Recently I got a new cell phone and didn’t have a case the right size to keep it in. Somehow, going to Wal-Mart and picking up a ho-hum case just didn’t seem right for my up-to-the-minute phone (which I am lucky to even be able to turn on and off and dial the numbers). I needed a case that was as cool as … no make that cooler than, my phone.

So this weekend, inspired by Kumiko Sudo’s wonderful book, Kokoro no Te: Handmade Treasures from the Heart and a glorious sliver of vintage Japanese rayon fabric, here we are: a cell phone pouch fit for a queen! Kumiko’s Camellia Cozy had some wonderful wool felt and silk embellishments, but I couldn’t bear to cover up that much of the fabric, it was perfect as it was, so I simply added a variety of beads for fun. And it fit my phone perfectly, as if she had designed the pattern with my model in mind.

I’d been waiting for well over a year for the right project to use this fabric on as well as most of the beads and the rice pearls. The book I’d only purchased the day before. Kumiko’s books are full of wonderful eye candy. I’ve had Folded Flowers: Fabric Origami with a Twist of Silk Ribbon and Flower Origami: Fabric Flowers from Simple Shapes for several years and never tire of flipping through the pages and admiring her unique take on fiber art. I’d buy anything Kumiko Sudo’s written on the basis of her name alone.