Boro quilts

 Hello friends!

This week's blog post sat in my DRAFTS folder for quite a while. I was so excited to share the information, but found so much information ( and sometimes conflicting information!) that I just didn't feel like I had enough of a handle on the topic to share about it properly.  But I finally decided just to share what I found and let you delve into the topic further and become more of an expert yourself if it interests you. If there is misinformation in this post I do apologize and don't hesitate to contact me and let me know. I will make changes as necessary.   Alright, are you ready? Here we go:

( image source: https://sweetsweetlife.typepad.com/sweet_sweet_life/2009/10/a-different-kind-of-art.html)

Are you familiar with Boro Quilts? I had seen some photos of them and was interested in their history so did some research and this is what I found:

Boro (ぼろ) are a class of Japanese textiles that have been mended or patched together. The term is derived from the Japanese term "boroboro", meaning something tattered or repaired. ( source: Google)

 Boro got its start in  Japan, where the poor peasants of Northern Japan would patch clothing and other household items by stitching small pieces of cloth over the worn sections, using a simple running ( or Sashiko) stitch. Usually these patches were made of  hemp, as cotton was scarce and only allowed to be used by certain classes of people. You will notice that most traditional Boro clothing is Indigo colored. Dying cloth in Indigo made it stronger and aside from that, the peasants were forbidden to wear colorful clothing.  

Sashiko (刺し子, lit., "little stabs") is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery or stitching used for the decorative and/or functional reinforcement of cloth and clothing ( source: Wikipedia)

 These clothing pieces would be passed down from generation to generation as nothing was wasted. Today we would see this as a point of pride, but  to the Japanese people having a piece of Boro clothing was seen as an embarrassment and it has only become appreciated as an art form in the last number of years.

( image credit: http://kathrynclark.blogspot.com/)

(image credit: - International Quilt Study Centre, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

( image credit: https://www.heddels.com/2015/08/all-about-boro-story-japanese-patchwork/)

In my research about Boro quilting I also stumbled across this book, which provided me with some of the background and history of this style: 

Link to this book ( click)

It provides a short history of Boro quilting and goes into lots of details about Sashiko stitches, along with some projects to make in the Boro style~ a very interesting book!

If you would like to have a go at making a Boro- inspired piece of art, there are plenty of books and kits out there, but of course nothing compares to having age-old clothing to work with. However, if you would like to emulate the Boro style you can dive into your stash or go shopping at thrift stores. The dominant colors are blue and tan, but you can use what you have and make do. Going out and buying just the right fabric goes against the Boro style, don't you agree?

 

( image source: https://indigoniche.com/2018/08/30/boro-stitching-introduction-history/)

Below are some links to videos that show Boro style projects:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_rqg52EL2Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6XlQW8cYNk

And some links to Sashiko stitching: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H464u4q_JGk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashiko

This Boro style is really fascinating to me ( much like visible mending) and I really want to give it a try! I love learning about other cultures and love finding new projects to try so this will be right up my alley! How about you? Have I piqued some interest in you to give this type of project a try? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique