Coming from a background in design, graphics, metal arts, and leather work, Jenifer Nakatsu Arntson makes quality hand-built vinyl goods such as hand bags, wallets, checkbooks, and accessories. Her materials are animal-friendly and her finished products are stylish and modern. After working in leather for many years, Jen has switched to working entirely in vinyl but approaches design and construction with the same attention to detail, quality and function she learned when apprenticing to master-level leather craftsmen and metalsmiths. She is now an Austin-based artisan but has lived in Kyoto, St. Paul/Minneapolis, and Tokyo. Jen's work is also available in Austin, San Francisco and New York boutiques. Her website is www.nakatsudesign.com. Jen is also an active member of the Austin Craft Mafia, and Babes in Business Bonanza. When she is not at the studio, she is on her way there.
Three hand knits and my furry legwarmers. It’s warmed up from 27° to about 30°, the dog’s water dish is frozen solid. Glad to have a space heater in the studio! But I can’t glue in the studio (fumes + heater and lack of a box fan), the vinyl loses it’s flexibility when it’s this cold, and the sewing machine is a sluggish engine until it heats up.
It’s another cold day (40s-50s) I’m glad I have a space heater in the studio. I’ve been tidying up and getting all the pieces together for the vintage automotive vinyl tote bags I’m working on, but I think it’s too cold to glue outside, and the fumes if I do it in the studio are probably not safe (lack of ventilation, and flammable with a space heater.) Also, I wish I had a box fan to better ventilate when I’m gluing or painting inside the studio. Usually I just do it outside, but I’m at the mercy of the weather.
I finished two amigurumi projects while in Utopia, a Homer donut from Cute Crocheted Food (Emma Varnam) and a fortune cookie from Crochet Café (Lauren Espy). The donut took a couple of tries because I read the pattern wrong, and realized the directions in Cute Crocheted Food were in UK terms instead of US terms (dc=sc); and the fortune cookie is tiny because I used DK weight yarn instead of worsted (and a size 3.5mm instead of 4mm crochet hook) so I made it into a stick pin.
On New Year’s Day I made a list of my studio projects in progress, and wip’s (works in progress) and have been trying to work on finishing them whenever I’m taking a break from the studio, before starting new projects, and revisiting my wip list frequently.
I finished a latch hook kit I started Christmas of 2020 or 2019, and today I made a pillow case with an envelope style opening using some canvas that matched one of the leaves. It worked out great, and I was glad to have a walking foot sewing machine.
In the studio I organized the things I had in progress and made sure all the parts are together, and I will be finishing those projects too, fitting them in between the new pieces I’m starting. Sewing like the wind!
I am working on some new bags, and preparing for BGAB May Market. Many of the vinyls I have been using have been discontinued by the manufacturer. I’m working through my stash of vinyl, and the vintage automotive vinyl I have.
FrontBackVintage automotive vinyl pouch with boxed corners, fold at the bottom
Made some convertible grommet vinyl bags, 8.25” x 9.5” x 2” Depending how you pull the cord through the grommets you can have a 40” crossbody strap, or two 22” straps you can use as a shoulder/handbag. The black is a reptile print. The red, olive, and green bags are vintage automotive fabric, and limited to an edition of three/four bags, as much as I could make out of that vinyl I had.
I also made some 6”x7” adjustable strap essentials bag/pouches, and some 5”x7” Texas flag essentials bag (straps adjusts from 37” to 73” with cord lock.) Texas bags also available in Blue Genie Art Bazaar online shop.
Other photos: Vintage truck vinyl, and sequin textured zippies. Animal print zippies, card case, and billfold wallet. Black mesh zippies.
I’m sewing like the wind, the Blue Genie Art Bazaar started November 15 and is open 10am-10pm every day through December 23, and 10-6 December 24th at 6100 Airport Blvd. 200+ local artists in one place!
Vintage automotive vinyl convertible bagsOlive vintage automotive vinyl convertible bagsGreen vintage automotive vinyl convertible bagsRed vintage automotive vinyl convertible bagsBlack reptile print vinyl convertible bagsGreen vintage automotive vinyl convertible bag, in double strap mode Green vintage automotive vinyl convertible bag, in single strap modeTexas flag and other adjustable strap essentials bagsBlack reptile print and Texas flag adjustable strap essentials bagsVintage automotive truck vinyl and silver sequins textured zip pouchesTexas flag adjustable strap essentials bagTexas flag adjustable strap essentials bagAnimal print zippie pouches, billfold wallet, and card caseBlack mesh zippie pouches
After wearing my cargo pants yesterday and being spoiled by decent sized pockets (I could fit my phone in the front pocket, keys, and lipstick without it falling out when I sit) I’m pissed again about the pockets in my current pants, back pocket I can only put my hand up to my second knuckle in the back (might fit a lipstick but it would fall out) and the front ones, stuff keeps falling out when I sit. I think I lost my lip pencil!
I’m going to lengthen the pockets based on the cargo pants pockets, I don’t care if it ‘ruins the line of the pants, and adds bulkiness’ because as I always say, women’s pockets, when pants have them, are bullshit. And I don’t care if they make me look fat because I value function and comfort more. My son can fit a whole keyboard in his.
I’ve been gradually lengthening my pockets as I get to them, or wearing a fanny pack or apron, but had to go to a funeral Sunday and got pissed again about my pockets. I want to empower other women with decent pockets, so we can take over. That poem about seditious pockets comes to mind. Or at least carry phones and keys. Will post photos. #sewing #pockets #womenspants #clothingmods
Dangerous Coats” by Sharon Owens
Someone clever once said
Women were not allowed pockets
In case they carried leaflets
To spread sedition
Which means unrest
To you & me
A grandiose word
For commonsense
Fairness
Kindness
Equality
So ladies, start sewing
Dangerous coats
Made of pockets & sedition
Stupid fake pocketsPocket goals!Pockets will be added to this muchPocket lining, with add-onResewing lining to pants seam
I’ve been making repurposed banner bags with webbing handles as a collaboration with Blue Genie Art Bazaar using banners they have from past holiday bazaars and May Markets. They are large tote bags measuring 18”x16”, great size for an overnight, gym or swim bag, etc. The material is stiff enough that I have to wrestle it a bit in the corners to turn it right side out after sewing, so I don’t want to try smaller totes because of that from this material. There is a little bit of distressing due to these being used banners. I think they’ve turned out nicely.
They will be sold in their webstore after the bags are photographed and listed. They are kind of limited edition as the material is limited, for now I’ve cut as many bags as I can from the material I was given for this purpose.
Blue Genie Art Bazaar holiday banner bagsBack sides of those bagsBlue Genie Art Bazaar holiday banner bagsBack sides of those bagsMay Market banner bags
I took a granny square and Amigurumi 101 class with Austin Crochet Club and have been practicing with making Amigurumi, and improving my skills. Here are some things I’ve made:
Granny square scarfMy first Amigurumi heartJellyfishWoobles pigWoobles cactusBlue Genie and lamp in a dioramaShooting Star dishcloth/washclothRoof Tile dishcloth/washclothEranthis dishcloth/washcloth
I made the granny squares, heart, and jellyfish for my classes, everything else I’ve made on my own.
I’m really happy with the Blue Genie and lamp. Kevin put in a diorama for me, the background image of the tent is from a photo of the mural on Blue Genie Art studio in their old location, before it became Canopy.
I like the yarn that comes with the Woobles kits, it’s a knit cord that makes it easy to see the stitches, and I learned to always use stitch markers to keep track of the start of a round.
The dishcloths/washcloths are the Shooting Star, Roof Tile, and Eranthis patterns found on ravelry. I really liked the Circulo Anne cotton yarn I used on those. I’m using the same yarn in teal/turquoise to knit a cabled scarflette.
The Captain America was made after the jellyfish and the scale and my experience made it a challenging project. It’s not very good, I was still learning to change colors, and I should’ve waited until I was more skilled to tackle the kit.
My current project is making figurines for our friend Pedal Steel Noah, I made their dog Kara, and am working on dolls of Nate and Noah, working on their clothes today. The dolls were challenging making the arms (4st) and legs (6st) because they were so small it was hard to keep a consistent stitch count, I had to keep counting. The arms I ended up crocheting around the pipe cleaners because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get the pipe cleaners into them if I waited to add them, and I’m not happy with the way they look. But every project is a learning experience.
Captain America from a Marvel kitNoah and Nate, in progressPedal Steel Noah, Nate, and KaraKara as an Amigurumi stuffie
I bought some cute vinyl from a designer that had leftover from an upholstery job, and made some card case wallets. Zippies coming up next!
And I am mostly done with a pair of socks (just need to do the second heel), knit toe up with an afterthought heel, knit two at a time using a long circular (magic loop.) Got a little bit of laddering, maybe using a longer circular than what I was using would improve the next pair. Trying to use up yarn in my stash. Pattern is Vanilla Socks (Toe Up & Afterthought Heel) Ravelry link
Also helping work on a project for a SXSW client. Weather has been amazing, temperate after a few cold days, but it’s going to rain over the weekend/next week, wrapping up some painting and staining outdoors.
