Vintage handwoven fabrics

They are stunning, earthy and eco friendly. Uniquely hand spun, hand dyed from plant dyes and hand woven on home looms in the 1920’s – 1980’s.

They are kind to the skins and our environment because of the traditional hand making process had no chemicals involved. People in the old days appreciated indigo’s antimicrobial characteristics and odour resistance. Samurai, for example, wore indigo-dyed fabric under their armour to keep wounds from getting infected, and early firefighter jackets were dyed with indigo, as the indigo dye itself is flame retardant up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Due to the limitations of home weaving looms, the width of these vintage fabrics range between 30cm to 70cm.

These fabrics were made largely as part of the dowry for girls when they got married decades ago. It carried good wishes and good fortune for them into their new stage of life. Nevertheless, usually, the fabric was woven by skilled long-life seniors in the family to pass heritage, knowledge and fortune to younger generations.

These fabrics have been preserved for years as part of family treasure.

These fabrics are described by some of my clients as thick. I checked, Yoko Saito’s Centenary fabric is approx. 130g/sq m whereas these fabrics are approx. 230g/ sq m. (This is a general description of these fabrics. Each roll was uniquely made so properties vary from roll to roll.)

Patterns of fabric can be simple stripes or checks or abstract symbols with good wishes. Plain and pleasant to the eyes and easy to use in any projects.

Every step of weaving was carried out by hand and some imperfections may occur which just will add uniqueness to these handcrafted textiles.