Friday, October 20, 2006

developing a Tomato addiction

I'm just about to start snipping and realized I already want to go back! I finally bought some fabric yesterday in Nippori, a neighbourhood know as "fabric town" and oh wow, can you get deals there! Anyone who sews will appreciate this: 100 yen, aka a bit less than a dollar, per metre! For those who aren't familiar with the textile market, this is DIRT cheap!

I have to admit that yesterday was my second visit and far more successful than my first. See I had gone to Nippori last Saturday and checked out many, many different shops but there were so many people swarming the 100 yen shelves at Tomato (the best/cheapest of the fabric town stores) that I just got stressed and discouraged and left empty-handed, deciding to return during the week.

And sure enough, late yesterday afternoon the crowds were much thinner. I scored enough tangerine (yes tangerine, we needed COLOR in that room!) sheer material for the 6.5 metre wide, ceiling to floor, livingroom/diningroom window wall (you can understand why I was looking for a deal!) for just under, get this, $25 bucks! I also found the fabric to cover our dreaded farmhouse-plaid den sofa for less than $20. On a bit of a high, I got a few metres of a heavy black denimy stuff for around $3 that will make great canvas (I'm thinking of taking up painting again) and then for under $2 I got a couple of metres of black veil fabric to supplement my Halloween costume.

Of course I had to endure what I'm pretty sure was a public humiliation to score my prizes, but hey, what you don't understand can't hurt you much. The man who served me at the shop, probably encouraged by my ordering in (broken) Japanese, decided to yatter all kinds of stuff at me. When I smiled and shrugged and told him "Wakarimasen," (I don't understand) rather than stop talking to me, which is what usually happens, he continued even louder and soon his colleague and the surrounding customers were all having a good giggle.

Despite this suspected mockery, I think I'll be visiting Tomato on a semi-regular basis and maybe honing my sewing skills a bit (ie., venturing past curtains and pant hems)! In fact... the addiction rears its head...I have to go back next week to get some filmy white material to make ghosts for the kid's Halloween party I'm helping organize. Maybe I'll try to bring a Japanese-speaking Canadian to catch the joker in the act!

Comments:

My God Carol, you are so funny.
Ha, ha, ha. Can't wait to see pictures with your new decorations. It is cheap indeed, I would get addicted to this too. Here, in Canada I had to restrain myself, it's too expensive. And again, don't forget to place yourself somewhere in the house.
:-)
Have a wonderful week-end!
 
I had to laugh when I read this post because when I first read the title, I thought you were going to write about your love affair with ketchup or with spaghetti sauce!
You never cease to amaze me with your multi-talents and endless energy! Good for you for finding all that fab fabric and looking forward to hearing more about your creations!
 
Another Alain Look-alike :o)

http://tetesaclaques.tv/video.php?vid=30
 
Oh MAN, that is absolutely HYSTERICAL!

Thanks whoever you are!
 
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