Fab Fabrics: Vintage Kimono Fabric from Shibori

I’m totally smitten with these gorgeous vintage kimono fabrics from Shibori! She stocks all sorts of weights, from delicate silk to cotton and wool.

Owner Juliet and her husband Richard are ordained Zen Buddhist priests. She says she’s struck by, “the sense of history and culture when you handle Japanese kimono silk.” I have to say, I can totally see where she’s coming from. On top of being absolutely beautiful, the patterns on her kimono fabrics make you think of a different place and time. Since they’re all vintage, that means they’re eco-friendly to boot!

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The Shibori shop stocks a wide variety of vintage kimono fabric, and the prices are really reasonable. Juliet gave me a little history of the kimono. The way the Japanese treated the fabric as well as the garment itself is a great lesson in green crafting! They respected the materials and didn’t decide something was useles just because it needed a bit of mending. Juliet shares that:

Kimono were treated with respect and well cared for. Some are handed down and kept in the family. It was not uncommon that daily worn kimono would be discreetly patched underneath until they were no longer presentable, then the garment would be taken apart and used to make smaller garments for others, and then when those were no longer presentable, those garments might be taken apart to make a small wrap or bag (furoshiki) or useful as a towel…nothing was wasted.

What a wonderful legacy to work into your own sewing project!

[Image credit: Photos via Shirobi, used with permission]

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