Seasonal Boro Year 4

Kimono patched with four seasons of leaves

The gingko trees are in full leaf again, and here is year four of an ongoing process piece called "Seasonal Boro." It harkens back to the Japanese tradition of patching worn clothing, called "boro," using fine lines of "sashiko" stitching.

Close-up: leaf patch from a past season

The process gets more involved with this piece each season, as old leaves from previous years grow increasingly brittle. As with patching, the older and more worn they are, the more beautiful they become.

Kimono back with old and new patching

This scaled-down kimono is hand-stitched from Japanese fabric.

Worn gingko leaf patch

The second garment in this piece is a scaled-down traditional happi coat, now sporting a blend of old and new leaf patches.

Happi coat front

Close-up

Happi coat back

Close-up

Old gingko leaf patch

If you would like to look at all four seasons of this project and how the garments have progressed as the leaves have been added and then aged over time,  use this link: Seasonal Boro. If you would like to see how boro patching works in a beautifully practical way with fabric, simply use the link: Boro.

Seasonal Boro Mending with Gingko Leaves: Year Three

In preparation for the first of May, I have just completed the third year of seasonal sashiko stitching and boro mending on a set of hand-crafted Japanese-style garments. To see years one and two of this project, follow these links: Year One (Happi Coat), Year One (Kimono); Year Two.

This is a piece of process art and, as with my beloved Thread Cupcake, either you get it or you don't. Each subsequent year of this seasonal boro project gets more delicate and difficult, as the leaves from earlier years become more brittle. The focus and attention required are all-absorbing.

Happi Coat front with leaf color code

Happi Coat back

Stitching detail

Kimono front

Kimono back

Stitching detail

Seasonal Boro: Stitched Gingko Leaves, Round Two

2 seasons of stitched leaves

I first used traditional sashiko stitching to apply gingko leaves to small kimonos as a play on the Japanese practice of boro mending about a year ago. (See Happi Coat with Boro Mending and Gingko Leaves.) Now the gingko leaves are in bloom again and in the spirit of boro mending, I decided to freshen the kimonos with new leaves.

Happi coat with new and old leaves

Note how well the old leaves have held up with the sashiko stitching holding them in place. 

Kimono with old and new leaves

Adding new leaves is delicate business, but I find the way the fresh green juxtaposed with the brittle old brown mimics the shades of color in traditional boro very satisfying. I may try to squeeze in another round next season.