A Generously Long Piece of Katazome Dyed Cotton: Luscious Hand Spun Cotton

late nineteenth century
67" x 13 1/2", 120 cm x 34 cm

This length of beautifully hand spun, hand woven cotton is dyed in the katazome method and it was dyed "twice," once for the pale blue background tone and once for the dark colored pattern.

The pattern is that of stylized chrysanthemums, perhaps, or some kind of decorative medallion--or perhaps a combination of both. They sit against a background of lively arabesque, a good visual foil for the static-seeming discs.

By looking at this piece overall you can see the sometimes uneven distribution of indigo dye and this is the cause of the wonderful hand spun yarns, a real benefit for those collecting old Japanese folk textiles.