My chaotic wanderings through creation and restoration.
So. We left off last time with a delightful trip into respiratory distress lacquer thinner hell blue-grey shabby chic fuckery removing the shell from the upper portion of the tansu. For a quick recap, here: Cleared off the shit paint without managing to damage my teeth from all of the fucking clenching, restored the locks, … Continue reading Abused Antique Tansu Round Two: Electric Boogaloo
Majestic Mt. Fuji Overlooking A Misty And Watery Pine Grove On Smooth Black Silk. I definitely needed another one of these, right? Even if it didn't need anything in terms of restoration or repair, really? It's not that I collect things like furisode and uchikake (in short loose terms, wedding kimono) exclusively. It's that I … Continue reading Meiji Era Uchikake–Fujiyama Ukiyo-e Style
Decadently Woven Black Silk Adorned With Gilded Cranes In Flight Over Treasure Ships. In three days, I will have had this kimono for an entire year. And as a delightful songwriter once crooned, when it comes to this piece, the waiting was the hardest part. Nevermind that I had to sit here and scream at … Continue reading Meiji Takarabune Uchikake–Restoration Complete
Right off the bat, you're seeing me be real iffy about labeling what kind of kimono this is. And there's a pretty good reason for that. I'll get to it. I promise. I didn't just empty all of my knowledge into a ditch somewhere. Sooooo. Let's get right to it. Look at this insanity. I'm … Continue reading Restoration In Progress: Meiji Era Wedding Kimono
Flocks Of Cranes In Flight Against Clouds Of Gold On Black Silk. You know I'm sitting over here with a digital pile of photos of my work to sort through and process for sharing, and then a literal pile of kimono that need to be finished and then photographed for completion. But I just received … Continue reading Meiji Furisode–The Birb Flies At Midnight
As you can see, even though I do a lot of restorations, I'm using the word preservation in this title. Well! Now seems like a good time to have this conversation, because I do make a distinction between the two, and it's a good question to ask: When do I decide that the goal is … Continue reading Preservation In Progress: Meiji Uchikake–Majestic Minogame
Flamboyantly Colored Phoenixes In Flight Over Bright Pines And Chrysanthemums On Red Silk. I picked this piece up recently, and it's already up here because I get real goddamn excited about things that qualify as oddballs. And there's so much delightful strangeness going on with this piece that it makes me vibrate with joy. Ever … Continue reading Antique Irotomesode–Flashy Phoenix
Every so often, I get a question or nine hundred about what certain terms that I use mean. Usually they're questions about the Japanese words, motifs, formalities, eras...you know, the hard stuff. But most recently, I've received a few emails and messages about what I mean when I comment on the condition of a kimono, … Continue reading Random Tidbit–Shattering
Vivid Pink Plum Blossoms Against A Gilded Temple With The Seven Treasures On Purple Silk. If I'm being accurate, I have been finished with this piece for a few weeks now. I wanted to wait until my new iko (kimono stand) was ready to do this entry. Originally, she was the first piece I was … Continue reading Castles & Dreams–Restoration Complete
Well, I've gone and done it. I bought myself a proper kimono stand. If I'm going to pretend to take this blog very seriously, then I should have one, right? I built one for myself awhile ago using some raw materials and by modifying an existing clothes hanger, and I was and still am pretty … Continue reading Restoration In Progress–Meiji Era Iko
Silk & Bones 