Hand-Made

Japanese Textiles. by Jessica PigzaSeptember 16, 2008

827385. New York Public Library
A kimono from 1910.

A few months ago I spent some holiday time among the rows of lovely and unusual fabrics at H. Kimura, an unassuming little fabric shop with an overwhelming selection in Kealakekua, Hawaii (my thanks to my sister for taking me there!). This shop was well stocked with Japanese cotton prints like the chrysanthemum cotton print in the detail below, which I made into a Walkaway Dress (Butterick 6015).

I've been fond of Japanese patterns for many years, and I am grateful that there are sources closer to home than H. Kimura where I can easily get at them. One shop in New York is City Quilter, and a spot online with plenty of irresistible Japanese offerings is Reprodepot. But if you want to read up on the art and the history of Japanese fabrics and textile design, I'd recommend turning to the Library. NYPL's Schwarzman Building has dozens of illustrated books and exhibition catalogs to browse through. And don't forget about the Digital Gallery, with its many samples of Japanese textiles digitized and ready for browsing online.

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Comments

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I am interested in finding a

Submitted by maria (not verified) on February 11, 2009 - 7:40pm

I am interested in finding a source for Japanese blue and white cotton yukata fabric , preferably a manufacturer in Japan as I am interested in importing it. Any information, links, books etc. will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Japanese textiles

Submitted by Dian Elvin (not verified) on February 9, 2012 - 7:36am

Dear Jessica I have been scrolling through the pages from the Schwarzman Building after finding a document about my family in the Arents collection. Thank you. It is a fascinating way of spending a morning (or two!) and I was particularly interested in your choices. I wish I lived in New York and could come to your Crafternoons. Have you seen www.mingei.com.au ? Mary Taguchi would be an interesting contact for Maria who wrote to you. She is an old friend in Australia and can probably answer her question if it is not already answered.