Category: Travel

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May Update (plus some other months)

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It’s been a minute. I’ve still been making, but sharing feels kinda weird. Here’s some stuff that I’ve been busying my hands and mind with…

New Zealand Possum Scarf

A person holding a knitted swatch in olive green yarn, seated on a wooden surface with a patterned fabric in the background.
Close-up of knitted pieces in progress using olive green possum yarn on a patterned blanket.

While in New Zealand in March, I bought this possum yarn in the most perfect color. If you want to learn what the hell possum yarn is, here’s a pretty thorough blog post.

Graphite Ingrid Top

A person with curly hair smiles while sitting on a couch, gently petting a small, shaggy dog beside them.
A knitted black top with a textured pattern laid on a colorful patterned surface.
A close-up of a knitted top in progress, draped over a couch, next to a blue bag and knitting needles.

I finally finished this knitted top. Good grief, this pattern. You can read more about why it was such a slog to finish it here. Some additional notes on this pattern are that I redid the neckline picking up every 2 out of 3 sts instead of as instructed and used a different cast off method for both the neckline and hem. The first neckline attempt flipped out at the back and the thought of having to sew the entire hem this way made me want to light it on fire. I used a stretchy knit bind-off method from an Ozetta pattern instead.

Some Ceramics

A handmade ceramic mug with a textured, brown and yellow glaze, sitting on a wooden shelf among other pottery and colored pencils.
A green ceramic pot holding various art supplies like pencils and markers, placed next to other decorative pots on a wooden shelf.
A close-up of a textured orange ceramic mug held in a hand, with a patterned cushion and a colorful blanket in the background.
A handmade green ceramic mug filled with tea or coffee, sitting on a textured teal surface beside a patterned cushion.

I think I’m finally finding a rhythm at the pottery studio. I’ve made several mugs, pots, and bowls, all while using new-to-me clay bodies and paint-on glazes. I even made my first nerikomi project.

A pottery workspace featuring a wooden table with various clay materials, a bowl of black clay, a sketchbook with floral designs, and a digital scale.
A workspace featuring a small bowl made of grey clay filled with black powder, accompanied by a jar of liquid and a dropper, with additional clay objects in the background.
Four different colored clay pieces on a wooden table with various pottery tools and materials in the background.

The studio I’m a member at doesn’t allow dry media like mason stains, so I had to do this in my garage with a respirator on. It was messy, but I’m definitely getting better at wedging!

A handmade ceramic mug with a patterned design, resting on a wooden surface beside a yellow sponge and tools for pottery, with plastic wrap in the background.

I’m really hoping this little nerikomi mug stays together as it dries. I also need to figure out how to clean it up a bit. The clay was really wet, so some of the black clay created a film on the unstained parts. This process was slow, but I’m really excited to explore this technique more!

I’ve been sewing a little too, but nothing is photographed 🙂

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Two Weeks in Japan

Just got back from a whirlwind two weeks in Japan (Tokyo > Kyoto > Osaka > Hakone > Tokyo) and thought I’d share some of the treats I brought back.

Okadaya Shinjuku is a multi-level shop that carries SO MUCH CRAFT STUFF. I somehow managed to miss all of the fabric they clearly offer, but did have a lot of fun wandering the floors of buttons, notions, yarn, sewing machines, etc. I bought some bias and knit tapes and some cute embroidery stickers (top row).

WALNUT Tokyo + Kyoto are stores by the brand Amirisu. I bought a couple skeins of hand-dyed worsted weight yarn and then one skein of this baby yak yarn that I thought was DK but is actually worsted weight… oops (bottom row).

Pigment Tokyo is a really cool art supply store that also hosts workshops. I refrained from buying all the things and just walked away with this little paint dish (bottom row).

Nippori Fabric Town is a whole dang district of textile stores. Truthfully, I get very overwhelmed in stores like these, so I didn’t end up buying any fabric on this trip. These are some pics of fabrics I thought about though.

I bought these little money envelopes near the Nishiki Market in Kyoto. They’re from the early Shōwa period (~1930s) and I think they’ll look cool framed together.

We also took a very guided ceramics workshop at Kiyomizudera Studio near the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. We’ll get our goods in 10 weeks!

I packed a mostly me-made suitcase that featured this new waffle Marlo cardigan, Shop pants, Drew headband, and multiple Orlando tops. I also made 3 Dawson tops out of Merino jersey for the trip.

We did a lot more, but I’m limiting this post to making-related stuff… except I’m gonna tell you to go visit the Asakura Museum of Sculpture before I end this post!

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Logbook Abroad

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My main goal for 2018 was to Draw More. It wasn’t until mid-May and after re-reading Austin Kleon‘s book, Steal Like An Artist, that I was able to figure out how to make it an almost daily thing. I’m so glad I started this practice. I’m so humbled by the challenge of keeping it up, especially when traveling.

These pages include our trip to Belgium and France:

I didn’t bust out my Shinola Sketchbook as much as I thought I would. BUT I did draw a few things and that’s a win.

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Honeymooning in Handmade

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I had a huge boost in sewing productivity this summer break. Once I’d cranked out a few pieces, the idea to create an entire summer travel capsule for our honeymoon overwhelmed my time off.

Day 1 | Thursday/Friday | SFO to Paris to Brussels

Modified Shirt No. 1 with sash and Making Backpack.

Day 2 | Saturday | Brussels

Maya Top with cuffs, self-drafted linen culottes, and Making Backpack.

Day 3 | Sunday | Brussels

Peppermint Magazine Drawstring Shorts and Set Sail Hat.

Day 4 | Monday | Bruges

Modified Shirt No. 1 dress and Making Backpack.

Day 5 | Tuesday | Brussels to Paris

Shirt No. 1, self-drafted linen culottes, and Making Backpack.

Day 6 | Wednesday | Paris

Maya Top with cuffs over Willow Tank hack dress.

Day 7 | Thursday | Paris

Morning: Cropped Willow Tank, Peppermint Magazine Drawstring Shorts, and Making Backpack.

Day 7 | Thursday | Paris

Evening: Willow Hack Dress.

Day 8 | Friday | Paris to SFO

Modified Shirt No. 1 dress and Making Backpack.

The neutral color palette allowed for a decent amount of mixing and matching. Four tops, two dresses, culottes, shorts, two scarves, one sun hat, and three pairs of footwear worked out perfectly for eight days. I also brought a RTW jean jacket for cool mornings and evenings.

I even made my husband a Fairfield Button-up for the trip! We had two fancier events (dinner on the Seine and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Sainte Chapelle) which required more put-together looks. Otherwise I wouldn’t have needed the third pair of shoes. His shirt still needs buttonholes/buttons on the cuffs, but he wears the sleeves rolled up most of the time so it wasn’t a huge deal I couldn’t get them in before the trip.

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Brussels + Bruges + Paris

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Spent a lovely week in three cities.  So much art. So many pan au chocolat.

There will be another post about my logbook and another about my handmade travel capsule soon!