Some photos were taken in a hurry as I rushed from the booth to lunch, or back again. Closeups are all I have of these beautiful quilts. The geometry is complex and amazing. When people who don’t quilt think that quilters are old grannies who sit around making simple blankets, I want to show them…
Tag: shibori
Indigo Unraveling – Kyoto Blue 京都の藍
What is it about indigo textiles that bring up so many sensations? The depth of blue, new or faded; the stiffness of the fibers from repeated dips in the dye vat; the fuzzy nap of fabric from years of use; all of these add to indigo’s allure. It’s alchemical, magical, practical, and deeply, vividly, a part of…
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…
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…
Yukata Disassembly – indigo shibori
We live in an era of mass-produced, off the shelf clothing. That which was novel a century ago is now commonplace. To make clothing by hand is no longer a necessity, but a novelty. That’s great for saving time, but where is the love? In vintage, of course. Hand sewn garments of decades past can…
Nouveau Boro
I’ve brought samples of my sashiko work to various quilt guilds and fabric shops, offering to teach a class or do a talk on the vintage pieces in my collection. So far the responses have varied from the rare “We’d love to have you, how much do you charge?” to the far more common “We…
Sashiko & Shibori Sari
Here is another textile from Tansu Design; a fabulous 19th or early 20th century stitched and dyed sari from India. I wish I’d had more time to ask questions and a better camera on me when I was in the gallery, but this was the best I could do with my iPhone before running out the…
Kimono or yukata sleeves too short? Modify!
When this floral-patterned shibori yukata caught my eye, I just couldn’t say no. I’ve been collecting vintage clothes my whole life (starting with hand-me-down baby clothes when I was an infant) and as some of you vintage collectors know, there are items that have a marvelous vibe to them, as if the previous owner imparted…
Sashiko, shibori, and everything else
With all the craziness of packing, painting, a family wedding, kids getting out of school, etc., I allowed myself to be overwhelmed by all the other things that needed to get done and ended up ignoring things like, oh, my shop and this blog. Whoops. I logged on this morning to check a few orders…
a little house cleaning
I am finding so many good things while getting ready to have the studio painted. When the physical part of cleaning and sorting gets tedious, I take a break and clean out old files from the KimonoMomo website. Among them I found this, a shot from several years ago when I dressed the staff of…
New in the shop for April
Yummy new yukata fabrics have landed, with more on the way. I just can’t help myself when it comes to getting more. Unlike the larger Kona Bay and Alexander Henry cotton bolts I have on the shelf, yukata cottons take up so little space, which leads me to figure I can fit in a few…
Home again, bearing gifts
Slowly getting back on track, planning new classes and ordering more beautiful fabrics. Several times it has been said to me “you really need an assistant” and I know it’s true. Not sure how to go about this other than posting an ad on craigslist–which has worked in the past (thank you, Jacob!)–but I certainly…
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 