An Intensely Sashiko Stitched Apron: Kasuri Cotton

Aprons in some form or other were worn all the time in old Japan: women at home wore them to do housekeeping, farmers and tradesmen wore them, shopkeepers wore them--in the past, aprons or maekake were part of one's daily clothing, and, still, today, many people today in Japan wear aprons on a daily basis.

 

This particular apron is lovely: the face is of hand loomed kasuri or ikat cotton while the back is stitched from several pieces of deeply dyed indigo blue cottons.  These textiles are layered and then very densely sashiko stitched, the stitches being formed in tight, vertically oriented rows.  The stitching is so intense that it appears as woven texture: upon closer inspection you can see that the texture is the result of very fine stitched work.

The white cotton tie is wide and is embellished and finished with machine stitching.

A marvelous and wonderful country textile, very steeped in the traditions of old Japan.

Recommended.