Travelling Bunnies - The Search for Coffee, More Shopping & Osaka Wildlife (Day 7)

Hello Bunneh Lovers! Tonight is our last night in Osaka & we need to pack so this post will be short on words and big on pictures (^_^)

In our ongoing search for good coffee this is the best we have found.

 We slept in (bliss) and then hit the streets for more shopping. After breakfast we explored a craft shop on the second floor of the Daimaru South building in Shinsaibashi Suji, so Cloud could look for yarn. They had lots of yarn but Cloud didn't know how much to get (they sell it in 10g lots off big skeins) so didn't buy any.

Japanese school girls have much more interesting uniforms than we ever had.

Shin Saibashi Suji shopping arcade

We also went back to the Bodyline outlet where Cloud bought her strawberry Lolita shoes. We got busted trying on a jacket by one of the staff members. She said "No try. No try." That meant "No buy. No buy." for us. Japanese styles are so differently cut than Western clothes there was no way were buying clothes without making sure they would fit first. The store did give us inspiration for the types of fabric we could be stocking for the Goth / Lolita / Cosplay crowd though!

Next was back to Otsukaya to pick up the fabric that we couldn't carry yesterday. Last night we worked out how much of our luggage allowance was left so that we could fill to capacity. We bought more lace trim - pink with embroidered cherries, skulls and spiders. We raced back to the hotel, dropped off our loot and went straight back out again.

Cloud got herself a new hairdo and also some shoes for her Usaggie doll. Then back on the subway and off to Umeda for a quick trip to Kinokuniya Books, Yodobashi Camera and Vie de France for a maple scone.

On the way home we checked out the Osaka wildlife.

Isn't it pretty?

Now it's off to pack, weigh our luggage again, see how much we can cram into carry-on and get ready to fly home tomorrow night. If we can get free Wi-Fi in the airport tomorrow night we will post again.

~ Cloud & Ky

Fabric Fiday: Bunny Goth

The first of our Bunny Goth range has arrived and is available online and in our Coorparoo Markets store.

Bunny Goth in Graveyard Grey and Ghostly Grey

Bunny Goth - Scatter Spot

Bunny Goth - Pinstripe Bones Ghostly White

Bunny Goth - Stripe Graveyard Grey

Pink range to follow in January.

- Ky

Etsy Favourite - Astaire the Hypno-Bunny

Our Etsy favourites list is quite large, there is a lot of very talented handcrafters out there. We thought that we should show off some of these awesome items.

One of our favourite Etsy stores is Static White's Stichery where you you will find OOAK (one of a kind) ornaments, art dolls, unique clothing, accessories, home decor, & more... All created with an artistic eye, stitches like sutures & a wee touch of madness.

This little feller recently caught our eye, let us introduce Astaire, the Hypno-Bunny w- Felt Carrot Knife Plush by Static White's Stichery.

 

Astaire is approx 9.5" (24.13cm) tall from head to toe (not including ears) and has an awesome carrot knife...

and look at his little tail, so cute.

 

- Ky and Cloud

Spoonflower Fabric of the Week: Vampires

A new fabric design for this weeks fabric of the week comp at Spoonflower. This is the first in what we hope will be a series of toys based on Squee Bunny. The title of the series is Dress up With Squee and this is Count Squeecular. Each toy is printed on a fat quarter and all you have to do is cut, sew and stuff.

We are please as punch over how he turned out and are eagaly awaiting our test fabric to arrive.

What do you think?

If you would like to vote for Squee head over to the voting page at Spoonflower. The designs appear in a different order for each person who votes in the contest.

Vote by clicking on the images of Count Squeecular. It is called Dress Up With Squee - Count Squeecular by voodoorabbit. A green box will appear around the design you select for voting. Your vote is submitted only after you reach the end of the voting pages and click the button to submit your vote.

- Ky

Another Kustom Kraft Market Over

Papa Squee and his clan of mini Squees

On Sunday we attended the last Kustom Kraft market to be held in Brisbane for a while as the organiser is moving down to Melbourne. The Kustom Kraft Market was the first market that we ever held a stall at back in November last year, we have certainly come a long way since then.

We have had to rethink our stall layout again, we now have so much fabric that we just don't have car space to take it all anymore (plus we were one car down on Sunday since my little Torana had broken down a few days before). For future markets we will be displaying all of the fabric that we have meterage for on the front rack and the rest will be available as fat quarters only.

The last of Cloud's Voodoo Rabbit plushies sold and we have discontinued them in favour of the felt Squee bunnys. If anyone is interested we may release the Voodoo Rabbits as a pattern.

