A Sekka Itajime Diaper: Two Patterns

mid twentieth century
23 1/4" x 12 1/4", 66.5 cm x 31 cm

This lightweight cotton cloth measures, as shown as 23 1/4" or 66.5 cm in length, when in reality as it is twice that since this is a length of cotton that has been stitched as a "tube," short end to short end.

It is a diaper and is dyed in the itajime shibori or clamp dyed method.  The cotton would have been folded in a series of triangular folds, then clamped, and then the edges would have been dyed.  The result is this field of blue on white "flowers" which are arranged in ordered repeat.  

As is easy to see there is a panel from another length of shibori inserted into this one which makes for an interesting visual arrangement.

The diaper shows fairly clear indigo color--and the piecing together of more than one type of cloth is a nice surprise.

Really lovely.