Dobby cottons are fun to play with, but most quilters outside of Japan may be unfamiliar with these highly textured fabrics. What exactly does “dobby” mean, anyway? Dobby looms entered into the weaving scene in the mid-19th century and the origin of the term comes from “draw boy”, usually a young helper who would pull strings…
Category: textiles
I’m in Stitch Magazine again – The Unofficial Downton Abbey Sews
This is a very yummy issue if you’re into historical and costume dramas in general and Downton Abbey in particular, which the editors at Stitch Magazine certainly are! This very special issue includes instructions to make my tsumugi silk sashiko pillow. I do carry all the supplies needed, including the fabric, but not all supplies…
New Kona Bay fabrics in the Kimonomomo Etsy shop
Nobu Fujiyama. NOBU FUJIYAMA. sigh. So pretty. The entire Serene collection is just gorgeous. And yes, I have all of these in stock right now, even though they don’t all show in the Etsy shop yet. Patience!
New in the Kimonomomo shop: a rainbow of vintage yukata bolts
Summertime is yukata season, and in the Kimonomomo studio that means getting the dozens of yukata bolts I’ve had hiding on the shelf (some for years) out into the sunshine where I can photograph them in the best light. Here are a few of my favorites, old and new. Click on the images to view…
Shop updates and “summer vacation” in the Kimonomomo Studio
Thomas is on summer vacation from teaching 4th grade, which means he’s taking a very active role in the studio. Last month we had the following conversation: “How many of these fabrics are listed online right now?” he asked, looking at the wall of vintage kimono and yukata bolts. I looked up from the floor where…
Upcoming show: Piecemakers Guild Quilt Show, Newark, CA
Wow! Busy weekend ahead. I haven’t even unpacked from my last show in San Luis Obispo, CA and it’s already time for my next show. Last weekend (first weekend of every month) we had the monthly meeting of the South Bay Sashiko Guild in San Jose/Campbell, CA, and now I’m setting up for the Piecemakers…
Product Review: KARISMA Air Fade Pen and Fujix Soie et Silk Thread
It’s a product review two-for-one! I’ve been experimenting with the KARISMA Air Fade Ink pens on silk lately and I’m quite pleased with the results. I have heard that some brands of air fade ink pens will come back if the fabric is laundered, so I decided to use them on fabrics I wasn’t planning to…
Video of mechanized silk looms in a Japanese obi factory
It’s not the best footage, but this view of a working Japanese textile mill is entertaining if you enjoy seeing how machinery works, which I do. The sound inside this mill is a lot of clacking and thrumming, not very musical and quite monotonous. However, I enjoy watching the various bits of this and that moving about…
Mother’s Day Coupon Code!
There are so many new fabrics in the shop to play with, and I’m a mother, so… coupons codes for you! Use the code MOTHERSDAY14 at checkout for 15% off your purchase at my Kimonomomo Etsy shop from now until midnight on Mother’s Day, which is May 11, 2014 in the USA. Share the code,…
Sashiko boro quilt
If you’ve seen me at a show or come to the Kimonomomo studio in the last few months, you’ve probably seen the quilt I’ve been working on. Pieced from Alexander Henry, Moda, Olympus, and Kona Bay prints, plus a few 19th century katazome cottons, it’s coming together nicely. Piecing took two days using a 1959 Singer…
Washing shibori yukata cotton
Textile junkies love color and texture, and shibori has both in spades. When it comes to using these fabrics and not just collecting them (as my mother so often did), we take a step back and ask, “What is going to happen if I wash this? What if I don’t wash it? Will washing make…
Kimonomomo Shop Updates for March 2014
February blew through the studio, bringing with it two shows (AQS Phoenix AZ & San Mateo, CA), many orders, and several new projects. Between keeping up with the shop and the garden–a lack of rain here meant daily watering so our winter vegetables wouldn’t die–I fell behind on my writing. To catch up, here is…
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 