For my personal project in KTS the sensei recommended me making a Nagoya obi sash. I wished to learn to make a piece of traditional Japanese clothing but the time was too short for a real size kimono fabric in silk, since I had not worked with thin silk before.

I was very excited about making an obi – an idea I hadn’t thought about before!

The Nagoya obi is most common obi used nowadays and it also the type worn with hand-woven kimono. The pattern can be designed only to the knot part in the back and to the front of the sash. The nagoya obi is usually tied in drum knot (taiko musubi), that gives a nice flat surface for the pattern. In Kyoto I’ve seen some really fun obi patterns, such as kittens, panda, vegetables, musical instruments and my interpretation is that obi can tell something about the wearer and their interests. In my case it was logical to have a textile patterned obi.

My design is inspired by the traditional Japanese textile patterns, where fabric is depicted within textile. I imagined one of the traditional abstract weft-kasuri patterns as flowing fabric or a roll of fabric.

Blue colours were inspired by the seaside. The background is light yellow and shining like sand.

Seaside inspiration: Shirahama beach

Design sketches. Basic pattern for the front. Shifted weft kasuri for the taiko knot

The warp is silk dyed light gold-yellow (16 threads/cm) and the weft is tussah silk (15 threads/cm).

Dyeing kasuriKasuri groups like beads

Kasuri guide tapes and some dyed groups

Metal heddles

Traditional Japanese loom for narrow fabrics.

Bamboo reed and a reeding hook

Half of the taiko pattern. Every weft thread is placed differently and shifting creates the loops to the edges

Front pattern. The edge of pattern was made with Nassen Gasuri technique. I used special bamboo stretchers.

Weaving finished, folded like the obi

The professional obi tailor is going to sew it together as nagoya obi

The obi came back from the tailor – I haven’t seen it yet  since is going to be in exhibition in Kyoto in March!

The invitation to the Kawashima Textile School Graduate Exhibition, in Kyoto in March 2017. Exhibition card includes my Nassen Gasuri pattern!