We were lucky enough to travel to Japan and we spent a few days in Kyoto. I was keen to seek out the Misuyabari needle shop which is hidden away and quite difficult to find. I had read all about it on a blog I follow called Made by Melanie and decided to try and track it down. The shop used to supply needles to the imperial court and it is said it has been there for 360 years!
It was my birthday and we spent the morning in the Nishiki street market and shopping district marvelling at all of the unusual food available and drooling over the fabrics in the fantastic cornucopia that is Nomura Taylor. Sadly I didn't have space to bring any fabric home but did manage to buy a couple of patterns to recreate the marvellous unstructured dresses and jackets that Japanese women wear with such style.
The Misuyabari needle shop was hidden away through a courtyard and after much stumbling about and false starts we eventually found it at the end of an alley way situated at the back of a charming garden. These are the best directions I have found since I got home.
Two charming Japanese gentlemen - father and son I assume - helped me find a pair of scissors and a thread cutter both of which were to be my birthday gifts from my husband. I also bought a couple of the little hand crafted animal pins for a young friend of mine. They were so beautifully packaged it was a real treat to unwrap them when I got home. They are handcrafted and really beautiful, it is a delight to have such sharp blades as an addition to my sewing kit. I can't wait to tackle making my Japanese dress.
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