Fabric Hunting in Japan, for the nth time.

Liberty Tana Lawn from Nomura Tailor House, Teramachi, Kyoto.

Japan is a dangerous place for fabric loving suckers like me.

Going a bit crazy at Nomura Tailor, Shijo, Kyoto.
Photo credit to Hubby.

When we embarked on our BFF trip last month, I had no intention of getting fabric. Somehow, however, fabric became an item that I constantly picked up as we traveled south from Tokyo. It kind of started with BlytheCon Fashion Tour. (More on BCFT here.)

At the end, it was a slight shock when I spread out the fabric haul to pack into my suitcase for the journey home. More than two-thirds of my suitcase was filled with pen inks, my loot from BlytheCon, and fabric... All items for my vices interests. (Edible haul is not included in the count.) I think the fabric alone took up a quarter of the suitcase....

Now back home, I've started unpacking the haul.... In the process of unpacking and putting the fabric away, I've come to realise that each batch is connected to memories and experiences that make them special to me on a very personal level. Looking at them, touching them, these memories come flooding back, and I also get really inspired and excited about using them to make things!

JOLIFLEUR LA TOILE, TOKYO

The first haul began at BlytheCon Fashion Tour. (On BCFT here.) When I saw the IG post about JoliFleur la Toile (here), I made a mental note to pop by their booth at BCFT. I really liked the colourful, carnival-like style of their fabrics. And at their BCFT booth, my impulse control kind of went out the window.

The colourful, whimsical prints of JoliFleur la Toil fabrics! These go into my fabric stash.

Colourful, quirky, whimsical, carnival. What's not to like? As mentioned in the BCFT post, the booth was manned by the designer and her husband. The husband was proudly telling everybody that his wife designs the fabric, hand draws the characters, etc. His pride in her ability and work evoked such warmth to me. Their fabrics are made in Japan, while their My Little Tailor series is printed in Korea.

Pretty pink JoliFleur la Toile cotton lawn for Sheena!

Their My Little Tailor fabrics are ideal for dolly clothes, as they are fine lightweight cotton lawn, and have small prints. The fabric has a wonderful handfeel, almost like Liberty Tana Lawn, very close, in fact. When I saw the fabrics, I instantly thought they'd be great to use for making kimono or yukata ensembles. Something colourful, cute and whimsical. Modern, and rather unlike the traditional patterns I general prefer. (I sense Sheena rubbing off me here.) They were sold in pre-cut pieces of 36cm x 32cm (sample size). Measurement-wise that's okay for making a typical dress for a Blythe, but are individually too small for dolly kimono. I still bought a few anyway, doubling up on each design or colourway. Though I only have enough of each pattern I bought to make one kimono or yukata, and don't have much room for error.

KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA

Fabric in Osaka's Kuromon Ichiba. One of the kimono hagire boxes that I dug through.

And then in Osaka, we revisited Kuromon Market, to jalan jalan and eat. Nowhere in the plans was fabric. However, I found the wafuku shop that I bought the royal blue and plum kimono fabric back in 2017, called Maruiwa Gofuku-ten (Jp page). As at the date of my visit, the store is still run by the same two elderly gentlemen who wrapped up my purchases then, and the shop interior is still as messy as I remember from my 2017 visit. But somehow I like it; I don't know why. Maybe because it's got this Showa retro look to it, and is missing that touristy slickness that a number of the shops in Kuromon Ichiba have these days.

One of the kimono hagire boxes in the shop.

In fact, as we went to Kuromon Ichiba twice this trip (long story that I'll share another time), I went back to the shop twice! And both times, I dug through both their fabric bins and picked out a few pieces. Admittedly though, their kimono hagire are by no means cheap.

My kimono hagire haul from Kuromon Market, Round 1.

Of the hagire I brought home, this has gilt-outlined mist
and tachibana motifs. The motifs are too large to be
suitable for dolly clothes, but I just liked it too much to
leave it behind. Have to think of what to do with it. (O.O'') 

The first visit back, as they were wrapping up my purchase, I showed them a photo of the royal blue Blythe kimono I made earlier this year, worn by Elizabeth Rose (posted here on IG). In whatever Japanese I could muster (broken and basic!), I explained that I had bought the fabric from their shop 2 years ago. They were super pleased, became excitable and very chatty (think: rapid-fire Japanese). Asked me where I'm from, where in Japan I'm visiting this time, how long was I staying, etc. That was all I could catch, but they definitely said a whole lot more.

I roughly caught that the older gentleman (who has to be in his 90s) was telling me that his father had been in Singapore during WWII. Uh...touchy point but well, I'm not going to speak ill of the dead or bash what the Japanese did in WWII to a hapless, well-meaning old man who really had little to do with that time. He also told me that he visited Singapore many years ago, on a very large tour, and really enjoyed his time there. I did tell him that Singapore has changed a lot since then, and that he wouldn't recognise many parts of her.

