Thursday, March 11, 2010


Meisen Silk





One of my favourite Japanese fabrics would have to be meisen silk - which probably explains why there is so much of it on the KimoYes website! I have my own personal stash of it and one day plan to keep a record of all of the meisen fabrics that I have collected over the years. Customers and others seem to either love or loathe it.

Meisen silk  is fabricated by weaving pre-dyed threads using the tie-and-resist ikat technique.
"Silk or cotton, are first stretched on a frame. Selected design areas are tightly bound to prevent the dye from penetrating and the hanks of threads are immersed in the dye pots. The bound portions of the yarns resist the dye and when woven, as a result of the threads not being perfectly aligned, create shapes with charmingly uneven edges". (Meisen silk)

On my last visit to Japan I was lucky enough to pick up some cotton and silk threads that had been prepared for this process. The first photo below shows prepared cotton threads and the other, silk.




Meisen silk became popular in Japan between 1920-1950, but most of it appears to be from around the 40s and 50s. It was popular because it was cheaper than many of Japanese silks, was "modern" and used many colourful designs. I love it for its vibrant, rich clours, charming designs and because it holds its shape so well when used for making such things a s kanzashi flowers and bags. I also marvel at the complexity of the process and the beauty that comes from it.

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