Japanese Boro Class

I took a Japanese Boro class last weekend from Jody Alexander, a local book, textile and installation artist.  I've been an admirer of her work for many years and have recently begun taking classes with her.

Jody is an excellent teacher.  I like her classes because she is thorough, brings tons of books and materials to share and paces her classes so that you don't feel rushed.

Just so I don't get it wrong, here is the Wikipedia definition of Boro.  There has been a lot of discussion lately about whether someone can make new Boro since the very nature of it is something that is old and had to be made that way because of a lack fabric available to make whole cloth garments. I don't think Jody or anyone in the class was trying to say they are making true Boro;  just honoring the tradition by creating new pieces that are in the spirit of Boro.

I won't go into a long description of Boro here, it is a very complicated subject and one I am not qualified to describe accurately.  If your interest is piqued here you will find lots of information about it on the internet.  You might start with a site I found here.

And, if your interest is piqued, Jody is giving the same class in September (which I am taking!) Here's the info on it.  Cabrillo College Extension Fall Textile Classes.  You won't be sorry you took it.  And act fast, there aren't very many places left.

This blog post is photo laden because it's hard to describe what we saw and made without showing you examples.

Here is a beautiful example of original Boro that either Jody or another student, Tracy, brought in for us to study.  These old pieces are in various states of perfection...and by that I mean that the older, more worn pieces seem to be more perfect to me!

Another beautiful old piece.

These are old Zokin which means dust cloth.

On the left is a dress Jody purchased on her trip to Japan two years ago.  It is newly constructed of old Boro pieces and fabrics.  Jody was granted a Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship and chose to use her funds to study Japanese textiles in Japan.  Her fellowship show Keep Modern Library was mesmerizing and so complete in it's interpretation of Boro.

On the right is a dress she created and wore to the opening. The colorful pieces are from old book covers.

Detail of the Japanese dress.

Here's Jody instructing about one of the several bags she taught.  The class was full of really interesting and talented people.

The first day of class we studied how to make the various components of Boro by making pages that were sewn into a fabric book.  These are books that Jody has made over the last few years.

An example of the (pardon my using a culinary term here) groaning table that Jody provides as a visual prompt for the class.  She is so generous with sharing materials.  New and old, they are so inspiring!

Another example...and I can't tell you if it's new or old.  I think it's new.  There was just so much to take in I'm glad I'm going to the class again!

The second day we made a bag using the techniques we learned the first day.  This is mine.  I used a pair of thrift store white levi's and bits of other fabrics I had on hand.  The round/square stamps are ones I just carved last week.  Carving stamps is a new one for me and I loved it.

I'm sorry this piece is so dark.  It is the start of a vest.  More on this in another post as I progress.  I have promised myself I will take photos along the way.

Here's the cover of my little book.

And one of the inside pages.

A sewing pal, Lynn, came down from Oakland to take the class and stayed with us.  Here is her bag. She chose to make it oversized and it's just gorgeous.   It's made from a beautiful hemp canvas she got at Stone Mountain and Daughter in Berkeley.

I regret that I don't have the name of the person who was making this bag.  I got around to see everyone's work and check in with them during the workshop but names always escape me.

This is going to be a stunner, wish I could see it finished!  Look at this collection of fabrics!

Another beautiful piece.  I love this fabric and detail.

One of my classmates, Tracy, had some gorgeous old Japanese fabrics.  And the handle is an old dog collar!

More of Tracy's work.

Again, I'm sorry I can't tell you the creator's name.

Now this one I know because it's my pal, Lisa, who made this from textiles she discharged, eco-dyed and stitched.

Another friend, Marilou made a bag using her eco-dyed fabrics, really great.

My table mate, Pam, had some great ideas.

Another of Pam's ideas.

So, you can see we all got a lot out of this class.  Can't wait for September!

New Summer Jacket

This jacket has a slightly Asian lines...that is if you can see past the wild colors!  This cotton/linen blend fabric is Japanese Echino by Etsuko Furuya but it somehow does not lend an Asian accent to the jacket.  In fact, I've been saying to my sewing pals I might have to join the circus when I wear this!

But they assure me that if I wear it over black (yeah, that works for me!) and wear a cute shoe with it I'll be fine.

I'm going to listen to them and wearing it to a one man show about Peggy Guggenheim next weekend.

This is a self drafted pattern from a RTW garment that my friend owns.  I love the collar.  And the pocket detail is not only comfortable but really adds to the unique lines of the garment.  I hope you can see them because, by complete accident, I matched the pattern pretty well.  I wasn't really trying very hard because I thought it would work no matter how the print fell.  I didn't have a lot of choices in laying out the pattern because I only had three yards and this pattern should have taken about 3 1/4 yards...but I squeezed it out.  I had about 5 square inches of fabric left!

