Woad Kimono-Style Jacket. One size fits most.
Gunma Prefecture silk organza, a specialty silk developed by Yoshiko Wada
and produced in Japan specifically for designers. The organza was resisted
and scoured, then resisted and dyed with woad. Woad, the main source of
indigo blue in Europe during the Middle Ages, produces a delicate French
blue. Sewn with French seams.
This silk is also a crepe which curls when wet. It can easily be ironed flat again.
Dry cleaning is recommended.
The kimono could also be displayed as a wall piece by hanging on a
suspended rod or bamboo (see photo below). Wearing or displaying on black
highlights the patterning to its best advantage.
I’ve been making things with fibers since childhood. Knitting was the first fiber
skill mastered, in part due to the cold winters in North Dakota which promoted
indoor winter activity and due to the availability of teachers, my grandmother
and her friends. Knitting continues to be my favorite form of relaxation. The
repetitive stitch of any fiber work is much more effective for me than meditation.
It helps clear the clutter of the demanding day job.
In the last ten years I’ve branched out with study of shibori, rozome, felting,
natural dyes, weaving and machine knitting. Early experiments included
shibori on knitting, felting, surface design and resist dyeing in any form.
Study has included trips to Japan, China, Chile, United Kingdom and to many
textile venues in the USA. I learn from seeing, touching and experimenting.
I enjoy figuring out complex processes and sample extensively to come up
with the best options for a specific piece. I’ve been a member of Surface
Design Association, Handweaver’s Guild of America, Omaha Weavers and
Spinners Guild, World Shibori Network and Friends of the Robert Hillestad
Textile Gallery in Lincoln. I collect vintage indigo textiles from around the
world for study and appreciation.
My teaching schedule has included work with Handweaver’s Guild of America,
Midwest Weaver’s Conference, Crazy Quilt Society, String of Purls, World
Shibori Network Symposium, Hillestad Gallery, an ambitious group of fiber
enthusiasts in South Dakota and more recently, the Contemporary Fiber Artists
Collective in the Hot Shops Art Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
I will be presenting two seminars at the 2008 Shibori Symposium to be held at
The Textile Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota June 4-10, 2008.
Current research interests include indigo dyeing, clamped resist dyeing with
carved wood blocks, natural dyes and a line of jewelry made from a Japanese
specialty silk from the Gunma Prefecture. Environmental impact of the fiber
industry and safety of textile workers is an ongoing interest.
I’m proud to say this last year I helped establish the Contemporary Fiber Artists
Collective, a working fiber art studio at Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas
Street, Omaha, Nebraska. It’s been fun sharing passion about fibers with a
broad range of artists.
Woad Kimono-Style Jacket
Front
Woad Kimono-Style Jacket
Displayed on bamboo rod.
Woad Kimono-Style Jacket
Detail.
