My chaotic wanderings through creation and restoration.
Peafowl In Courtship Dance On Bright Red Silk With Peonies And Butterflies. This restoration was pretty much the smoothest, least complicated restoration I've ever done. The stains were mostly things that could be scraped off with a fingernail, and what couldn't be was wiped away pretty easily. The fabric is in excellent shape, so re-sewing … Continue reading Restoration Complete: Taisho Furisode–Classy Peacocks
Haha! Hi! I've been sick. Happily, it's not the plague-du-jour, and it also wasn't something contagious. It was just my shitty, shitty body having a hissy fit over god knows what. It's done now. I haven't updated in a week. Ugh. The worse news is that I also haven't been able to do very much … Continue reading Antique Kimono–Purple Bamboo
I sat silently on the floor in my room with both hands over my mouth after I hung this up. My little ritual when I open up a new kimono package is to avoid inspecting it closely until I have it hung up properly. Then I just sank to my knees; I was speechless. I … Continue reading Restoration In Progress–Castles & Dreams
This furisode is so screaming red, that if you look at it for too long in bright light and then look at a white wall, nothing happens. But I had you for a second, didn't I? Another adventure in buying domestically, I think I probably paid too much for this one. But it's so rare … Continue reading Restoration In Progress–Taisho Peacock Furisode
Pictured: OHMIGOD OHMIGOD OHMIGOD OHMIGOD Or at least I think it's an uchikake. I'm actually not fully sure. I rarely get to handle uchikake this old to begin with, and this will be the first that I own if that's what it is. I know that older ones tend to be structurally different than the … Continue reading Restoration In Progress–Meiji Takarabune Uchikake
Soft Blue Green Crepe Silk With Blooming Spider Mums And Fans Over Flowing Water. This is a restoration that I totally failed to keep any tabs on whatsoever. I bought it, cleaned it, sewed a few panels back together, and then hung it up here to take pictures without so much as documenting a single … Continue reading Taisho Irotomesode–
I didn't plan this post, but because I've been unexpectedly popular when it comes to the restoration details, here I am! I started this blog 31 days ago, and I've already had 1500 some-odd people come and check it out. I'm floored. Thank you. I can't believe people think this is that interesting, especially considering … Continue reading A Chat About Restoration Requests
Bright Red Silk With Blooming Spring Flowers And A Touch Of Gold. Sugar pop! Those were the words that flew out of my mouth with a cutesy little gasp when I first saw this piece. If you know me personally, and some of you do, then you know that my personal fashion aesthetic is...I don't … Continue reading Showa Haori–Sugar Pop!
Festive Hand Drums On Black Woven Silk. Today I get to talk about one of my favourite features of vintage kimono: rinzu. Rinzu is the term for woven patterns in the silk. Think of it as jacquard or damask. A soft shimmer of traditional patterns embellished all over the body of the kimono, oftentimes a … Continue reading Taisho Houmongi–Nostalgic Rhythms
Recently I have been working hard on restoring this furisode. It's been a colossal pain in the ass with a lot of internal screaming and, when the hour is appropriate for the noise, external screaming! Which isn't to say that it's not going well. That's just how I work on things. With angst and screaming. … Continue reading Tutorial–Making Gold Leaf Paint
Silk & Bones 