If you look closely you can see a little dash of lilac on the upper right shoulder, that's the selvage, I had to use a little.  I like it.  I wanted to use more of it on the inside front facing but couldn't get it to work.

My husband asked, "How many fabrics did you use in this one?".  Ha!  That's the beauty of Echino, it gives you so many layout choices.

Anything with a bird on it is ok with me, despite what Portlandia did for (or to) this image!

The back neck detail is really nice, too.  One side overlaps the other.

One thing I need to get better at is topstitching.  I think I need to futz with the presser foot tension to get a more even stitch...and take slightly larger stitches.  And I'm going to use topstitching thread next time.  This jacket didn't call for it because of the craziness of the fabric.

My friend made it in denim with red topstitching which looks sharp.

I follow a lot of blogs, they really inspire me.  One that I follow is Wendy Franzen's blog, West Zen Studio and was gobsmacked by her latest post.  You have to see this jacket she designed and made, it's just so gorgeous!  Congratulations, Wendy, what a feat!

I'm headed out to the garage to paint canvas for a new purse...stay tuned.

This week's wrap up

I've been making some pretty simple tshirts for an upcoming trip and decided to try something a bit more challenging.  I'd seen Nancy Murakami wearing Vogue 9174 in Marcy Tilton's Puyallup booth this last March. Hers was a crisp white version. You can see it and another gal's version in this blog post by Marcy Tilton.  

I had a great time making this.  The instructions are very good and it went together easily.  It takes a bit of time to cut out and make since most of the pattern pieces are cut single layer but I think it's worth it.  I made the shorter version because I didn't have enough fabric to make the longer version.  I didn't add the second, standup collar for the same reason.  I goofed on reading the pattern pieces and made the fronts and back different lengths.  BUT, it worked and I like the irregular lengths.

The fabric is an Indian cotton (I believe) that I got in Marcy's booth.

I love the angled buttonholes.  I've been wanting to use this design detail for a long time.  I first saw it  on a shirt made by Katharine Tilton.  The buttons were purchased at DressSew, a wonderful fabric and craft store in Vancouver, BC.  It's a wild place but the prices are incredible.  These buttons were 2 for 25 cents Canadian, which is 25% less in US dollars!

I also did some red stitching at the hem and sleeves.  

I'd like to make a white one for the trip but I'm running out of time!

Here's a fun little bag.  I found the pattern at Hart's Fabrics in Santa Cruz.  I ran into a friend, Leslie, who used to work there, and she told me how fun it was to make so I grabbed it.  Turns out it was the perfect thing to bring to a Quilt Away I attended in Oregon last month.

I used several pieces of vintage kimono silk that I purchased in Tokyo a few years back.  They were my favorite pieces (and I got a lot of pieces!) so wanted to use them for something special.

This was like a big rubik's cube to make but as Lesley told me, "Just follow the directions one step at a time and don't think too much!"  It worked.

Here's the front of the pattern.

And here's where you can buy it online.  Or, Hart's will sell it to you online,  I'm pretty sure.

And finally, I thought you might like to see these adorable dog cookies my head baker, Teal, made for yesterday's opening of Capitola's new dog park .  Aren't they adorable?  Teal is amazing!

Variations on Vogue 9193 and Travels

I took a class with Gwen Spencer in March that was focused on creating fabric from scraps.  It was such a terrific class for so many reasons.  Gwen is an inspiring sewist...well, she might call herself a seamstress, not sure.  You can see her in Marcy's blogs sometimes and even does a video or two in Marcy's studio.  She's so talented and a great teacher.  She used Marcy Tilton's V9193 pattern so that we would all have the same structure to work with.  

Most of the fabrics I used were stretch woven.  It made it a bit trickier because of the stretch but it worked out.  I made the sleeveless version which falls slightly over the shoulder.  I fell in love with the pattern.  First, it's really simple to construct.  Second, it's so versatile.  I really like the pocket detail and the fact that it dips just slightly at the hem on the pocket side.  I enjoyed making it so much I made two more!

I did quite a bit of hand stitching with Pearl Cotton to give it more definition.  I also machine stitched some vertical lines to give the pocket area a bit more body.

It's all about raw edges which I love.

The back is a bit less stitched.  The long black strip is cotton jersey that I stamped.

Details of the stitching

More stitching details.  I did some with regular sewing thread but stitched by hand.  I'm getting very fond of that look.

The next one I made is from a fabric I got at  Fabrix in San Francisco.  That place is a gold mine.  But you take your chances; sometimes I go out of there with armloads, other times with nothing.  The owner buys designer fabrics that are from past seasons.  There are some real finds.

This cotton digital print...I think it's digital, I'd seen on Gwen's tunic and my friend Mary Boalt made a very cool jacket from it.  It's really fun to lay out and try to figure where all the jean jacket pieces should go.

