This sashiko stitched noragi is a work coat that is as subtle as it is beautiful.   Sewn from repurposed indigo dyed cotton, the entire coat is pierced with horizontal rows of stitching, too numerous to count.The beauty of this soulful coat is enhanced by a remarkable feature: small, white-on-blue stitched gussets, one under each sleeve, perfectly placed, with the white color doled out in just the right amount.  Kind of perfect, aren’t they?Have another look at this wonderful feature, below.And in considering these stitched gussets, let’s not overlook the beautiful tone-on-tone fabric collage that is the back of this jacket.   Just extraordinary.The coat dates to the first half of the twentieth century and its condition is fine–it is still very wearable and durable, as many of these old coats are.

This a marvelously sedate–but very variegated–piece-constructed cotton futon cover.  Each of the cotton fragments that comprise this piece  measures about 3 1/2″ x 13″ or 9 cm x 33 cm and the overall size is 69″ x 66″ or 175 cm x 167.5  cm.

If you notice some light colored edges along some of the horizontal pieces, this is something interesting: these pieces were taken from the end of a bolt of kimono cotton; the entirety of this futon cover was pieced from fairly lightweight,  recycled kimono cottons.This futon cover is completely hand-stitched and was probably made around the first quarter of the 20th century.I think this embodies a masculine kind of beauty and is just stunning overall.

The cloth which sits under this futon cover is shown on my website, here.