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
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–
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
There are a few risks--or maybe "hazards" is a better word--when buying vintage and antique kimono domestically. You are, frequently:A. buying from someone who really doesn't know what they have, and never knew how to care for itB. buying based off of really bad photosC. cannot anticipate how they will ship it.D. ALL OF THE … Continue reading Meiji Kuromontsuki–Hidden Decadence
Cranes In Flight Over Soft Glowing Pine And Ivy On Black Silk. This is a rather recent addition to my collection. It was meant to be another potential project, as I had purchased it domestically and the seller photos were a bit vague. So I was prepared for weirdness, but actually she's in really good … Continue reading Taisho Furisode–Cranes & Pine
Gentle Irises On Deep Purple Textured Silk 100 Years Old The finished piece. I actually very recently finished this old girl, considering how long I've had her. It came to me with a lot of damage--as a lot of kimonos that I buy domestically do. In fact, I bought it as an "oriental bathrobe." What … Continue reading Meiji Furisode–Soft Ayame & …shaving?
A Proud Peacock In Flight Over Crashing Waves & Snowy Mountains The finished piece. I often refer to this piece as my "crown jewel." And that's actually not because of its classy-AF colours and themes, it's because it took me two years to restore it. I also refer to this furisode as the piece that … Continue reading Taisho/Showa Furisode–The “Crown Jewel”
Black Silk With Sugar Sweet Flowers And Cranes In Flight "How many of these do you have?" I hear them asking me, their faces stricken with nervous half smiles, teetering between delight and concern. Haha! Oh, we haven't even gotten started yet. I am doing these in chunks by date-ish and then type sort of. … Continue reading Taisho Furisode–Sweet Candy Colours
Colourful Phoenix On Soft Black Silk Adorned With Flowers And Fans This kimono almost broke me. When I say that it almost broke me, I mean my spirit/heart/mind/whatever. I don't remember what this was listed as when I bought it because a huge amount of frustration and RAGE has overtaken my memories of acquisition. This … Continue reading Taisho Furisode–A Lesson For Restoration, Or Adventures In Futility
Silk & Bones 