Indigo-dyed napkins from a shibori master
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Indigo is a strong trend in fashion right now. That’s the dye used in old-fashioned denim and also in traditional Japanese and African textiles.
I’m a great lover of Japanese textiles and was poking around textile artist Yoshiko Wada’s website for any classes or events she might have scheduled when I noticed she also has an online shop. One of the items on offer are hand-dyed napkins on traditional cotton kimono material. This set of napkins dyed in the sekka or snowflake shibori pattern are just $30 for five, each 16 x 13 inches. She also has placemat settings, a set of two napkins and two lined placemats for $35.
The table linens are made by Japanese textile artist Harisho, who, according to Wada, is the last remaining itajime shibori master working in the traditional Edo period technique. To dye the fabric, it “is folded several times into very small strips,’ she explains, ‘then put between carved wooden boards and dyed.’
Indigo and white looks so very cool on a hot summer day.
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-- S. Irene Virbila
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