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.
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.
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.
my [Japanese] friend takes a year to stitch resists into her length of cloth
ReplyDeletethen 3 months to brew and dye naturally with indigo
and almost as long again to undo the stitching
your students must be working like demons to get things done in shorter times!!
If some one start loving indigo and nature,Than it become a timeless journey....
ReplyDeleteHi Bryan,
ReplyDeleteJust discovered your blog via the Japan Times article and wanted to say I admire the work you are doing, both the mastering all the stages in the production process, sharing the skills and keeping the culture alive.