i recieved a fabulously packed parcel last week from yuko at patapri which was tied with the most unique knot and contained three of her hand printed towels. the gift wrapping is part of yuko's new passion for 'mizuhiki' which involves different coloured cords tied in a knot with a special meaning. for her 'paptapri' towels the graphic prints are screened onto cotton and the reverse side has a terry towel finish. available on etsy here or for more on yuko uemura visit the patapri blog.
i saw these wonderful tea towel prints by patapri on holly's amazing decor8 blog. i know they've been blogged quite a bit lately, but they are so good i just couldnt resist a post. they are available for sale on patapri's etsy shop priced at just $14.50, a great price for a hand printed design. see great photos and the full range of gorgeous prints here. absolutely brilliant.
today im taking at look at some kitchen textiles, beginning with someone we have covered before but not lately. the terrific yuko at patapri. i like nothing more than a repeated motif and if its put into a fab colour scheme, well then im in heaven. so for me looking at patapri's flickr photos is an absolute treat. she her website here, or buy from her etsy shop .
i have long admired the fun patterns of yuko uemura of patapri, who after some absence re-opened her webshop in october. yuko made a name for herself designing and hand printing tea towels, but has now expanded into hand towels, bags and aprons. she splits her time between tokyo and chicago but through etsy she sells her beautiful graphic prints all over the world.
whilst on the subject of patapri, there have been some lovely new designs added since we last featured yuko on print & pattern. i love the yellow and grey combination.
yuko at patapri has been working on a new bedlinen collection and has just listed the first (hopefully of many) designs, with a duvet cover and sham set featuring a cute apples print in her etsy shop.
everyones thoughts this week have surely been with japan following the earthquake and tsunami disaster which happened a week ago today. most of us in the design community are such fans and admirers of this great country - you only have to think of some of our favourite companies and designers such as kokka, decole, shinzi katoh, jeu de paumes, and many more. so naturally the community on etsy and blogs have reacted with donations and products to give relief aid. for example patapri designer yuko eumera (who thankfully was safe in yokosuka) is donating $5 from each towel sale in her etsy shop. quite often on a friday i'll post up some japanese finds and websites just for pure eye candy and as many japanese sites and businesses remain open i thought i'd do the same today and keep japan and its people in our thoughts.
above : the artful badger on etsy has raised over $300 for the red cross with badge sales so far. below : 'this and that from japan' are donating 15% of sales to save the children japan.
below : etsuko furya fabrics by kokka who have a statement on their website saying they and all their employees are safe.
below : more fabulous vintage finds can be found on fukuya where i've chosen just a small smattering below.
below : sunny style always comes up trumps with a selection of pop & cute zakka. 
below : markka sell a range of vintage and modern pieces with a scandinavian flavour. shown below are kitchen textiles from kauniste plus vintage mushrooms by astrid sampe and vegetables by marianne westman.
