Selected from a private collection, these garments represent the traditional clothing of Japan from the last century. The styles include komon (everyday clothing), elaborate festive wear including kuro tomesode (the most formal kimono), haori and michiyuki (short jackets), and furisode (long-sleeved garments worn by unmarried women). The featured garments represent ancient Japanese weaving and dyeing techniques including shibori (tie-dye), ikat and double ikat weaving, mud dyeing, rice-paste resist, hand-painting, stenciling, and batik. These beautiful garments are all hand-stitched.

These days, Japanese people rarely wear traditional clothing. They will sometimes dress in kimono for formal occasions such as weddings, blessings at a shrine, or funerals. Families store their inherited kimono, unused and forgotten, in the closet “sleeping,” as they say. The quilts on display have been made using vintage and antique Japanese kimonos. Given new life as quilts, the precious old silk garments can be enjoyed every day. Something once useful, becomes useful again. What a lovely way to honor the unknown artisans who created these stunning textiles so long ago.

Sales of the quilts and kimonos will benefit the following local women’s support organizations:

• Planned Parenthood
• Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center
• CARDV
• Corvallis for Refugees
• Monarch on 4th
• Old Mill Center for Children and Families
• CASA Voices for Children
• Jackson Street Youth Services