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.