Japanese Textile Workshops 　日本のテキスタイル　ワークショップ

Living in a small mountain village just outside of Tokyo, I grow a crop of indigo every year and process the leaves into dye using traditional methods. I also breed silk moths, raise the silkworms and then reel/spin the silk from the cocoons. The silk is then dyed with natural dyes and finally woven on traditional Japanese looms. I run several ten-day live-in workshops a year at the old farmhouse here in Japan focusing on the Japanese use of indigo. Contact me for information.

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

Lotus

I hauled this inside this morning to keep it out of the sun and so that the students could enjoy the blooms. I also put my back out doing it. It was a slow class.

Monday, 12 July 2010

Yukata Designs

Seven students have decided to make linen/cotton shibori summer kimono and are making small small samples of shibori techniques to decide what pattern they like the best. Ogata san went all out and tried shirokage shibori. The square checked one. It was too much work so she decided that she won't attempt a 12 meter version. It would take several hundred hours to complete. I'm looking forward to seeing the complete yukatas before the heat of summer sets in.