A Beautifully Patched Boro Futon Cover: Katazome Cotton
April 25, 2013
It’s been too long since I’ve last posted here, the reason being that I returned from Japan with a lot of antique Japanese folk textiles I found on my buying trip, and getting them all ready to show is time consuming.
I’ll be rolling out these new items on the webshop, with a good line-up to be shown this coming Wednesday, May 1 at 11 AM NY time.
Shown here is a wonderfully patched, large boro futon cover I just found on my trip. The combination of the geometric katazome cloth overlaid by the random–and many–patches is gorgeous. I was really happy when I found this one.
The indigo dyed cotton background shows a repeat pattern of hexagons or kikko, the traditional tortoiseshell pattern. This design conveys a wish for long life.
The hand loomed cotton is gauzy, very soft and drapey. The color is a beautifully faded indigo, softened from decades of wear.
The size is nice. It’s 60″ x 48″ or 152.5 cm x 122 cm and it probably dates to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.