It’s true, I’m a complete novice at this. It’s often said that you can learn through teaching, and I find that sometimes the only way I can learn something is when I’m asked to teach someone else. Here is the shippou design I was working on: And from the other side… not so bad! I’ve…
Tag: cotton
Sale starts today through October 3
It’s autumn and time to clear out some of my old fabric stock so I can bring in new fabrics and generally freshen up the shop. If you are on my mailing list, you should be getting a postcard mentioning the sale today or this weekend. Not on the list? Drop me an email and…
Three examples of indigo shibori
Due to circumstances that likely could have been avoided, I will be writing part 2 of the sashiko tutorial tomorrow instead of today. In the meantime, here are some great examples of shibori done in indigo and white. These three show just how diverse a medium shibori can be. The piece on the left is…
Sashiko project part I – getting started
Before I start, I’d like to bring something to your attention and ask for your hand in helping others. Recently the plight of the Decker family came to my attention, and they are in need of funding to deal with immense medical bills and help for Carol Decker’s recovery. After an emergency Cesarian section delivery,…
Sashiko project begins at last.
So here it is. A little sampler project for getting started in sashiko, but without the pre-printed kit. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Olympus kits are wonderful, but I’m a coloring-outside-the-lines kind of person, and maybe you are too. The kit contains four pieces of indigo yukata cotton with designs of iris, origami…
Noren how-to project with yukata fabric
It’s been quite hot here in the high desert lately, and since we don’t have air conditioning, that means leaving doors and windows open to allow for a pleasant breeze. Another thing we don’t have is a screen door for the front, so it’s rather bothersome when all sorts of winged annoyances start invading Chez…
The sun is shining, the birds are singing…
I’ve just returned from the Farmer’s Market with some yummy goodies (hooray for June!) and settled down to pick out some cottons for my sashiko project. I’ve decided to make a summer table cloth out of spare pieces of indigo and white fabrics. Some of these are bolt ends and irregular lengths, some have a…
Damp, dreary, and still waiting for spring.
Honestly, I’m wearing a coat as I’m sitting at the computer today. How ridiculous is that? This is June, after all, but we’ve only had four hot days so far this year. Damn this crazy high desert climate. Maybe it’s time to move again? I’ve lived in Central Oregon since 2002, which is longer than…
We have a winner and new giveaway for June
Congratulations to Wendy, owner of The Pattern Stash, winner of the fabric giveaway for May! I hope she will find many wonderful uses for her new fabrics. The next fabric giveaway will be picked at random on Tuesday, June 10 at midnight. That means you have until 11:59 pm Pacific time on Tuesday to post…
Fabric Bonanza
For the past three years I have sourced all of my materials from Japan exclusively, but this spring I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to purchase several bolts of Japanese-themed quilt weight cotton prints from various quality manufacturers. I plan to spend the evening cutting some fat quarters for choice little bundles and…
Random Shibori from the Stash
Some days I look around the studio and think “I don’t have enough fabric” which is probably what every fabric junkie thinks at some point or another. Then I have a nice cup of tea, sit down on the sofa and have a look around at the bags, shelves, boxes and piles of silk and…
Negative space
Sometimes that which is not there stands out more than that which is. In this case, I’m referring to a missing dot among an otherwise complete shibori motif. The shibori in question comes from a beautiful deep green cotton yukata with a peacock feather motif in my collection that I’ve had a few opportunities to…
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 