More freebies! Going back to a project I started years ago, I’ve been playing around with beautiful fabrics and dolls this weekend to come up with a kit that you can do at home. Used for decades in Japanese schools to teach children how to sew, these doll-sized kimono make wonderfully portable projects you can…
Japanese yuzen
After listing two new panels of kimono silk recently, I realized I’ve never posted about yuzen. Yuzen as a technique was first developed by Miyazaki Yuzensai, a fan maker in Kyoto in the early part of the Edo period (1603 – 1867). Yuzen is still a very popular kimono dyeing technique today, one that enables…
And the verdict is…
Cut, by a vote of 7 to 3. Thanks all for participating in the mini poll! The winner of the fabric pack is Lauren of ABC Rags. Congratulations, Lauren, let me know where you’d like me to send your fabrics and they will be on their way post haste. It’s been a year or so…
short informal poll
Just curious… before I take my seam ripper to these two silk meisen kimono, do you think I ought to keep them intact, or cut up to sell in pieces? They have been sitting on the shelf just a little too long for my liking and I’d like to move them, one way or another….
Challenged
Earlier today a friend challenged me to stock a specific number of items in my shop by 2 a.m. (it’s after midnight as I write this). Occasionally I get stuck in a rut and crawl into a corner with a book and a pot of tea, getting absolutely nothing done for days on end. This…
hot ‘n spicy
It was 100 F in the shade today, but I braved the sun and took a few dozen photos of new items before hunting down a cold cup of tea and a cozy tile floor to lay down on while spraying myself with Tumalo Lavender water. Only two new items listed so far: new kimono…
Developments
Remember that post about lead in silk I wrote ever so long ago? Well, it came in handy this week. Seeking to finish (at long last) my Bachelor’s degree, I’ve applied at Mills College here in the Bay Area. The application gave me the option of submitting graded work from my previous college (none of…
Introducing Cindy
She’s no Clover Meadow, but Cindy is my endearing shadow these days. When people ask “is that your dog?” I answer “no, I’m her human.” I’m Cindy’s third human in the past ten years. Her first was an elderly woman who passed away when Cindy was just three years old. The woman’s family didn’t want…
July sale… purses and more purses!
Purses… This month’s special sale category in my shop is obi bags. All purses, clutches and messenger bags are marked 25% off through the month of July. Need a new bag for the fall? Now’s your chance to score one of my sturdy messenger bags for a great price. And more purses… The lovely Kaz…
Full circle
The complicated dance of having three (somewhat cranky) generations crammed under one roof has taken a new turn as I move my bed into Mom’s old studio. Three decades of craft supplies, unfinished projects, patterns, equipment, photos and books are being boxed up and moved out of the way, at least for now. I’ll be…
Sumptuous pineapple cherry shibori
I disasemble a veritable bounty of kimono every year and figure I’ve seen some crazy fabric combinations, but this piece made me laugh when I first came across it. Used as a sleeve lining for an early 20th century kimono, this synthetic fabric dyed in bright yellow and vibrant red has oodles of cheeky charm….
Sakiori obi
Sakiori (saki=rag, oru=weaving) is one technique among the fine arts of resourcefulness and reuse. A worn out, damaged or otherwise ruined garment is torn to shreds and woven over a new warp to find another useful life. I know people who cringe when I tell them that I tear kimono apart, but this is something…
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 