Something BORO something Blue

I have posted part of this boro cloth once before, but since then I have added more stitching on different parts of the cloth. I could say this is a true boro cloth, my boro cloth. All fabric used is vintage and even the backing came from an old yukata (cotton kimono) that I ripped apart. This is my first try at boro cloth and I didn't have design in mind. I threw the fabric together and started stitching. My aim was to create a boro cloth and to re-purpose and recycle as much as possible. I believe in giving new life to old cloth - rags to riches.

The more stitches I added to it the more I liked it. I named this cloth Boro Moon because of the many moon pieces I hand dyed and used in the cloth. When I took the photos of it today I thought wow, it has already aged. That's how I wanted it!

I imagine this is how boro cloth was made in the old days. You started with a backing and added larger pieces then you layered the smaller pieces to fill the gaps or used overlapping pieces to make it interesting. I have some plain pieces on there that I stitched over with shashiko designs to make it stronger and more decorative. I will use less stitching on the pieces that already have designs on it. 

Collages of stitched blocks. You can double click on the above picture for a close-up view. 

Don't you just love this piece of tenugui! It was a piece of indigo fabric I received from Japan. I received a mix of indigo fabric, but this piece jumped out at me when I opened the box. It was only big enough to make a tote-bag. I didn't waste any of it; I even pieced small bits together for the handles. I turned the raw edge on the out side of the bag as a design feature. I only had just enough fabric for the handles so I used the same running stitches on them too. The fabric already has a gorgeous design on it and with some stitches it looks amazing! 

Enjoy

Nat