Anne Weaver is the skilled restorer who worked on my antique ningyo several years ago, and I asked her to be the first in a series of artist interviews I’ll be conducting this year. Tell us a little about yourself. I’m the former Assistant Director of Mingei (Mingei means art of the people in Japanese)…
Tag: ningyo
Antique doll kimono – My New Year Challenge – part 2
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…
Antique doll kimono – My New Year Challenge – part 1
You may remember the antique doll I found in a consignment shop a few years back — links at the bottom of this post if you’d like to see the story — and how his restoration went. The very talented Anne Weaver did an excellent job repairing the doll, but the person who worked on cleaning…
Kimonomomo Shop Updates for late May 2014
In case you missed it on Facebook or Twitter earlier, here some upcoming events I’ll be hosting in the San Francisco, CA Bay Area: Saturday, May 31: Mini Kimono Workshop – Kimonomomo Studio in Alameda Sunday, June 1: Bay Area Sashiko Workshop – South Bay/San Jose/Campbell area And an Etsy Craft Party on Friday, June 6! The…
Vintage Doll Accessory Packs now on in the shop
As promised, vintage doll items are back in the KimonoMomo Etsy shop. Sending out one or two little fans or tabi at a time was a major hassle, and as I’m getting down to the last of my supplies, I’m offering 8-10 items plus a meter of vintage kimono fabric in each pack. If you…
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part VIII
Home at last. The little fellow arrived shortly after my previous post, but I had mixed feelings about his restoration and it’s taken some time for me to sort things out in my head to where I felt comfortable writing about it. If you’re just joining this series, click here to read part 1 and…
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part VII
The little fellow is coming home! At long last, our boy is ready to fly! He is packed and double boxed. His kimonos are clean but the outer one is oh so fragile. The dyes and fabric were held together by years of dust. The black edging around the inner one has been replaced and…
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part VI
Sometimes I get so distracted with my other work that I forget to come in here and keep you updated. As I am so fond of saying, I could really use an assistant… and a chef, a maid, a chauffeur, etc. At least I have the dog to get me up and out of bed…
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part V
A very welcome email arrived in my box early Friday morning from Anne Weaver: I will speak for the little guy. He is now being made whole again by filling the missing surfaces of his body. The clothing is the biggest challenge due to years of dirt and aging. His face is in the early…
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part IV
After a few days of airing the kimono out, I decided it was time to dress the little fellow properly at last. Once the hakama was on, he looked quite the little samurai. You may have noticed in the first photos that his hakama was tied on backwards and up to his neck. While this…
Meiji Ningyo Restoration, part III
After removing the layers of kimono and juban, I spread them out to air for the night. I wrapped the doll in a tea towel, laid him flat on a table and went to bed. In the morning, I found the smell from the dirty, dusty clothing to be cloying and not particularly pleasant. Even…
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?”…
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