A Sekka Shibori Diaper: Indigo Dyed Cotton

mid twentieth century
25" x 12 1/4", 63.5 cm x 31 cm

This cotton cloth measures, as shown as 25" or 63.59 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 traditional Japanese 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, kaleidoscopic, six pointed "flowers" which are configured more or less along the lines of a hexagon.   

The hexagon form is important to note as it is the tortoiseshell motif, which is a symbol meaning long life, a conveyance that anyone would wish for the baby wearing this diaper.

The indigo color is beautiful.  In seemingly unused condition--please note there is a machine stitched seam running across the width of the cloth and there is a faint, blue stamp shown on the final detail photo here. 

Really lovely.