Sunday 29 July 2012

Shifuku Finished

Last night I finally finished the little bag I started while I was in Japan.  It is a Shifuku (仕覆), a drawstring pouch
and something like this would be used for holding the utensils used for the Japanese tea ceremony.  I have ordered a Chasen (茶筅), a whisk, from the Japan Centre which I will keep in my shifuku, the dimensions of the bag suit it although strictly speaking the chasen is not Dōgu (道具, literally tools).  I shall have to make more bags!  This one is very special.  The fabric is katazome, dyed at Noguchi san's, the indigo master and the drawstring is my first kumihimo.
The shifuku is lined with vintage silk
that sensei Bryan gave us (and the offcuts of which I included in my bojagi).  It is a wonderful momento of my time in Japan earlier this year.  I know it is not perfect (not good enough for something Japanese for sure) but it is made to the very best of my ability, maybe I could dare to say it is Wabi sabi :-)

Edit:  my Indigo Sister, Nat, has written a great post on bojagi, full of inspiration, it's here .

8 comments:

  1. Good job Lis. It looks real professional. Hope to see more of them soon...

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  2. it is beautiful. and i love the kumihimo you did.

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  3. Fantastic, LIs. Definitely wabi Sabi.

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  4. My bag is still waiting for its drawstring. However did you manage with the instructions we had? Congratulations on completing yet another Japanese project.

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  5. It looks great, even better that it will be used! Your kumihimo turned out great also, Well Done!

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  6. Hi Lis,
    Great great great to see you finished it up. Oh la la. Looks perfect.
    The design is seaweed.
    best,
    Bryan

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  7. onesmallstitch31 July 2012 at 05:58

    well done, Lis it looks lovely. I like the dark on top with the white and pattern on the lower portion.

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  8. Lovely make. Somewhere I have a book about making shifuku - shows how to measure various tea items so the shifuku fits well. A nice way to use up small, precious textiles. I'd say it feels wabi - it will feel more sabi with use, patina and a repair or two :-) !

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I really appreciate your lovely comments, ideas and opinions, they make my day. Thank you for visiting Piece'n'Peace,
hugs, Lis x