Shibori no Haori / しぼりのはおり

I want to show you a haori I got the last time we were in Japan.  A haori is a short kimono, worn over another kimono, mostly for warmth.  But originally they were worn by men, and used to protect a kimono from the elements.

This kimono is silk, and you're looking at the back of it in this photo.  It would not be worn with an obi, which is the wide decorative belt.

I have only worn this once--most of the clothing in our collection is for view, not wearing.

What makes this haori especially amazing is the extremely detailed tie-dye technique the Japanese use called shibori. We all know about tie-dye with rubberbands to make hippie t-shirts, but the Japanese, not surprisingly, as a nation of overachievers, have to do it the hardest way possible (with the most amazing results):  with a needle and thread.

Look at the detail of this haori, in the second photograph.  It looks to me as if they made 10-11 little circle knots in each row!  And there are 3 rows in each group...and you can count yourself (if you like) the number of groups across each row on this fabric.  All I have to say is, "I love admiring this artistry, but I do not want to do it myself!"

If you do want to do it yourself, check out this page from Victory Patterns.  It's got a great after picture, with lots of before shots showing the hard work involved in pre-dye stitching.

The final photo shows the oh-so-classy lining of the haori.  Maybe when I get tired of looking at the back I'll swap it around and pull back one of the sides to show the lining, too.

We've been out in our yard a lot, and I despair of getting my sunflowers to bloom in our extremely shady yard (2 huge holly trees, a gigantic oak and a very large poplar). But it's great for all the textiles because just about the worst thing--besides the oil on your fingers--is light.

So...music?  Pavement: Shady Lane

Japan - Textile Heaven on Earth

Front cover

Japan!  I'll start slow...there is so much great stuff in Japan, so many amazing techniques & so much style.  We have a ton of stuff (not enough, ever!).  When we lived there, we were poor & were saving for travel, so didn't spend much on souvenirs.  But in 2005 we went back for a week to see friends & our good friend, Noriko, took us to some antique shops.  We spent way too much, but even then, I didn't get a kasuri (ikat indigo) kimono.  What was I thinking?!  Anyway, in an antique store in outside of Tokyo, we happened upon this kimono pattern book. It's on heavy board, it would stand up by itself for the tailor, who would be working on the floor, as you can see on the photo below.

There are many styles of kimono in here, some very old-fashioned.  The book is about 14" tall - I've often wondered if I just cut the patterns out at this size if they'd work for a barbie doll?  

It was a real steal - about $5, and goes along well with our collection of weaving & textile tools collection (drop spindles, shuttles, fabric stamps, you get the idea).  

Fabric requirements

Pattern layout

On the picture above, you'll see 2 cotton kimono (my hapi, the roommate's yukata) which we've had since 1994.  Mine is about worn thru, so I'll probably use the fabric in something else soon, so I don't forget it.  The kanji (characters) on it are for the 4 seasons.  More Japanese  textiles later.  But now I'm going upstairs to work on my new dress!  More on that tomorrow...