A Length of Plaid Boro Cloth: Hand Woven Cotton

early twentieth century
71" x 12 3/4", 180.5 cm x 32.5 cm

This length of patched, hand spun, hand woven cotton plaid cloth might be more interesting than it first appears to be.

First, the yarns are rich in what the Japanese called thread taste: they are hand spun and when they age and fade they reveal their character in a beautiful way which is the case here.

And what appears to be a blue and white plaid was once an orange and blue plaid.

By looking at the selvedges which are less faded than the body of the piece we can see that what looks like a whiteish color now was once a safflower dyed area. Safflower being extremely light fugitive it fades quickly, but the selvedges tell the true story of this length.

A very nice surprise.

This length is patched with eight patches of dark cotton that contrast nicely with the faded plaid base. Aside from the patching and fading there are a few nicks and some abrasion to the surface.

A lovely length with lots of good history and visual beauty.