Japanese kimono silk and yukata cotton for quilts, arts & crafts

For starters, you can make one of a kind pillows, quilts, clothes, dolls, or really anything you'd make with Western fabrics. The magic of using Japanese vintage fabrics is that no one else is going to have the same fabric as you. So many vintage kimono have been hand painted and/or hand woven that each piece is its own little treasure. Even kimono fabrics that have been mass-produced are still likely to be somewhat rare.

It can be difficult to tear into a vintage kimono or obi, but once you consider how likely it is the garment in question will spend decades in storage and out of sight, it makes it easier to rip it apart. Sometimes removing the stitches (almost always done by hand) one at a time gives you further insight into the garment and its previous owner. Tiny, fine, even stitches on a kimono made from very fine silk says one thing, while a well-worn kimono made from simple silk that has been patched and sewn together many times says something else.

More to come!