A Length of Over Dyed Indigo Stenciled Cloth: Hand Spun Cotton Yarns

late nineteenth century
48" x 12 1/2", 122 cm x 32 cm

The actual colors on this length of old, hand spun cotton are different than shown here as they are difficult to capture in photography.

The base color is a faded and muted green/blue and the stenciled arabesque on top is a dull red/brown tone. Both colors are subtle and their appearance lays in-between two colors, the base is difficult to discern if it is blue or green and the design is reddish.

The cloth itself is a marvelously textured one and it hand woven from hand spun cotton yarns. The textural effect is just what you want to see in an old Japanese folk textile. 

The length itself is quite faded and this quality emphasizes the hand woven nature of the yarns. There is one mending patch to the back, top of the piece.

This elusive-and-beautiful length of hand woven cotton contains a beauty that is hard to capture in photography and has colors that are hard to describe, even when directly seen.

Beautiful.