The Sugar Shakers

The Sugar Shakers were the first of the three bands that played during the day, because of the rain the bands were set up inside the hall. Each band was good but as they progressed they seemed to get louder, as you can imagine in a small hall this was a bit hard on the ears. The other two bands were The Vampers and Graveyard Rumble.

There was also a food available for the first time ever, the Greaser Burger was awesome.

- Ky

Fabric Friday: Puebla

For those of you that love to celebrate Halloween & the Day of the Dead we have in stock Puebla by Alexander Henry. This design is super bright and colourful  - just like a sugar skull should be. The skulls are approximately 7.5cm / 3in high so they really make a statement.

This fabric would make excellent bunting or a festive Halloween table runner.

Ky & Cloud

Fabric Friday: Circus at Night

Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my! The circus is in town - carousels, ballerinas, elephants, monkeys - they are all featured on this fabulous printed cotton from Cosmo Textiles, Japan.

When I first saw this fabric in Japan I just knew that we had to stock it. We initially only picked up a small amount but we have just received another shipment which means that there is more than enough for any project you can think of.

There is just something about this fabric that makes my want to make it into ruffles. How old do you have to be before you are too old to wear a ruffle skirt?

-Ky

Ghastly Bats Now Available

Ghastly Bats from Alexander Henry has arrived in store.

Hand drawn by Phillip De Leon (co-owner of Alexander Henry Fabrics) these fabrics are part of the Ghastlies Halloween range. We have more designs from this range on order and they are scheduled for delivery in August.

Cloud has demanded that I make her a circle skirt or fifties dress out of this fabric. I told her she can make it herself. I'd better supervise though because Cloud has had mixed results with clothes making. Rabbits are fine. Clothes, not so much :P

Like all Alexander Henry products this fabric is of a very high quality and can be used for dressmaking, craft, quilting... anything you can think of really.

Ky

Fabric Friday: Bambi Goth

Today we are featuring another of the awesome fabrics that we bought back from Japan. Kawaii deer, skulls and cherries feature on this heavy weight cotton drill from Cosmo Textiles, we have nicknamed it Bambi Goth.

The coolest thing about this fabric is that it is reversible! That's right it is reversible, with a different design on the back.

Reversible fabrics are fantastic for anything with cuffs, roll ups or pockets - like a very sweet pair of shorts for your toddler, a cute skirt for a little girl, a reversible tote bag, a hat, a corset...

All of these items would only require a small amount of fabric, or you can stretch it further but using small sections as embellishments or feature panels on almost any handmade or pre-purchased item.

If you have purchased this item and made something out of it ,we would love to see!

Ky and Cloud

Fabric Friday: A Little Bit Goth

At Voodoo Rabbit we like to think of ourselves as a "little bit goth" so when we were shopping for fabric in Japan we just had to get this beautiful print from Kokka. Gothic crosses and french style fleur de lys - a winning combination in our eyes!

Crosses & Fleur de Lys by Kokka

It is a Cotton (45%) Linen (55%) blend and the heavy weight of the fabric would make it perfect for bag making or homewares. You could even use if for more structured garments like a skirt or a corset.

This fabric, designed by Etsuko Furuya for Kokka's Echino range is absolutely stunning. Her Cobweb design would have to be one of our all time favourites and it is the reason we decided to hunt down Kokka fabrics to include in our range.

Echino Cobweb by Kokka

All fabrics are available from here.

Click on the 'Kokka' button under 'Fabrics by Brand' to see the whole range of these delicious fabrics.

Cloud

Wishlist Wednesday

Continuing with the vampire/true love forever theme, here are some awesome products to die for.

A cute little vampire bat flutters into your bedroom window, but is he as harmless as he looks?

Batling Pin Brooch - Purple Red by Static White's Stitchery

Suddenly an ominous shadow appears on your wall, who's there?

Nosferatu Shadow Vinyl Wall Art Graphic Horror Vampire by PillBoxDesigns

The next thing you know there is a creepy dead guy proclaiming you as his long lost love and offering you his heart. Hopefully not quite this literally.

I GIVE YOU MY HEART... by Midnitemuse

How will the story end?
With a broken heart...

Sutured heart necklace sterling silver by idlehandsdesigns

in a bloody mess...

Red/Silver Glitter Blood choker Necklace Extra Drippy-Dark by Von Erickson

...or married happily ever after?

Cirque De Noir black and white veil by Sisters Of The Moon

Ky

My Creative Space

My creative space (and my dining table) was completely taken over by Cloud. This last week she has been busy finalising the design of her Rabbit Plushie. He has been an ongoing project of hers for at least six months now. There were a number of attempts before she was happy with him.