Also, they asked if they could take my picture. Apparently they wanted a keepsake, and also to tell their friends and family. Or so I gathered. I was like, "Uh, wth? okay, I guess...." I guess it was an interesting experience for them. It's not everyday one gets a foreign tourist return to one's shop to buy kimono hagire, and uses them to make into little dolly kimono. Overall, it was a memorable experience for me as well. A story that's connected to the fabric that I brought home from their shop, something to remember these 2 elderly gentlemen by.

Kimono hagire haul from Kuromon Market, Round 2.

Some of their kimono hagire are pricey in comparison to other places I've bought from (for e.g. Tansuya and online), but they do carry good quality hagire, a variety of prints with vibrant colours, and some have very elaborate designs and gold-leaf outlines.

Kimono hagirenamazu

Not all the hagire I picked up are suitable for dolly clothes. I confess there were some that I couldn't put down for weird reasons. One of the pieces I got had a namazu-e. According to Japanese mythology, it is a giant catfish that lives beneath Japan, and is restrained with a stone by Takemikazuchi, the kami of thunder. When loose however, the namazu is said to cause earthquakes when it thrashes around.

Kimono hagire with couched silver threads.

One of the other pieces had couched metallic silver threads. A detail that I couldn't resist. But gosh, I have no idea what I'll do with it. Make it into a hand clutch maybe?

This one looks like meisen or kasuri kimono fabric.

And then there's this lovely brick red and yellow piece, which I think may be meisen or kasuri weave. It had a crisp handfeel, bold design, as well as the distinctive look that comes with the ikat dyeing technique. No way am I letting this one return to the fabric box!

Another secondhand kimono to add to my (growing) stash. I keep rationalising these, saying they're for kimono remake.

As if picking up kimono hagire wasn't bad enough, I also picked up a secondhand kimono. Originally did not intend to do so. But after I got my fabric from Maruiwa (above), I went looking for Hubby, but first found my traveling companions DT and AL at Recycle Kimono Sakura, a kimono recycle shop in Kuromon Ichiba. June 2021 update: I think the shop has closed or moved. But it seems to have been replaced by another one called Miyamoto Kimono & Japanese Accessories (here).

When I entered the shop, AL was trying on a nagajuban and cream kimono, as DT looked a little resigned. (I know that face because I see it on my Hubby every time I step into a fabric/kimono shop. Hehehehe.) AL and I lost track of time, just browsing the secondhand kimono. Seriously, we could get outfitted in full kimono ensemble, just in that one shop. The shop lady also mentioned that they provided kimono rental services.

So AL was going to get the nagajuban to use as a dressing gown, but she was debating if she should get the kimono as well. As we discussed that, my eyes suddenly caught a flash of deep, vivid green in the corner of the shop. And that was it. End of story. That pretty green houmongi is now in my closet. Haven't decided what to remake it into, but that's a decision for another day.

TANSUYA, OSAKA

The kimono hagire haul from Tansuya Namba NanNan, Osaka.

At the Tansuya kimono hagire bargain corner.
Photo credit to Hubby. (More on IG.)

AL first saw the Tansuya shop as we passed through Namba NanNan. Traveling with AL is lethal for us both. It's super fun, but we both encourage each other's vices. LOL.

"Oh look! Isn't that a kimono shop?" she said. "Oh, let's go take a look. Just a look..." we both told Hubby and DT. Famous last words.

AL bought a secondhand kimono, while I bought a handful of kimono hagire. To be fair, our purchases were cheap. AL's kimono was from the bargain kimono rack. It was a simple cream one that was cheap, and surprisingly in very good condition.

All the kimono hagire I got were from the JPY100 bargain bin. You can be sure I dug through all the bins. I'd be a fool not to!!!

Actually, Tansuya is a great place to pick up secondhand kimono, kimono accessories, and kimono fabric pieces. Tansuya is a chain store with branches in major Japanese cities. They carry a wide range, have reasonable prices, and the items are generally in good condition. I've bought kimono hagire and secondhand kimono from other branches in Tansuya before; the last round was at a branch in Nippori Textile Town very recently. A visit to Tansuya rarely disappoints.

Normally when I'm in Osaka, I also drop by Atelier to naniIRO, but not this trip. In hindsight I am feeling a little regretful. But since I did in 2018, and let loose that time...maybe it was for the best.

