Saris and Kimonos...Beautiful and Sensible

This is the bag my daughter gave me several years ago.  I"ve shown you it before and it is distinctive because it was made from discarded saris and the sale of these bags contributed money to a charity.  I just loved it to death and used it for my blog stuff.  I'd gotten more compliments on this bag than any I have owned.  Sadly, the stitching began unraveling and some of the delicate silk pieces frayed away to nothing.

 When you think of beautiful women's clothing, saris come to mind.  I especially love the colours and the way the cloth flows over a woman's body, I imagine they are a 'forgiving' piece of clothing.

Kimonos Presented As Art

Several years ago I attended a presentation on Kimonos at one of the local museums.  An Ottawa girl had just returned from Japan where she had been studying the art of dressing 'Kimono', a four year long course of study.  She had learned all about the Japanese ancient skills of dyeing and weaving fabrics and how kimonos are at the heart of their culture.  I was fascinated as I'd had no idea how involved and important each step of the process is...as she demonstrated the eight steps to dressing Kimono, her reverence and love of what she was doing shone through.

 

 In older times the kimono would actually be taken completely apart for washing and then resewn afterwards.  Of course, they were all hand sewn often of the most expensive cloth available.
At the end of the performance, a group of volunteer models wearing kimonos joined her on stage.
These demonstrated the kind of kimono that would be typically worn at different seasons and occasions of the year.  It was a spectacular sight; all the beautiful colours and prints were a real feast for the eyes.



The audience, mostly women, oohed and ahhed and we all agreed it was one of the most beautiful shows we had ever seen.
 Kimonos like saris, are also a forgiving garment.  With just a few adjustments, a woman can wear the same kimono all her life.  What a sensible approach to clothing women, dare I say it, especially older women...and so beautiful, too.

Cynthia at Wabi Sabi Quilts  stitched this very pretty Kimono friendship block quilt.

                             

Isilay Yalaz has a Pinterest board of over 80 pins devoted just to kimono cross stitch patterns including this one that is a kit from Dimensions.




I like this one that combines a sampler idea with kimono, elegant too.


I wonder are my eyes drawn to this because we are at the height of the colourless time of year.