A Beautifully Sashiko Stitched Indigo Dyed Furoshiki: Good Motifs

early twentieth century
35" x 36", 89 cm x 91.5 cm

This beautifully stitched Japanese folk textile is hand made of indigo dyed cotton and is extravagantly sashiko stitched--about 4/5 of the surface are of this furoshiki is covered in white hand stitching.

And the stitching is beautifully done.  Two opposing corners show the chrysanthemum motif while the other two show the traditional hemp leaf, or asanoha pattern: one of these two corners shows a variegated design by mixing asanoha with a triangular-based design called uroko or fish scales, which also shows a stitched kanji enclosed in a diamond shape.  Notable is the way that these design motifs merge with each other and transition into one another, details of which are shown in the many accompanying detail photos.

A furoshiki is a traditional wrapping, storage or hauling cloth, and this one has been used hard.  Its surface is distressed from wear, but remarkably the sashiko stitching is still very intact, even down to the two "tails" of cotton threads on the top left and bottom right corners of the cloth.  The back of the furoshiki is also shown in order to give a different view onto the wonderfully good sashiko stitching that generously decorates this old furoshiki.

A wonderful thing.

Very recommended.