A Stitched Indigo Dyed Cotton Zokin: Dust Rag

early to mid twentieth century
8" x 12 1/4", 20.25 cm x 31.1 cm

A zokin is a traditional Japanese dust cloth or cleaning rag; it is usually made from old pieces of cloth and it is usually layered and stitched for durability.   

Along with diapers, zokin are among the traditional household textiles that represent the end of the line where the repurposing or recycling of cloth is concerned.

This example shows a tightly sashiko stitched zokin which is a few layers thick and stitched together from a wonderful piece of indigo dyed cotton. The tight rows of vertical sashiko stitching is very handsome and makes this a good example of this kind of everyday cloth.