Hi Dear Folk,
Rob asked me if I could darn his work pants and this is what I did. I thought I did a pretty good job to extend their working life.
My darning work reminds me of Japanese Boro stitching.
Boro is a Japanese term and derives from the word borboro, which means something tattered or repaired. Fabrics that had been repaired and patched over and over. Although beautiful, boro cloths came about through pure necessity. During the 18th and 19th centuries cotton was a luxury afforded only to the nobility, the lower classes had homespun fibres that were more difficult to make into fabric and didn't last as long. By patching and stitching, the fabric could be strengthened and its life could be extended. During the Edo era there were also laws that restricted lower classes from wearing bright colours which is why the clothes are indigo blue and brown. Boro textiles are now highly sought after collectibles.
During these times pieces of cloth were re-purposed in various forms. Often starting off as a kimono then becoming every day clothing, a piece of sleepwear, a futon cover, a bag then finally a dusting clothe. Every scrap was used until it wore out.
This relates to the Japanese philosophy of 'mottani', which centers around wasting nothing of the intrinsic value on an object.
Christine
Rob asked me if I could darn his work pants and this is what I did. I thought I did a pretty good job to extend their working life.
My darning work reminds me of Japanese Boro stitching.
Boro is a Japanese term and derives from the word borboro, which means something tattered or repaired. Fabrics that had been repaired and patched over and over. Although beautiful, boro cloths came about through pure necessity. During the 18th and 19th centuries cotton was a luxury afforded only to the nobility, the lower classes had homespun fibres that were more difficult to make into fabric and didn't last as long. By patching and stitching, the fabric could be strengthened and its life could be extended. During the Edo era there were also laws that restricted lower classes from wearing bright colours which is why the clothes are indigo blue and brown. Boro textiles are now highly sought after collectibles.
During these times pieces of cloth were re-purposed in various forms. Often starting off as a kimono then becoming every day clothing, a piece of sleepwear, a futon cover, a bag then finally a dusting clothe. Every scrap was used until it wore out.
This relates to the Japanese philosophy of 'mottani', which centers around wasting nothing of the intrinsic value on an object.
Christine
A joy to visit and learn something new.
ReplyDeleteYes I did find the article on Boro stitching very interesting. I have also run across people who craft and regularly buy these old textiles for their projects.
DeleteWow you are patient and what a good job done.There can't be many people nowadays who know how to darn! I like the idea of the Boro stitching to make clothes last as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of work but relaxing. I used button thread, much stronger.
DeleteI've done some darning recently, but it doesn't look anywhere as nice and neat as yours. I'm off to google Boro and see what I can find. Very interesting - thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete