Four Seasons Bojagi

I took advantage of the sunshine to photograph my bojagi today, unfortunately it was rather breezy and the bojagi took on a life of its own!
I'm calling it "Four Japanese Seasons".  I need to square up the cloth and decide how I'm going to edge it, probably a simple rolled seam, and I'll have a deeper hem at the top to allow me to hang it at the window in my sewing room on a pole or wire.
On a technical note:  those expensive Black and Gold needles I used for this project were a nightmare.  I broke three before I gave up and went back to trusty John James' quilting needles.

The Bojagi Blues

I've finished the final "quarter" of my bojagi, the blues.  I think this is my favourite.  As some of the fabrics are quite dark I decided against adding prairie points to this section. 
Now I need to decide how to assemble the pieces.  I have some vintage grey silk that Bryan shared between all the Indigo Sisters when we were in Japan, I'm thinking of using it as a kind of sashing but I need to do a mock up and have a think....

The Orange Section of the Bojagi

I finished this piece last night, the orange section of my bojagi project.  I now have to decide whether to continue and add the blues and browns or if they'll be too dark.  A little mock up in the sunshine (ha ha, I can dream) would help me make up my mind.

I Say Bojagi, You Say Pogaji

Some more bojagi links to inspire:

Chunghie Lee

http://www.wearableartblog.com/my_weblog/2009/05/chunghie-lee.html

Deanna's great tutorial

Cindy's pojagi post

I have discovered I am not doing my seams properly on my bojagi.  I have been doing a half remembered version of the French seams we did for lingerie in school needlework lessons.  They work, in that they hide all the raw edges of the fabric and create the stained glass effect when the work is held up to the light but I don't think they are as strong as proper gekki seams which are stitched three times, beginning with an oversewn hem.  I will carry on as I am for this project and then try to do it properly for another project I have in mind.
It is so lovely to be hand sewing.  Not only is it easy to have some sewing with me at all times and I can do it anywhere but it is therapeutic to be in close contact with the fabric and thread.  It feels good.

Bojagi Greens

Thank you so much for all your kind words and virtual hugs, I really appreciate every one of them.
I'm on a bit of a roll with the bojagi and have completed the green section, next up, orange I think.

We are all getting well and truly fed up with the miserable summer we are having in England and in particular, the constant rainfall.  At least we don't feel guilty about sitting indoors and stitching, and, more seriously, at least it is not as bad as in south Japan, the pictures on the news last night were awful.

Bojagi Beginnings

It seems a long time since I wrote a post.  Things have been a bit on the down side here recently for various reasons that I won't go into at the moment but if you could send a hug I would appreciate it.
Anyway, on the plus side, I have finally got my head around some of the amazing things I did in Japan and have started stitching again.  I haven't started where I thought I would i.e. with something indigo, but have a lovely portable project which will use all my little pieces of Japanese silk.  Some I bought in Japan, some have been gifts and some I bought here, but all are vintage/pre-loved Japanese silks.
I am making a bojagi, inspired by those made by Jean and Nat.  Jean brought one she had made to Japan with her for show and tell after featuring it on her blog.  It was even more gorgeous in real life and Janine modelled it for us.

I love the prairie points that Jean included in her bojagi and so I am using them in mine.  I started by thinking I would mix my colours quite randomly, but have since decided to piece them in areas of one colour.  I started with the pinks.  I am using YLI Silk thread which is a dream to use and my very expensive Clover Black Gold needles (I'm using #10 applique/sharps) which are lovely although I have already broken one when going through a prairie point in a seam :-(  Nothing is pressed yet, it is very much an organic work in progress.  I am going to start on the greens this afternoon.

For more bojagi yumminess, hop over to Won Ju Seo's collection.

Fabric from Japan

As promised this post is full of all the yumminess I bought when I was in Japan in April.  I shopped in a variety of places, department store, antique market, vintage fabric store... and am pleased with my haul (although I don't have plans for much of it as yet).

I went to Yuzawaya fabric shop with Carin and bought several lengths of fabric 

plus some ready-quilted AnPan Man fabric to make something for Sam 

I just had to have something with dragons as it is the Year of the Dragon and this piece caught my eye

Considering the temptation presented by this wonderful craft shop - they really do have everything - I think I was remarkably controlled!
Near the Asakusa temple Carin and I visited a small kimono shop (new and used) and I bought this small piece of sakura decorated fabric:

I visited an antique market with Carin and bought this length of shibori fabric

I also went shopping with Julie.  We visited Chicago, an exciting treasure trove of secondhand clothing in one of the poshest streets in Tokyo, Omote-Sandō, with stock ranging from the standard battered jeans and T-shirts to the most exquisite obi.  Julie was looking for used obi for a workshop - hoping to see it soon Julie ;-) while I was looking for fabric and yukata.  Neither of us went away emptyhanded.

 

I bought this lovely, lightweight yukata to wear as a summer dressing gown, I also bought one for DH.

A couple of small textiles, cheap and cheerful tenugui

 and a blossom design Japanese handkerchief, a smart Japanese girl is never with one. 

While we were on the Japanese Textile Study Tour Bryan took us to Rogei
He said he'd allow us ten minutes in the shop full of vintage textiles and with a workshop running making gorgeous dolls.  Had he no idea how we women shop?  Needless to say the ten minutes was extended!!  This is the shop where we were described as the Western Ladies Bomb!  The trip also resulted in an example of a great service in Japan the takkyubin.  Our shopping was boxed up and sent to the Indigo Hotel by courier - no lugging big carrier bags around the city.

A delightful shibori koshi-himo which would have been worn beneath the obi but which I enjoy wearing as a scarf.

A selection of silk pieces that were not expensive because they were everyday.  They are going to become a boro cloth or bojagi, something like this maybe -

I couldn't resist these two pieces of vintage silk.  Just look at the exquisite designs and the stitches and patches that still remain in them, so gorgeous

I was very, very tempted by a boro furoshiki.  It was sashiko stitched, patched and had had a life and some I'd say.  It was so full of stories and character but it was expensive.  I hesitated.  I do regret not buying it.
But then I had sufficient yen remaining for the final shopping spree of the trip, Nat and I shared a kimono length of double-sided stencil printed fabric from the indigo master

Which is a good place to leave this post, with the promise that the next one will be about my visit to Noguchi san's katazome studio.