Last week Grampians Central West Waste & Resource Recovery Group ran a series of talks with the theme of keeping textiles out of landfill. If you watched the series War on Waste then you will know we send a frightening amount of clothing to landfill each day.
an example of Japanese mending
The Japanese have a more detailed method of recycling that we do and for them recycling is a state of mind. The mantra seen on their signage is reduce, reuse, recycle and respect. The respect feeds into the belief that nothing should be wasted. All things have a soul and all items have a value, respect for nature is high.
I only managed to get to the talk on the Art of Japanese Mending and look forward to seeing what is on for next year. Andrea Taylor is a textile artist interested in the Japanese techniques of Sashiko and Boro. Her website is found here.
Andrea spoke about some of the Japanese history of the mending of garments which goes back thousands of years and involves the layering of patches to make garments last as long as possible. Boro means ragged or tattered and sashiko is the stitching that goes through the various layers and holds it all together.
We saw photos taken at the Amuse Museum which houses a range of textiles going back over time. Many articles are stuffed with hemp and continually patched resulting in some very heavy clothing. Futon cover, table runners, bed liners and slippers are all patched.
The photos below show some of the items that were passed around during the talk for us to examine.
Indigo which grows wild in Japan, is a common dye. It is popular with weavers as is repels insects, is antibacterial and fire retardant. It also fades to beautiful blues and has a revered status. Traditionally fireman’s garments were made of hemp and dyed with indigo which resulted in very heavy coats that provided protection against fire.
It is only recently that the Japanese have started to value their use of textiles. For a long time boroboro represented poverty and it was seen as embarrassing but now that is changing. When we use the folded stitching and patches is should be referred to as slow stitching. Boro and sashiko are terms historically linked to the Japanese culture.
Here are a few links to look up if you are interested in knowing more.
a boro story about Japanese patchwork, traditional boro mending, and boro the fabric of life
slow stitching with opp shop curtain remnants (August 2018)
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