A Length of Indigo Dyed Cotton Zanshi Ori: Leftover Yarns

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
62" x 13 1/2", 157.5 cm x 34.25 cm

Zanshi ori  is cloth that is woven from threads either leftover from home production of yarn making, or from broken threads that were purchased from local commercial weavers.  Usually the weft is fed with these random threads while generally the warp is regulated producing an irregular horizontal 'striping'; if home threads are used, knotted slubs can often be seen.

This length of zanshi ori is beautifully colored from indigo dyed cotton yarns.  As can be seen the pattern of the cloth is a large plaid, and by looking closely you can see that leftover yarns were used in the weft fill: there are irregularities in coloration in this weft: these are the leftover yarns.

Two mending patches are hand applied to this length.

An absolutely beautiful length of zanshi ori cotton cloth.