A Patched, Over Dyed Katazome Furoshiki: Wood Sorrel Crest

early twentieth century
40 1/2" x 37", 103 cm x 94 cm

This is a lovely furoshiki, a traditional wrapping or carrying cloth, that is hand stitched from beautiful hand spun, hand woven cotton of rich texture.

The cotton was resist dyed and shows a family crest on the lower left-hand corner: the family crest shows a stylized wood sorrel. The top, right hand corner shows Chinese characters of kanji.

The color is a streaky, mottled green. The reason the green is uneven is because it is indigo which is over dyed in a yellow dye in order to achieve a green color.

Adding the charm of this old piece are the mending patches which stud the surface of the furoshiki and indicate that the furoshiki was well-used. Also note that the center of the furoshiki is distended from its lifetime of work.

Really lovely.