Today's blog will be written by Iino, who is in charge of production management and sales.
I love handicrafts, so from now on I'll be posting random posts about things I've made using umbrella fabric.
Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Most of Komiya Shoten's umbrellas are made using Koshu weave fabric.
This is a precious umbrella fabric that can only be woven in Yamanashi at a rate of 4 to 5 meters per day.
For more information about Koshu weaving , please click here.
The finished fabric is inspected and waterproofed before being completed, but not all of it can be used in products.
Woven fabrics inevitably have defects such as pulled or lost threads, uneven dyeing, and stains.
In particular, the umbrellas at Komiya Shoten are carefully inspected by craftsmen at the beginning of production, so depending on the bolts of fabric, only half of one bolt may be used in the product.
This "I Made It" project was started with the idea of finding a way to make use of these bolts of cloth.
Although we use fabrics with scratches, many of them are barely noticeable from the outside, and from an eco-friendly point of view, we hope to be able to sell them as an outlet item in the future, so we hope you will continue to support us.
This is the first time we will be introducing "mask cases"
It has become extremely useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I often use it when eating or when I take my mask off for a moment.
I would like to try making this simply using the Koshu woven umbrella fabric "Plaid" .
The finished product looks like this.
The umbrella fabric is waterproof, so it's fine even if it gets wet, and it's more breathable than plastic cases, making it easy to use!
Creation procedure
1. Prepare the fabric by cutting it to the size of an umbrella by a craftsman, then cut it to the size of a nonwoven mask you normally use, width + 8cm and length x 2 + 2cm.
*The +8cm on the side is for attaching the snaps at the end and for the seam allowance.
*The height will be twice the size of the mask as it will be created in a loop shape, with a 2cm margin.
*The fabric does not fray much when cut, so the edges have not been finished.
2. Turn it right sides out, fold it in half lengthwise and sew 0.5 cm on both ends.
*This time, we wanted to show the check pattern on the front, so we have written the front as the back.
3. Turn it inside out and sew the edges.
4. Snap the center about 1 cm from the edge and it's done.
The snaps were attached using a machine that I normally use to make umbrellas.
It can be folded vertically so it fits in your pocket and is very handy.
By changing the size, it can also be used as a three-dimensional mask case.
(When you pull out the ear straps, it looks like a mini bag.)
I would like to continue challenging myself to create things using damaged pieces like this.
