Seeing our selection of Japanese fabric, a customer, who turned out to be an avid quilter, exclaimed, "Oh, fat quarters!"
...which raised about 3 question marks on the top of my head. Fat quarters???
I asked and she kindly explained. "In the quilting world, these are called fat quarters," she declared, pointing at the fabric "end-cuts". For lack of a better term, we had coined the word "end-cut", which had simply been a direct translation of the Japanese hagire (端切れ), to refer to these strips of fabric. (We had previously introduced them in this blog post: http://theikebanashop.posterous.com/japanese-fabric-end-cuts )
A standard roll of fabric is 44" wide. Fabric is normally purchased by the yard (36"). So a yard gives you a piece of cloth that's 44" x 36" big. If you want a regular quarter, then you'll get a cut that's 44" wide and only 9" long. Now, a "fat quarter" is when you cut the width in half and a yard-length in half as well...which gives you 22" x 18"...which is still a quarter of the basic yard, only "fatter". Apparently, quilters prefer fat quarters because they are able to cut bigger chunks of fabric for their purposes.
Now, our Japanese fat quarters are a little chubbier, measuring around 22" x 20" ...which makes sense because 20" is about 50cm. And because Japan uses the metric system, these cuts are probably quarter meter (as opposed to yard)!
Later on.... Feeling like a child with a new toy, I put this fresh knowledge to the test. Another customer came to buy a Japanese quilting book. Said it was a present for his mother who loves quilting. So I mentioned casually, "Oh, we have fat quarters too." He knew exactly what I was talking about and said he would bring his mom to the shop next time! Joy! I almost felt like an "Insider"...but reality is I am still just a "name-dropper"! (^_^)
(All photos and illustrations by the ikebana shop. All rights reserved.)
Those of us who carry around a pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses in our bags know how important it is to protect them from getting scratched or bent. Here is something functional yet pretty!
Hard-shell case with felt lining. Outside, it's wrapped in chirimen rayon fabric in colourful patterns.
Which design do you like?
Made in Japan. $9.95 each (CAD) plus HST where applicable.
Available at the shop or by mail order.
(Photos by the ikebana shop. All rights reserved.)
Does your Mom have a sweet tooth? Our chocolate truffles in a can could be the perfect Mother's Day gift! They're no ordinary cans either.
This is a tea canister that we've wrapped in Japanese paper with a chiyogami accent and an ornamental mizuhiki (Japanese paper cord) crane ornament. Makes an elegant gift! Each can contains 10 different truffle flavours.
Or, you may prefer the cute lucky cat cans....in two styles. Same contents: 10 different truffles inside.
The chocolate truffles are made by Truffini of BC, Canada. They are very popular in the West Coast but apparently very few places have them in the East. By the way, they are the same guys who make our Matcha Chocolate bars. We happily taste-tested each truffle too and can confidently say that they are good! http://halifax-immigrant-lite.posterous.com/shop-log-taste-testing
Here are the truffle flavours. (Note: Caramel Mocha not included in the cans.)
Transform your cocktail smokies with wiener cutters!
Here are a few tips:
1. Put the sausages in the freezer for about 20 minutes before using. This "hardens" them up so they are easier to cut.
2. Add a thin layer of cooking oil on the sausage before cutting. This helps make a smooth extraction.
3. Slice off any tied ends of the sausage.
4. Grill in pan or boil the sausages after cutting.
Available in four shapes: octopus, crab, tulip and penguin. Made in Japan.
Available at the shop or by mail order. Octopus, $3.50 each. Crab, tulip and penguin, $4.50 each. In Canadian dollars and subject to HST where applicable
(All photos by the ikebana shop. All rights reserved.)
Mottainai is the Japanese word that refers to that feeling of regret when something is wasted. It is this spirit that drives Aiko Handbags to create these beautiful bags and pouches out of used kimono and obi fabric. Each one is hand-made. Aiko carefully selects and matches different fabrics to come up with tasteful yet functional bags.
It is a tradition in Japan to never waste a beautiful kimono. Even when it became too damaged and stained to wear, many would unpick the kimono and use it to make other accessories such as bags, pincushions and brooches, in order to preserve the beauty and hard work that goes into the creation of each and every kimono. That is what we strive to do every day here at Aiko Handbags, to preserve the art and beauty that is the kimono in modern, useful and practical ways.
