A Pieced Length of Flannel or Neru: Twentieth Century
$40.00 USD
early to mid twentieth century
45" x 14 1/2", 114 cm x 37 cm
Flannel? Yes, flannel, or as the Japanese call it furanneru or neru, as it is often called.
Flannel was introduced to Japan in the late 19th century as the country was opening up and trading with the West. Early on it was a luxury material and then, slowly, it made its way into ordinary life in Japan.
This is a fragment of a larger cloth which was hand stitched from recycled cloth. This particular length is made from four pieces and it shows one mending patch.
The pattern is one of plants with narrow attenuated leaves; the tones are in the brown range.
An interesting length of cloth that shows that the repurposing of materials in Japan lasted well into the twentieth century.
