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…
Tag: vintage
Focus on Indigo part IV, Katazome
Today I present two katazome items, one from the SFAPA show and one from my personal collection. Click on the images to get a closer look. The first is from the Cavin-Morris Gallery in New York. It’s a stunning katabira (帷), an unlined (hitoe 単衣) ramie (jofu 上布) kimono for summer wear. This would have…
Focus on Indigo part III, tsutsugaki kimono
I met Vicki Shiba of Mill Valley, CA last year during my first visit to the Arts of Pacific Asia Show in SF. She’s a soft spoken woman with a sharp intellect and a dazzling collection of antiques. She had several pieces worthy of mention in her booth, and I have chosen two that I…
Feeling a tad overwhelmed
After two weekends spent surrounded by the sort of beautiful textiles and antiques you’d expect to find in a museum or private collection and being able to not only photograph them, but actually touch them, I find myself with pages of handwritten notes and innumerable photographs to sort through (I stopped counting and just try…
New feature – Indigo
Starting next week I will be writing an ongoing feature about indigo, including vintage dyed textiles, indigo dye and supplies, and indigo’s use through history. To start, I will feature several galleries and dealers I’ve been meeting at the Arts of Pacific Asia and Tribal & Textile Arts Shows this February at Fort Mason in…
The Old Girl, part III
“How the dickens do you thread this thing?” That was our first challenge after establishing that yes indeed, she ran just fine. A search on the Singer site provided a free pdf download of the instructions we needed for our vintage 15- (“fifteen straight”) machine, and with a bit of tinkering, we sorted it out….
The Old Girl, part I
She’s a gem, my old girl. My son and I found this beauty one afternoon while driving through our Central Oregon neighborhood looking for garage sales. I was seeking a small table for the kitchen telephone. Spotting a likely subject in a yard three blocks from our house, we stopped to take a look. Lo…
catching up a bit
I’ve had a difficult time coming up with blog topics lately. Sales in the Etsy shop have been brisk, and I’m only just starting to restock this week. New vintage items are being listing in time for Halloween, and I am back to bundling vintage kimono silk scraps for your holiday projects. To those waiting…
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…
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…
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…
Need needles? Yep, we got ’em.
Finally! Sashiko needles have been restocked. New items in the shop will be appearing as fast as I can list them. So far today vintage kimono, sashiko supplies and vintage kimono silk scrap bundles have been added, with more on the way.
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 