Hidazome

Hidazome Banner

Takayama or Hida-Takayama located in Gifu Prefecture, is a small town that is sometimes referred to as “little Kyoto” simply because it is apparently a well preserved example of “old Japan.” I only learned about this town through one of my many favorite NHK programs called Oshirase. The topic of this particular program was Hidazome （飛騨染め）.

Dragon Hidazome

Hidazome is actually a form of Yuzen, multi-color paste resist dyeing. It’s called Hidazome referring to the original names in that area. Some or zome (染め) means dyeing and comes from the verb someru (染める) which means to dye.

The kimono are made specifically for the two spring and fall festivals that had their beginnings in the Edo Period.The bold imagery, varying from shrine to shrine employs the same technique.

another dragon

Images are first transferred from traditional patterns onto long swaths of fabric. The fabric is stretched on shinshi (thin bamboo rods) and paste resist made from rice bran and soybeans is applied to the desired areas.

applying resist

Then the thickened dye is applied the cloth is left to dry thoroughly.   Later, it is rinsed and scrubbed in clear cold water, stretched and dried again.

applying the dye

Finally, the fabric is made into kimono and can be worn to dance in the Tokei festival.

Odori-folk dancing

Silkworm Pincushion by Indigo Night Owl

Silkworm Pincushion 001

Originally uploaded by IndigoNightOwl

I’m sure there are many things that can be done with silkworm pupae, but this does take the cake! They’re good protein (for snacking), excellent in compost, but this is a refreshing, playful and imaginative take on them. Maybe it’s a little ghoulish…I can’t decide, but I like it.

The silkie moths & their eggs

Laying eggs 1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

I have to hand it to the Chinese, Japanese and other cultures who have it all figured out, so that it’s a neater and more manageable process. I’d like to improve on it but that will take some time. In the meantime, things are really, finally coming to a close for the season.

Most of the eggs have been laid and it seems as though most of them have also been fertilized (they are the dark ones). They were a light yellow then went to a blue. Some are still in that transitional state. So, I’m finally collecting them for refrigeration and starting to clean up the mess. I hope to have it all tidied up over the weekend, as I’m traveling to Florida for a family visit in the very near future.

A silkworm haiku by Issa:

村中にきげんとらるる蚕哉
mura naka ni kigen toraruru kaiko kana

the whole village
pays them court…
silkworms

Books

Books1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

I don’t know which ones I like best, each one is so unique and appealing, just like the artists who made them. Some are made of fabric, others of paper and board – all fiber though. Last week these books (including mine) went on display at the Page-Walker in Cary, NC. They make a fine show (thank you, curator!) in a mirrored glass case at the entrance to a larger quilt show by PAQA – South members.

Brewing Silk soup & Making Hankies

Hankie

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

Following the instructions on Wormspit, Beth and I plunged into the next step in our explorations with raising silkworms.

The morning began with making silk soup (with the proper ingredients including cocoons) and then opening up each cocoon (after removing the pupa skin or shell) and pulling it out and attaching it to a stretcher.

The hankies were layered up to about 10 sheets or less, then rinsed in a vinegar and water solution, then in Milsoft. They were then removed from the frame, squeezed out on paper toweling and hung on the line to dry.

Altogether, we opened 70-80 cocoons with the results being about 8 silk pieces. I have roughly 50 cocoons waiting to hatch and if I were to repeat what I did today, I would have 5 small silk textile pieces to work with. Thank you silkies, for your hard work. Gokurosama deshita!

Simply Irresistible

Silkmoth1A

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

It happened a little earlier than expected and what I even determined in the “wrong” box…but here he or she is…newly hatched. Another cocoon nearby was moving actively. I suppose there could be another tomorrow.

making new pages & facebook

making pages1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

After spending entirely too much of my morning on Facebook, I went running back to the studio. What was it that I wanted to accomplish this week (not that I want to think in those terms)? I still have a little time. It isn’t due until Sunday, still….

Nevertheless, the time spent on Facebook (just setting it up and the other little gifts that followed) turned out to be much more than I expected or could have anticipated.

To return to the actual topic – I began by cutting a sheet of paper into 16 smaller pieces that I folded in halves to make the pages for my next book.  They were a little too buckled, so at the present they’re sitting under a heavy book.  The next thing will be to mark and punch holes in each to make an inner binding.

Gold book

Gold book

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

I finally completed book 2 of that old project. It took more time than I expected and also more muscle. Punching the holes through the spine took more effort and patience than I’d expected and the sewing went much more quickly. It was easy to do and while it may not be a thing of beauty, I like it for its irregularities and imperfections.

Silkie update

Waiting1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

With apparently more than 50 silkworms to wait on, it has been a slow and sometimes impatient process (on my part). I am eager to get to the end and pack them up again (not to mention the silk harvest!). This morning the last one in “box 3″ finally wrapped it up so I could clean it out, dispose of the remaining trash it left behind and make a new nest for these 10 cocoons.

I’ve decided to split them up in smaller groups in hopes of keeping the upcoming mess a little easier to manage. This was just one small aspect of my morning.

Workshop Prep

Shibori Prep1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

It’s a few weeks away still I need to begin thinking about my approach to an upcoming shibori workshop at Artspace. I’ll be working with rising 6th to 8th graders. I haven’t taught it to this age group, so I hope it has appeal. Starting on it early will give me some time to enjoy it as well as explore some outside ideas of my own.

At this point I’m thinking about the supplies I’ll want to take in to the classroom outside of what’s being provided and then again, how will the materials work?

Today I inched toward it with an origami book, fude (calligraphy brush), some sumi-e paper and blue food coloring, which I promptly spilled all over the table. That’s another thing I need to keep in mind – accidents will happen and I can make them too.

At any rate, while I’d rather be working with fabric, I feel like I need to begin walking through what my students will be doing just do see how it will or won’t work. This is probably how I will begin to approach it: on paper, monochromatic (at first) and exploring folding and itajime (clamping). These will also be some samples they can reference. I hope they’ll try a few and go on to explore on their own.