Thursday 8 April 2010

bags, bags and more bags.....

Well, I think we are ready, all the bags made, everything labelled with his name, class and his own button or sticker. I think this post will have different effects on people, those who have already been through it will probably be sitting there with a big smirk on their face, knowing that they have already survived the madness. Those that are not in Japan will be shaking their head in disbelief and those in Japan who have yet to encounter the yochien experience will either pack up and move overseas or vow never to have kids!

Shall we begin?
So, the first 3 bags are kept together and so they have to be the same size but different fabrics so that the child can easily pick up the right bag, they have to have only one drawstring.
The first one contains these plastic shaped pieces, each piece has to have his name and sticker on it.


This is his ohajiki bag, they are like flat marbles and yes, every one (all 77 of them) have to have his sticker on.


This stripy number is the harmonica bag, needs a gauze to clean it with.



This is bento set, these have to be the same fabric design, a bag for his cup, another for his bento box & chopsticks/spoon (this bag has to have two drawstrings) and 3 napkin/mats which have to be a specified size to fit on the tray. Of course, everything must have his name and button or sticker on it.



This is the cup and toothbrush bag, this must be different fabric and cup design to his bento cup (are you bashing your head on the wall yet?)



This is the renraku bag, everyday(?) bag. This and the library bag were specified sizes and should be made from the quilted fabric, the other bags are NOT to be made of quilted fabric. This also needs to have the word γ‚Œγ‚“γ‚‰γin big letters on the front plus name, class and button. They are allowed a good luck charm on the bags but only one per bag, I made some cute little felt knights ;o)



So, this one is the library bag, this also needs an inside pocket of a certain size and a hoop for his library card. This bag has to be a different design to the renraku bag!



I designed the fabrics and printed them on spoonflower and Ebi-kun decided which fabrics to use for which bags. We still have quite a bit left so expect to see it in future projects, if you are interested in buying some drop me a line, I haven't put it out for general sale yet because I want to work of some other colourways.


Anyway, here he is with all the gubbins that he needs with the exception of his class cap that we will get tomorrow.

He is wearing his hat, coat and standard yochien bag, he has another bag for his slippers, yes, they have his name and button on too. He has a smock for summer and a long sleeved one for winter and wears shorts all year round. So the things in the above picture that I haven't already gone over are... a skipping rope, castanet, crayons (each one with name and sticker), tissue pack, magnifying glass, 2 white towels, his personal towel, 2 cleaning towels, hankie, raincoat and the kitchen sink.

17 comments:

  1. wow, impressive!! i love the mr. men and little miss cup too!

    good luck at school ebi-kun!!

    (and i'd love to make a nippori trip later this month but am only free the 16th, 22nd and 23rd ><)

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  2. oh my. that does make my head hurt!

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  3. Do all the moms make their own bags? Do they all have sewing skills or is there somewhere you can get the work done for you?

    I'm pretty sure if I had to do all that it would not look pretty at all!

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  4. and all of this for a year of school or more?
    thank god it's not plastic bag ;) at least it's environmental friendly

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  5. make sure you put a sticker on that kitchen sink !!!

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  6. themaggers - many of the department stores have premade bags but it is hit and miss if the sizes are correct, each yochien has it's own specifications. Many of the craft stores offer a service to make the bags up for you, and they charge you royally for the pleasure!

    Jodie - will do! sewing a button on might be tough on the ole needle though.

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  7. I have two words: Good Grief!!! and then a few more... rather you than me!!! At least he will have a lot of fun packing and unpacking his beautiful bags all day long, it's amazing to think they will have time for anything else!!! At least you can rest assured that they have thought about EVERY SINGLE detail regarding a child's education. I hope your little guy has fun!!!

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  8. full on!!!! you have about 500 more things there than we needed!!

    (or perhaps I have blanked it out?)

    It looks like it's going to be lots of fun for him.

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  9. Crazy, just crazy. Oh well, we each have different brands of craziness to deal with. There are 35-40 kids in the nursery here, with one teacher, no aide or help - and I had better stop before my grievances fill up the whole page! All the best to Ebi-Kun!

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  10. When my little girl is ready for this I am calling you. I do not have an artistic bone in my body nor the patience.

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  11. Ah but did you need a bag for the kitchen sink and did it have to be quilted or not? :D I don't think I could cope with that amount of input! Does it all have to be different when he goes to regular school?

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  12. it's very interesting.My son has 4 little girls,(twins ) it's lucky we don't need all those bags.I wonder how the children put every thing back in the right bag!!!Y.S

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  13. Wow. I think I have taken a step closer to the no kids line. The sticking names on over 70 marbles thing is what did it!!!! Far out. Lol. Hope Ebi-kun has lots of fun. Good on you for being an awesome mum and doing all that sewing. I feel for the mums who can't sew!

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  14. of yes, when they get to school it is a whole new set of bags and ridiculousness. At school they have to have an earthquake pillow too, which is used as a chair cushion unless there is an earthquake then you pop it on your head, I think there are straps on it to hold it in place....

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  15. I am so impressed!! Have you thought of selling the specific sized bags as well for other people who may not sew? I think your bags will be some of the cutest ones around! :) It seems overwhelming, but I bet it will keep things organized and keep the children from mixing up their items! I would love to see how the classroom works!

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  16. Hi Jojoebi,

    I have been away from your blog for a while. The bags look great. It must be so much fun preparing him for yochien.

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