Boro Bags!

What's with the bags? 

I usually teach bookmaking and paper arts classes but for a number of years now textiles have been creeping their way into my artwork, and naturally, my teaching.

Tsuno Bukuro and Azuma Bukuro

Japanese Boro textiles have been an inspiration to me and have greatly influenced my series KEEP: Modern Library. In researching Boro I have taught myself many of the stitching techniques, learned a great deal about the different kinds of textiles that form boro, and started a small collection of my own.

Some Boro Textile pieces from my collection

 

In looking at Boro textiles, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful cloth Japanese bags. Traditional and contemporary Japanese bags are simple yet ingenious in design, and combined with Japanese textile printing, dying and weaving techniques - gorgeous. And then patched and repaired - scrumptious! Possibly, too, I gravitate toward bags because, like books, they are containers that can be stitched in a number of different ways. Their construction fascinates me.

Stitching on one of my Boro Bag class samples

My gateway bag was the tsuno bukuro. Yoshiko Wada taught us how to make that bag at Shakerag and ever since then I have been teaching myself to make other types of bags, mostly by looking at bags that I have seen and/or collected.

Class samples and supplies

I had been teaching the Boro Sampler Book class for a while and it has continued to be popular but I wanted to mix things up a bit so I developed the Boro Bags class. In this workshop we use one length of cloth as our sampler enabling students to work on a larger scale than was possible with the books.

Student work - Boro Bags Workshop

Students learn basic Boro mending and repair techniques that they practice on their cloth and then at the end of the class they make the cloth into a bag. Two different bag patterns are taught - the tsuno bukuro and the azuma bukuro. They are both quite simple, but clever in design, and can be used as a project bag, shopping bag, or even a clutch like bag.

Student work - Boro Bags Workshop

Students can then incorporate the learned techniques, and what I call the Boro aesthetic, into future sewing projects or into their art practice. 

 

Student work - Boro Bags workshop

It took me a while to develop this class since there were so many variables so in January I ran a "beta" class in Wishi Washi Studio to test it out. Everything went swimmingly so I offered two more in the last month and I now feel like the class is tried and true!

Student work - Boro Bags workshop

Two more Boro Bags workshops are coming up so check out these venues if you would like to learn about Japanese Boro textiles, try your hand at some of the stitching and mending techniques, and make a bag!:

Mountain Maid Workshops, Grass Valley, CA - April 23rd

A Verb for Keeping Warm, Oakland, CA - May 14th

(Update: directions for the Boro Bags are in my book: The Boro Aesthetic available on Blurb.com)

Shakerag: learning

It will be hard to say good-bye to Shakerag. What a magical place.

my morning walk at Shakerag

Just completed my week of learning and being in the roll of student at Shakerag taking Yoshiko Wada's Boro Transformed workshop.

It was interesting transitioning from a teacher to a student over the weekend. The volunteers and staff here were so kind making sure I was included in meals and field trips as they were preparing for the next week of students and faculty. I got to go to the Piggly Wiggly and a flea market - what else could I ask for?

I also got some nice front porch time with my stitching project and the dogs of Shakerag.

dog day at Shakerag

Yoshiko's workshop was wonderful. Packed full of information and new experiences. She brought some beautiful examples from her personal collection of old authentic boro pieces:

Boro piece from Yoshiko Wada's collection

as well as this contemporary piece created in a boro-like style - this is a shirt created in the Nui Project - a stitching and embroidery workshop for developmentally disabled adults in Japan:

stitched shirt from the Nui Project in Japan

A brand new experience for me was indigo dying - even though it is not a color I usually use in my artwork, or wear, it was interesting to learn the process and the language: waking up the vat, putting it to sleep, feeding it, was it tired or happy? I think the language may have been my favorite part.

this is a happy vat!

 

I started on a piece I had been thinking about for a while but couldn't quite get started on. Yoshiko gave me some inspiring advice to distress my piece with what I found around Shakerag. So I distressed it with rocks, stained it with Shakerag dirt and threw it in the lake at once point!

my stitched piece in "the res" with leaf...

Much of my week was spent stitching and examining boro for patching and mending ideas. 

my project in progress

detail - so much stitching!

I still have a lot of work to do on the piece but I made substantial progress on it.

I also finished the sample book I started last week, made a bag called a tsuno bukuro, and learned to make a sashiko thimble.

Another fantastic week all around. It is hard to leave but comforting to know that I will be back next year again as a student. Yes, I will!

See my previous two posts to see more about the place and my experience teaching there.

Thank you Shakerag...

Tennessee Bound

My studio is in gather and pack mode as I am getting ready to head to Tennessee to teach The Stitcherly Book at Shakerag Workshops.

Then! After my teaching week I stay on to be a student for the following week. As I think I said very recently: I love learning and I love being a student. I will be participating in a workshop called Boro Transformed taught by Yoshiko Wada.

I am very excited about both weeks and am making piles and piles of paper and fabric to take with me. I know I have to pare down since I'm flying and am only taking one checked in bag and one carry on. 

I have only heard wonderful things about Shakerag and am very much looking forward to being immersed in art for two weeks. Local, organic food is on the menu daily, art talks every night, and a lake to swim in in the afternoon!

I am going to try to stay away from social media while there in this beautiful setting but I'm sure I will post a pic or two on Instagram if you would like to follow along.