This one was the first 'non-stumpy' version:

Sacrificial bunny (he just doesn't know it yet)

He got his legs chopped off & and became part of the bunny carnage below:

Bunny carnage

The bunny propped against the sewing machine also was pulled apart - Cloud wasn't happy with his legs / feet. After one final design alteration to his legs, Cloud cut out the final pattern and got him ready to sew. He looked a bit Hellraiser at this point:

All pinned up and ready to sew

Finished, photographed and ready to be listed.

He's now done! It is always funny whenever Cloud sews. Sometimes it can be a total disaster. Then the crazy creative impulses she buries away in her brain manifest themselves and we end up with our Voodoo Rabbit Plushie. He is going to be sold in our new store - Voodoo Rabbit Stitches - which will be just for our handmade items.

Ky

Sleeveless Shirt with Side Lacings

I have finally managed to find time to sew something new for myself. I've actually had this shirt cut out for a month or more and thought it was time to get around to sewing it.

I got the idea for lacing up the sides of the shirt from a book I was flicking through at a book shop, I can't for the life of me remember the name of the book. It was something along the lines of anticraft or alternative sewing and is showed how to alter an op-shop shirt to have lace up sides. I decided I would make the shirt since I can never find anything that I am specifically looking for in op-shops.

The main fabric is a poly/cotton blend in a very nice red that is really difficult to photograph, it always looks really washed out. It also has a fine black pinstripe running through it. Ever since I first saw this fabric I wanted to make a shirt out of it. The binding and collar are all out of a fabric that I found in my stash that was of a similar weight and feel to the red fabric, I have no idea what it is nor where I got it from.

I used New look pattern 6704 view D (without the pockets) as the basis for the shirt.


I made a size 10 but since finishing the shirt and wearing it for a day I think it is a little too big around the top and perhaps an inch or two too long, I really should have done a quick tissue fit first.

There are 44 eyelets in total, each one was set using a hammer, it took two hours. Very tedious. I think that I really should buy a better eyelet setting tool. I currently use a hemline one but it is made of plastic and when you are doing such a large quantity of eyelets the tool gets destroyed pretty quickly and you end up with wonky eyelets.

I couldn't find any ribbon in my sewing box and I didn't want to go out and buy something so I decided to make the lacing from 12mm poly cotton bias tape that I folded in half and sewed together. I think it worked quite well. The buttons were originally intended for my jacket but since I changed the buttons for the jacket I have quite a few of these buttons available.

Brand New! Voodoo Rabbit Fabric: Spidery Web Black

We have a new fabric available for sale on our Spoonflower shop - a simple black spiderweb pattern over a plain background (the colour of the base cloth). We showed the sample of this at Kustom Krafts last weekend and it received a good response so we decided to make it available for purchase.

It is based on my orange and purple spiderweb Halloween design (also available on Spoonflower).

The initial orange and purple design came into being as an entry for Spoonflower's Halloween themed Fabric of the Week competition. I've always liked spider web patterning and one of my favourite fabrics is a black spiderweb lace. I bought it from Spotlight once but have never been able to find it again. As soon as we track some down we'll be stocking it though.

I plan to make a few more colour variations of the spider web design soon - we've had a request for the black web on a fluro zombie green background. Leave a comment with any other colour combinations you think would look good or just let us know what you think of the design.

Gosu Rori Jacket - Finished

I finally managed to finish my gosu rori jacket. This is possibly one of the most complex sewing projects that I have undertaken and I must say that I am quite pleased with the results. I think that the finished item looks awesome and the fit is pretty good as well. I actually finished the jacket and then decided that it was too big around the bust so I took it in another 2cm on each side. Luckily the lining is not attached at the bottom and I had fairly easy access to the side and sleeve seams.

On the front there are 7 x 15mm Skull and Bone buttons with another 3 on each sleeve.

The back is by far more interesting than the front of the jacket. It has been laced with velvet ribbon and I have used 2 x Skull and Bones 22mm metal buttons on the back waistband.

What I have learnt is:

if you think it is too big when you are constructing the garment there is a good chance that you are right and perhaps this is a better time to re size it than when you have finished.

• make sure that the sleeves are the right way around before you sew them in, unpicking black cotton from black fabric is quite difficult.
• always use pinking shears on lining fabric to stop the fraying.
• read the instructions as you go so that you don't have to unpick the back seam, waistband seams and top stitching to add the loops for the lacing.

It's almost summer here in Brisbane (31 degrees Celsius today) so I won't get to wear this jacket until February next year when I head to Japan with Cloud. It will be the end of winter in Japan then so this jacket will be perfect!