sew in papers or if you prefer this to be a bag, stitch up the sides on the bottom flap, along the "candy cane" to make a pouch.  This was donated to Fabrica for their winter sale fundraiser.

December 2012

Personalized Emotions poster

I took a Face drawing class as part of Santa Cruz's Free Skool program at SubRosa and I created this poster as a Christmas present for my dear friend who is a counselor to put up in her office. I used a plastic sheet from a fabric sample booklet to cover this poster to make it a dry erase board.
December 2012

Superman shrinky dink from plastic #6 cup (What not to do!)

This is a failed project, I drew a Superman symbol on the side of a plastic #6 cup, but when I shrunk it in the oven, the image became distorted. It is best to draw on the bottom of the cup, because the plastic was blow molded into the cup shape and when you heat it, the plastic will revert to it's original state (non flat surface.) I recommend using the cup as shrinky dink only if you will be okay with a wavy pattern.
December 2012

Snoopy on a shrinky dink plastic

Made this Snoopy on a shrinky dink for my mom for Christmas 2011. I used a hole puncher, which shrunk about 1/4th of its original size, so great for a small phone charm. (Next, I will be posting a superman shrinky dink I made using a plastic #6 cup.)
December 30, 2011

"I Love You" in American Sign Language

I had my students in Japan make these for Valentine's Day 2012, trace your open hand on a piece of paper (red in this picture), cut the hand print, bend the middle and ring fingers and glue the tip of the fingers. Add a heart shape or any other embellishment. My student used a map as a background photo.
February 14, 2012 in Osaka and Kyoto, Japan

Plastic bag into dish scrubber or coaster

Cut plastic bag in strips and tie ends together to form a long piece of "string" to knit or crochet.
Made around September 17, 2011.