I was completely bowled over yesterday by the loveliness of this exhibition of boro textiles at Somerset House. There was that gentle buzz you get in a gallery when people are discovering something new and very pleasing and are really glad they came ...
It's only on for a few more days (last day Saturday) but anyone who's into quilting or patchwork would love it. And it's free. I'm very keen on free!
I admit, I'd never heard of boro. They were created out of poverty and need in rural Japan from the 18th century until about the 1920s and few survive as they were objects of shame.
Mostly used as futon covers, they were made from layers of recycled cotton rags, reinforced with sashiko stitching. To me, they looked liked an aerial landscape ... fields of stripes and checks, and buff and shades of indigo. Some of the more intense indigos made me think of looking out of a plane on a night flight. Ironically, they now sell in the region of £3,000 - £20,000.
4 comments:
Looks slightly reminiscent of the baby quilt Taylor dragged around for years and years, dotted with patches where worn through. Highly doubt I could get anywhere near $5 for it in its present state though....
Put it away in a drawer and leave it, Darlene - 200 years and it's Canadian folk art.
We have something similar in Australia called a Wagga quilt which was a quilt made of squares of old suiting or suiting samples or old blankets.They were usually made by poorer people and during the Depression years They could be quiet beautiful.
Thank you, Kristine. I've just googled to see.
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