NOMURA TAILOR & NOMURA TAILOR HOUSE, KYOTO

More fabric purchases in Kyoto. By this time, "Famous last words" had become a frequently-used catchphrase that my travel companions rib me with. Hubby and DT would say it every time I said, "I'm just gonna look". AL gets a similar ribbing too because whenever she pops into a food specialty shop. On this trip, she went home with her and DT's baggage stuffed with pickles, miso, Japanese kitchen utensils and tableware.

So, we revisited Nomura Tailor on Shijo. Went once on a 2016 trip and again on a 2017 trip, so this would be the 3rd(?) visit. (I think it's my 3rd.) Nomura Tailor is an awesome fabric shop that any sewist or crafter or fabric hoarder must visit when in Kyoto. No need to elaborate on reasons. A glance says it all. Nomura is one of my favourite fabric and haberdashery shops in Japan, both Nomura Tailor on Shijo and the smaller Nomura Tailor House in Teramachi.

Nomura Tailor, Shijo, Kyoto. Bargain and scrap bin on the 1st floor.

Loads of cute pr pretty Japanese prints, quilting cottons, etc. Japanese kimono prints and brocade too. They also carry nani IRO, though their nani IRO selection is not as much as Tomato in Nippori Textile Town. Of course, nothing beats the nani IRO atelier in Osaka, when it comes to nani IRO fabric.

This is only the 1st floor of Nomura Tailor, Shijo. There are 3 floors of fabric.

Nomura Tailor has 3 floors of fabrics. This time I did pop up to the 2nd floor to check out the linens and apparel fabrics. I felt super happy but also overwhelmed at the same time. The sheer quantity of fabrics was a bit much to take in. The linen section had so many options, different weights, colours, weaves, handfeel..... Brain freeze. Too. much. to. take. in.

Despite telling Hubby I was just looking, I still ended up getting kinran brocade................................

Haul of kinran brocade from Nomura Tailor, Shijo, Kyoto.

Still have a lot of unused brocade from the last 2 visits, so I don't really know why I am getting more. I do know for sure I didn't get repeats! One of the brocades has a design depicting a Heian era scene that is reminiscent of Genji. It looks like a flower-viewing party, or possibly a spring hunt. This piece isn't exactly suitable for making dolly kimono obi, as the design is a little too large. But it was a little hard to put down, and a little purse or pouch in this fabric might just be the thing.

After Nomura Tailor, on our way to meet up with DT and AL, I passed Nomura Tailor House in Teramachi. How could I not check it out?

Nomura House, Teramachi, Kyoto.

I didn't pop by Nomura Tailor House the last couple of times in Kyoto. It was probably a blessing that I didn't back then because...................... The staff had the Liberty Tana lawn selection placed directly at the entrance. (Super cunning!) It's the first thing that is seen when entering the store. They even have prints that are no longer available elsewhere!!! *Swooning*

Fabric orgasm right away. My brain just went up in smoke when I saw the WALL of Liberty. That's the area where I was stuck at, for pretty much the entire time I was at the store. Next to the bolts were boxes of pre-cut sample-sized Tana Lawn at JPY330 each (about S$4.29). You can be sure I dug through all the boxes. Systematically.

Liberty Tana Lawn at Nomura House, Teramachi, Kyoto.

Walked away with a handful of sample-sized pre-cut Liberty Tana lawn (for dolly clothes). Honestly I can't identify some of the prints that I picked, but for the half that I do... Namely, "Glenjade" (in grey and navy), "Betsy" in blue, "Phoebe" in 2 multicoloured colourways, "Emma and Georgina" in a pretty multicoloured combination... These are some of my personal favourites from the Classics collection.

The haul of pre-cut Liberty Tana lawn from Nomura House, Teramachi, Kyoto (IG): (clockwise from top) "Glenjade" in grey and navy colourways, "Betsy" in blue, "Diane", Phoebe" in 2 multicoloured colourways, "Emma and Georgina", "Claire-Aude" in 3 colourways, and "Gloria Flowers" in yellow and pink colourways.

After some intense deliberating, I also bought 2m of "Poppy Dream" in blue. Now having some regrets that I decided against getting 2m of the "Small Susanna" in green. Japan also often has some Liberty Japan-only exclusive colourways or prints, so it's always worthwhile looking around.

Liberty Tana Lawn haul from Nomura House, Teramachi, Kyoto.

 

Also found some prints in colourways that are totally up Sheena's alley! So I got some for her as well, as she also loves Liberty prints.

Liberty Tana Lawn for Sheena ("Poppy Forest"/"Poppy and Daisy", "Emily", "Diane", and "Sarah" prints)

Overall, I think I exercised great prudence and fortitude to walk away with just this stash of Liberty when tempted with a WALL of it. But maybe...next time... And there are several other Kyoto sewing supplies shops listed in this Seamworker's Guide to Kyoto by Jenny Rushmore that I've shortlisted but have yet to visit.