Today I am showing a boro futon cover whose lifespan seemed to have bridged a few decades.  The futon cover is hanging next to a spectacular Indian kantha.

I call the boro cloth “trans-generational” because the base of this textile is of faded and worn, hand woven and  hand dyed katazome cotton which is likely to be about 80 years old–and you’ll notice some of the patches are of a brighter, newer, more commercially produced fabric that were sewn on in the years after the original futon cover was made.

I think this contrast of old and new, bright and dull, hand woven and power loomed cloth is visually delightful—and extremely artful.

The meandering mending stitches on the two large patches are noteworthy.  Have a look at the photo, below, for a better view onto them.

Below, have a look at the turquoise colored patch onto which is written “1/8.”  Obviously, in old Japan, prior to, say, the early part of the 1900s, Arabic numerals like this would not have been used.  With the opening of Japan during the Meiji Era (1868-1912), Western influences started making their way into Japan.  This turquoise cloth, however, may be from the 40s or 50s.

When I was in Japan in July I picked up this unusual sakiori cloth–I say it’s unusual as both the weft AND the warp are made from rags.

Sakiori is commonly–usually exclusively–woven of a cotton or hemp warp against which a rag weft is fed.

This sakiori length is woven loosely and in a rustic manner–and it illustrates the importance of frugality and re-use in old Japan.  Have a look at the selvedge edge to see the torn rags that are used as weft material.

I will be offering this beauty for sale on my website soon.  Stay tuned…