Sunday, October 31, 2021
Indigo at Kawagoe Shrine Sale
This vendor and I had an approximation of a conversation about sashiko and quilts. (By the way, these baskets are prohibitively expensive and so special).
And of course some beautiful vintage fabrics:
Back at the ranch, I washed and dried my indigo pieces.
My routine: I wash each piece two or three times in the sink just with regular detergent, until the water is clear, or nearly so (most indigo will run a little bit but that lovely light blue water is fine). I use that water for the next piece, and so on. I enjoy this process. Once I've washed a piece once or twice, if there is a stubborn stain, I just take scissors to it. I love this vintage indigo but only to the extent that I can get it really clean and feel good about using it in my quilts. Also, sometimes a piece continues to run dark blue very badly, but it's rare that that happens.
Anyway, once washed, I roll up into a towel to extract the water...
And then hang to dry (Japanese apartment systems are so efficient. You hang clothes in the small bath/shower room and there's a special hot fan setting that turns the space into a clothes dryer. I do a little laundry every day like that, and so this space is used for more than one purpose):
I'm sure these pieces will make their way into future indigo sofa throws... and maybe a bag? For now I'm just enjoying their earthy presence, with the bittersweet knowledge that my Kawagoe days are limited;). Another way to put it, is that I'm well on my way to leaving Japan in April with a lifetime supply of old indigo;).
xo
Cynthia
Friday, February 28, 2020
Kawagoe wabi sabi finds
Yesterday I ventured about an hour's drive from Tokyo to a shrine sale (flea market) in Kawagoe. It happens on the 28th of each month. I'd been a few times when we lived here before - always by train - but not since moving back to Japan.
Yes, I know, Coronavirus. But I didn't take the trains. I was lucky to be offered a ride with a group of friends from church - all expats from the U.S. We passed around hand sanitizer and conjectured and wondered at what is really happening with this virus. David will be working from home until at least March 13. Our churches are closed. Schools closed so fast - this is just unprecedented and I feel for the young Moms!
Anyway, Kawagoe. Fewer vendors than usual. Sparse crowd, but we were there early.
First priority, good katazome for special projects. Tammy found some here:
I found some at another vendor.
Prices for this kind of vintage indigo have risen. A two-meter length was 5000 yen (about $50). Yikes. Precious stuff. Notice the wear and fading - love it. My favorite kind of wabi sabi.
A boro mend on an old piece of kasuri:
Not sure if this Shippo (Seven Treasures) sashiko design is someone's UFO, or was deliberately randomly cut off this way - very cool either way:
Kokeshi dolls are ubiquitous:
This darling little squat doll called to me - 500 yen (about $5) -
Lots of fun randomness at a shrine sale like this:
You know my blog header, the "fundo" (balance weights) sashiko design? Here are fundo in real life - thanks to Tammy's eagle eye for noticing. Next time, I've got to find out if these are sold individually - why didn't I ask?! They were at a very very high end vendor and I didn't think to ask.
Tacky and fun maneki neko:
Edo-era five yen coins, 200 yen a piece:
A gorgeous quilt - can't remember the price but it was exorbitant -
Wish I'd gotten a photo of this utilitarian whole cloth sashiko quilt one friend got for a steal:
I filled it with some Japanese fishing floats - I absolutely love them! They were fun to wash in a bucket - I felt like a little kid at the sink:
All in all, a very fun satisfying outing, and a great distraction from Coronavirus anxiety! I love bringing some wabi sabi into the apartment.
xo
Cynthia