Thursday, August 14, 2008

Sole-ful Slippers



The February/March 2008 issue of Home Companion magazine featured a slippers project created by Heather Ross. I’d saved the article to try this summer. There’s also an online version of the project here.



Heather’s fabric choices are adorable, but I immediately thought Japanese slippers and chose to use some fabrics from my stash. I bought the needed felted wool at Bella Quiltworks. I opted not to use the rick-rack because it doesn't go with my Japanese concept.



I thought it would be amusing to embroider my nick-name Japanese style using a kanji for each part of my name. It surprised me to discover that kanjis are pictograms of Chinese origin. I did the embroidery before assembling the slipper components.



The left shoe says June and the right kanji means Moon = June Moon. In researching kanjis for the months of the year, I discovered that the Japanese don’t really say “June” but say “sixth month”. So, I guess that makes me “Sixth Month Moon”. That’s kind of fun.

Update: Ge Bei Si left a helpful comment that the word for "month" is the same as "moon" so I am actually "Sixth Moon Moon." Thank you, Go Bei Si! I did notice the two kanjis were the same but was hesitant to make the association. As I'm not fluent in Japanese, I worried the whole kanji endeavor would come out as some horrid curse instead of my actual intent. This new alteration is another layer of fun because I'm a Gemini; being "Moon Moon" goes quite well with the astrological association.

18 comments:

Thimbleanna said...

Dear Sixth Month Moon -- those little slippers are adorable!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! How do they fit? Slippers I have sewn never feel right to me.

Lena said...

I love these! Your choice of fabrics and the kanji are inspired choices June. Perfect!

Anonymous said...

How very cool is that! I'm impressed!
Brenda

a pink-bee said...

Love this project and how your made it so special :)
It has been soooo super hectic around here am just starting to really get back to blogging and visiting :)
Have a happy day :)
crystal

Unknown said...

Love your slippers how cute are those!
Hugs

cherry said...

Hi there.......those slippers are sooo sweet. I love the name of your blog. I remember there being a young readers book by that name when I was a girl? Books are one of my loves as well. I have that romantic sewing book and love it. cherry

Anonymous said...

I love these! Are they comfy?
You are wonderful 6 month moon!
come see my bag!

Diana said...

I shouldn't be surprised that you can make slippers!! Wow, they are so cute. You can do anything!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Your slippers look very comfortable and very packable fro a trip. I like the sound of "six month June" :-)


Hugs, Pat

Stink Bone Jones said...

Super pretty! I read that article and thought, hmmm... I can't do that. I'm glad to see others can do those things. I can't sew. I love your pattern choice!

Anonymous said...

Oh they came out terrific - love them!
Mary
hoganfe handbags

CathyJean said...

Hi! June
Those slippers are sure beautiful! I'm still trying to catch up on all your vacation posts... very interesting!

The Foodie said...

Your blog, and your slippers are super cute! I will definitly tune in to see what else you are creating! Thanks for peeking in on my newly developing blog!

Anonymous said...

Actually, the word for "month" is the same as "moon" so you are "sixth moon moon." I don't speak Japanese, I speak Chinese, and you would pronounce it Liu Yue Yue.

African Kelli said...

oh holy moly those are the most beautiful thing! Thank you for sharing this!

Gumbo Lily said...

Moon Child,
Wonderful, adorable slippers. I must try too!

Jody

Laura said...

Those slippers are indeed eye catching and inspiring. Perhaps fabric always is able to get focused brightly than other objects. Though I am a regular user of Yeezy collection, I have to try to grab a pair for sure. Thank you very much for your quality share.