Even though it is now September, the daily heat is really unexpected. Although we are looking forward to the arrival of autumn, we are taking advantage of the sunny weather and doing what we can at this time of the year as a priority. That is the work of unstitching and washing kimonos, which we introduced in our last blog.
日陰干しをしますが、まだまだ気温はかなりの高さですので、干したと思ったら、あっという間に終わってしまいます。
When a kimono or haori is unstitched, it is the narrower parts of the haori, such as the "haori's machi(gusset)", "collar" and "okumi", that inevitably take a long while to complete. The more pieces I make, the more I collect, but I have tried to organise these beloved leftover fabrics.
I thought that I might be able to create something more, depending on the combination, so I made a six-piece small pouch with the little pieces of fabric that I couldn't throw away.
The bottom of the six-piece pouch is rounded and looks like a Japanese handball (Temari). These colourful pouches make you want to use a different one every day. When placed side by side, the round shape makes them even cuter!
I enjoyed the contrast between the colourful brocade crepe and So-Shibori dyeing and the plain crepe, and the plain part of the komon.
The size is 20 cm (W) x 16 cm (H). The zipper part is slightly curved so that the user can easily take the items in and out of the bag.
Lovely handles (0.5 mm x 15 cm) are attached. The tabs are inserted on both sides, so you can use it as a cross body bag if you attach a sling.
The lining bag is made of polyester fabric, so it can be used as a make-up bag, even if you are worried about it getting stained.
Of course, you can also carry it as it is ... or use it as a small compartment in your bag.
While the production process allows the enjoyment of various combinations of materials and colours, the lining work to stiffen the fabric while utilising the texture of the material requires a little time and ingenuity, so it takes a lot of care. In fact, we often spend a lot of time on this process, as we don't treat the leftover fabrics lightly. Our motto is to upcycle without cutting corners until the very end.
We are excited to develop ideas about who might use it.
As inspiration strikes to be "one of a kind that no one else has" ...