In the West we tend to think of kimono as a static garment, always one style, one type of construction. Over the past decade I have handled a wide variety of vintage kimono, mostly from the 20th century, and the style, color, quality of weave, etc. do change the same as our own garments, although perhaps…
Tag: mystery
Meet Sue, our new Tansu
I didn’t name him. Thomas did. And yes, I think of the tansu in the corner as male, unlike my sewing machines, which are always female. So far as Thomas is concerned, according to Shel Silverstein and Jonny Cash, Sue can be a boy, too. After looking at tansu in antique shops for years but…
Mystery Spinning Wheel and New Sashiko Thread Colors
Mystery! Help identify an antique spinning wheel. Color! New sashiko threads from Olympus.
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part II
Loading the doll and his glass case into the back seat of my car, I wedged the case in between some blankets and a sleeping teenager. Another teenager, surly and tired from waiting in the car while I’d chatted with the shop assistant and owner, looked over from the front seat. “Can we go now?”…
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part I
Wandering through a local estate liquidator’s shop last week, this little fellow caught my eye. He stood in a glass case, carelessly dressed and dreadfully sun faded. His hakama had been tied up as if it were a pinafore, and his face was cracked and poorly repaired. Still, I thought he had a charming smile…
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…
Bast again
Ah, those wonderful mystery fibers. Gotta love ’em. It’s funny, but to the modern eye, “vintage” Japanese fibers tend to be either brightly colored silks or indigo blue and white cottons, but historically this was not so. Prior to the mechanization of weaving in the mid 19th century, a great deal of weaving was still…
Hello world!
I’m starting the new year with a little mystery. I discovered this piece being used as the stiffener inside an old obi recently. The obi itself was quite old, but the fabric has been repurposed and is likely from the 19th century so far as I can tell. It’s not cotton, rayon, wool, or silk,…
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 