No two purses will ever turn out the same. The pattern on the fabric will never fall in the same place twice and the amount of fabric in that particular pattern is very limited, yielding only one, occasionally two bags.
So who is Aiko? She is a young mother who hails from Nova Scotia but who has a great love for Japanese culture. She chose the name Aiko (meaning "well-loved" or "beloved"), a beautiful and feminine name that expressed her feelings about each and every handbag she creates.
I've had a love for Japanese culure since I was in school, starting with anime, manga and J-pop, then growing into more traditional Japanese culture, such as kitsuke (the art of dressing in kimono), tsumamikanzashi (hair ornaments), and I chose to work with kimono fabric out of a simple love and appreciation for this beautiful textile, and a need to share it with others.
Small pouches for cosmetics and what-not.
Clutch bags made from obi (left) and cotton summer kimono (right).
Bigger carry bags too!
See more of Aiko Handbags at the shop. All hand-made in Nova Scotia.
(All photos by the ikebana shop. All rights reserved.)
After watching the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi, we got to thinking how similar ikebana is to sushi.
The film was subtitled in English but two important words were not translated but kept in the Japanese original: umami and shokunin.
Umami has almost become a loanword (just like "sushi"!) incorporated in the English language. It normally refers to the "savoriness" of food. The different tastes and aromas of the ingredients are carefully combined then presented to provide a superb culinary experience. We learn the paradox: the simpler the food, the more difficult it is to prepare! What can be more simple, more minimalist than simply putting uncooked fish on rice? Yet we realize, it is not that easy. The fish needs to be sliced just so; the rice needs to be steamed with the correct pressure; the temperatures of rice and fish when the sushi is served should be just right, etc. Ikebana is also very simple...a few branches, a few flowers. Every one of them has its place in the arrangement. Nothing more, nothing less. We often use the analogy of a choir vs a duet. In a big singing group, if one person sings off-key, he can actually stay "hidden" and perhaps lip-sync. The performance is not affected all that much. In a duet, if one person sings out of tune, then the whole performance is ruined. In a huge bouquet of flowers, an errant bloom could be hiding somewhere in the back but still the arrangement would be OK. In ikebana, a single misplaced stem will be fatal. Jiro's style of sushi is similar...it is just sushi set on a plain black lacquer plate. No fancy decorations, no distractions...only umami. When we view a good ikebana arrangement, like putting one of Jiro's sushi in our mouths, we experience a kind of umami.
(Photo by the ikebana shop. All rights reserved.)
Loosely translated, the word shokunin means "craftsman". But the film did not use the English word. To grasp the Japanese sense of the word, we must think of the craftsman of medieval times, when one traversed long years from apprentice to journeyman to finally, master craftsman. One's craft was one's life. A shokunin practices his craft, day in day out. Yet it is not a mere repetition of motions, not mass production. Be it a sheet of washi (Japanese paper), a samurai sword or a bamboo basket, every piece contains a part of the shokunin's spirit. Every time the shokunin creates something, he is always thinking of how he can make it better. He is forever perfecting his craft. So it is with Jiro. After more than 70 years of making sushi, he still thinks there is room for improvement. He was once told that sushi was a very old cuisine and whatever could be improved had already been done. He disagrees and continues to work on his "craft" and even dreams about it (thus, the title of the film!) There is no shortcut to becoming a shokunin. It is not a matter of taking the required courses and getting the diploma. The skill and instinct cannot be put down in a textbook. They are honed only by never-ending practice.
In ikebana, you may be doing the basic variations over and over again. It could look like you are doing the same thing, but really each one is different. No two branches will ever be identical, just as no two seasons will be the same. Every arrangement is a new encounter, a new challenge. Anyone can follow the rules and arrange the branches in the proper lengths and angles...in the same way as anyone can cook rice and put a slice of fish on top...but the person with shokunin spirit sees beyond this. Always the question is how I can entice all the beauty out of what I have in front of me. The ikebana master will have conversations with the flowers. She gently coaxes the plants to show her their best faces, their preferred angles. This cannot be learned from reading the textbook...the only way is through practice, perseverance and proper guidance from someone who has been on the same journey.
One last word: Do not watch this film on an empty stomach! (^_^)
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi. Directed by David Gelb. Magnolia Pictures, 2011.
