Antique black meisen silk fabric w/ woven igeta

Description

Antique black meisen silk fabric w/ woven igeta

Antique black meisen silk fabric with a woven red and white igeta pattern, reclaimed from a kimono. This is a package of mixed sized pieces. It is a lovely firm fabric in excellent condition.

The pieces measure:

• 2 pieces @ 20 by 18 cm
• 2 pieces @ 68 by 18 cm
• 1 piece @ 82 by 18 cm
• 1 piece @ 200 by 18 cm
• 2 pieces @ 168 by 36 cm
• 1 piece @ 112 by 36 cm
• 1 piece @ 56 by 36 cm
• 2 pieces @ 27 by 36 cm
• 4 pieces @ 68 by 36 cm

This is a deconstructed kimono, and there will be slight sewing holes but in this case they are very, very faint. The fabric shows very little dirt or wear. It is a great looking, durable silk fabric that probably dates back to the mid 1930’s to 50’s.

This fabric is fully reversible.

• Igeta: One of the kimono patterns. It looks like the mouth of a Japanese traditional well, which looks rather like a noughts and crosses (tic tac toe) grid

• Meisen: Meisen silk, generally crisp and supple, is one of the Japanese silks fabricated by weaving pre-dyed threads, utilizing the tie-and-resist ikat technique (ikat is an Indonesian term widely utilized to refer to this technique).

In this process, the threads, silk or cotton, are first stretched on a frame. Selected design areas are tightly bound to prevent the dye from penetrating and the hanks of threads are immersed in the dye pots. The bound portions of the yarns resist the dye and when woven, as a result of the threads not being perfectly aligned, create shapes with charmingly uneven edges.

Other Japanese textiles that are made with variations of this technique are cotton kasuri,omeshisilk and tsumugi silk. (described below).

Meisen silk was a popular fabric for casual kimono from 1910 to 1950, in part because it was more affordable, and in part because the designs, frequently drawing on Western influences, seemed adventurous and innovative. Even today they retain a contemporary sensibility.