Grateful Dead Hanten...

There have been plenty of action at the dye vats this spring here in Fujino.

Besides the students designing and dyeing and sewing Japanese fireman jackets I've been at it myself.

One nameless, grammy-award winning guitarist who dated Taylor Swift and Katie Perry ordered a jacket from me. (If he wears it while he performs in Tokyo next week I will post pictures...)

Instead of a Japanese inspired insignia on the back he asked for the old Grateful Dead electric skullbone logo. I drew it up and cut a stencil on the persimmon tannin paper.

The paste was applied and then dried in the sun.

Then the entire cloth was coated with soot and soy several times to get a dark grey and the black soot was layered on the insignia outline.

Then it was dyed in indigo several times.

I dyed the insignia red with madder paste and indigo and soot. The next step was to hand sew the whole thing together. I used a linen lining on the body and on the inside of one sleeve I used a rather crude old Japanese towel I had found at a flea market and then dyed with persimmon tannin. 

Whiteboots helped as a modelling prop.

It will look so good if it is worn and washed over years. I have a feeling it will only be worn a few times as he looks to be a real clothes horse.