On this version I added the dolman sleeve, I like it because it's not too bulky, something I've always steered clear of in most dolman sleeves.  The bottom third of the sleeve was a bit narrow for me so on the following version I added 1/2" on all sides to give it more room.

I decided on the next one I would make it slightly longer and put another pocket in it.

So here is the last version in another Fabrix buy.  It's a slightly see-through black and grey with cut out pieces of fabric sewn on.  It looks so Japanese although I don't know where it came from.

I lengthened the top by 1" and the bottom by 2".  I also added pocket on the other side.  My right hand felt left out!

I'll make this again, probably several times.  I can see it in jersey, stretch woven, corduroy, organza, stretch velveteen, velour, fleece... anything.

I'm extremely glad that Gwen used this tunic for the class project.  I'm thinking about taking this and one more on our upcoming trip to Amsterdam and the Baltic Countries.  I'm gonna need a bunch of clothes on this trip because the weather will be very changeable.

I just started sewing for the trip.  Why do we like to have new clothes for travel?  It's not like anybody's looking!...

And I'm going to take jewelry this time and WEAR IT a la Margy from Fool 4 Fabric.  I love her travel wardrobes.  She doesn't hold back.  She wears hats, jewelry and looks terrific.

You might give this pattern a try.  Don't be dissuaded by how it looks on the pattern cover.  I don't think it did the design any favors.

I just got home from a 10 day textile junket.  It began in Tumalo, Oregon where I am invited each year to a Quilt Away.  A group of talented, extremenly fun women get together each year, most of whom are quilters.  No quilts for me but I did manage to get two project done in the three days.  One was the black and grey top above and the other was a very cool little carry case.  I'll show you picks of that soon.

Then I took a little road trip up to Seattle to join my friend Sharon on another leg of the journey to Vancouver, BC, for a MAIWA class on eco-dyeing, contact printing and indigo dyeing.  

The first day we were asked to go out and forage for dye materials.  These are the little piles of found vegetation.  We were not allowed to pick anything, of course...good conservationists!

This moody photo was a bit of the huge selection the teacher brought.

Here's Sharon getting excited about the first "reveal".  Eco printing necessitates leaving your "bundles" to steep overnight for best results.  Hard to do but so worth it.

Our fabulous teacher, Natalie Grambow.  A super good teacher who knows how to impart her extensive knowledge in natural dyeing in all it's many applications.  I'd take another class from her in a minute.  The only thing I would say about the class is that it had a few too many people in it for the space allowed and the type of class.  Poor Natalie kept up but she must have been pooped at the end of each day.

Merino wool jersey sample ready for the dye bath.

Some of my samples.  The green one in the middle is the result of the previous photo.

The purple is from logwood.  We did some shibori, too.

We dyed beautiful watercolor paper, too.  

Then...

Sharon and I came back to Seattle for a relaxing day before she headed back to work and I flew home.  High on our list was a visit to the Seattle Asian Art Museum for their Mood Indigo exhibit.  It's small but worth seeing.

Sharon is inside an indigo installation by Rowland Ricketts that was accompanied by sound artist, Norbert Herber recordings.  We got lost in this little room for a long time.  The combination of being surrounded by a "drum" of hand woven cloth that was dyed indigo while listening to the sounds of the process was haunting.  The music ebbed and flowed with our movements.

There were many quotes in the show but I loved this one; from one of my all time favorite books.

A piece from the show, delicately stitched, I couldn't quite figure out how they did it...flat fell, I guessed but then it didn't really look like that close up.

This design could work today.  Love the buttons with the red loops.

Here's a little rabbit that was on a kimono.  He was accompanied by several other rabbits doing various things, all of which had meaning.  Here is a description I found on the interwebs about the meaning of rabbits in Japanese Culture.

 In Japanese tradition, rabbits live on the Moon where they make Mochi - a popular sticky snack.
The rabbit in the moon is lifted out of Japanese myth. Representing the female principal, which meant divine inspiration in spiritual or creative matters, but folly, mania, or death in everyday affairs.
Tsukino Usagi means "Rabbit of the Moon."
The Moon rabbit, also called the Jade Rabbit, is a rabbit that lives on the moon in East Asian folklore. The legends about the moon rabbit are based on the traditional pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit pounding in a mortar. In Chinese folklore, it is often portrayed as a companion of the moon goddess Chang'e, constantly pounding the elixir of life for her; but in Japanese and Korean versions it is just pounding mochi.
The earliest records suggesting that there is a rabbit on the moon appears in the Warring States period in ancient China. The Chu Ci, a Western Han anthology of Chinese poems from the Warring States period, notes that along with a toad, there is a rabbit on the moon who constantly pounds herbs for the immortals. 

I liked the stitching on this one.

And this one for the printing pattern.

That's all for now.