monkey hands

Thinking Boro

Jude Hill's "Contemporary Boro 2" online course starts next week (see her  Spirit Cloth blog), so I've been thinking boro as I try to decide what I'll use for my applied learning--an old shirt, perhaps, or maybe a bag to carry.

I've been fortunate to see the boro exhibit a  couple times now at Amuse  in Tokyo (click the highlighted* terms for more information from the source).  If you're in Tokyo or get a chance to visit, this is an amazing place with a vast collection (the result of one man's life's work) of rural Japanese clothes, cloths, cookware and tools, including this farmer's jacket:

and this coat, below (with apologies for the sideways images--these were taken with my phone, and I'm too eager to get back to stitching to fiddle with them--click on image for larger version).

detail of coat:

I have a few more photos of clothes and cast iron tools--let me know if this interests you and I'll try to post more as I go along. For now, my needle beckons...

* barely highlighted--faint gray on my screen, sorry. I'll try to figure out how to fix that.

Bojagi Inspired Scrap Project

Some of you may recall the pojagi (or bojagi) styled curtains I made last year, like the bojagi/pojagi panel in this post: pojagi (in my earlier blog, alone in the studio). I used ramie and silk from KwangJang fabric market in Seoul (click link for more about this great market). 

In the interest of thrift and utility, I've been using the white cotton scraps and odd pieces from my wonky blocks to piece a pojagi-style curtain as I go:

The French seams are machine sewn with odd bits of fabric leftover after squaring up wonky quilt blocks. The cotton isn't as opaque as the ramie; it will be good where more sun protection is needed.

Wonky Blues Quilt

oil pastels on old recycled paper

I've been making wonky blocks (loosely) based on this rough sketch for a new 12" block "blues" quilt 

The weather has shifted--wind and rain cleared the way for a sunny, breatheable air day--hurray! Of course that means the air pollution went into the water and ground, as well as to our neighbors in Japan and Korea -- not a good thing.

Revised!

 

Good Days for Stitching

Unbleached woven muslin nine patch, continued from here.

     

Not good days for being outside in the city air if it can be helped. Most people have to carry on, and many must work outside or in non air-conditioned buildings all day. 

Woven Nine Patch

This is sort of an "ode to Jude" at Spirit Cloth--the inspiration (and instruction) behind this cloth-to-cloth muslin nine patch with heart (in process). I'm working through Jude's first boro course in preparation for, and eager anticipation of, her upcoming Contemporary Boro (series #2) course.

about 7" square

Beijing Blossoms

 

 

Temple of the Sun, also know as Ritan Park, is in the center of Beijing's CBD district, the Jianguomenwai embassy area, three blocks from the Jianguomenwai subway stop (my neighborhood).

 

 

My latest vice--chewy spicy ginger with peanut butter centers:

Big Block Modern Quilt Top

Finished! This is a gift for a young couple in Guatemala.

Aboriginal patterned Australian fabric mixed with U.S. commercial cottons; approximately 86" x 100"

This is hung sideways because the apartment ceiling here in Beijing is not quite high enough to hang it vertically. I'll get it quilted next month when I'm back in the states for a short visit.

Spring Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

In full bloom! Cherry blossoms and lanterns along the Kanda River in Tokyo last week

View from hotel window

Cherry blossoms, double waterfalls, and carp filled ponds in Chinzan-so Garden in Tokyo

Cloth Weaving

old embroidery

in process ~ pale blue linen and natural cotton on muslin foundation 

off the hoop -- stitched with threads unraveled from the fabrics