I've been lucky enough to visit Kyoto twice in the last five years on textile trips organised by Nancy at Kyoto Kimono (www.kyotokimono.com). Apart from fantastic sights to see, practical workshops, shopping at a great exchange rates, particularly in 2014 for my friend Marion and me - the only English people on both trips - we visited markets to buy fabric, kimonos, obis and souvenirs as well as being inspired to sew more. The 100 yen stores (actually 108 yen including tax) worked out at about 70p an item last year and because we paid for our trip, not including flights, in dollars we did well then too. The weather was generally excellent (in October) and the food is a matter of taste.
We found a stall in one of the markets which sold second-hand kimonos at knockdown prices - two for about £5 on the first trip and two for about £3 on the second. These kimonos were slightly soiled or damaged but couldn't be washed because of the two different types of fabrics used for the outside and the lining, and I am still recycling some of the fabric. Kimono fabric is about 14" wide and the border on the picture below (wider than shown) is part of a roll of heavy slub silk. The kimono shape is made of pieced and embroidered patterned kimono fabric and the pink background is part of the lining from the same kimono embellished with running stitches representing how the stones in Japanese gardens are swept. I had intended to make a small quilt but, not being experienced in quilt-making, realised that the fabric was too floppy and unsuitable.
On our second trip I bought a couple of little stuffed buttons and was inspired to make the hanging below:
There are 162 (hand-stitched!) buttons each about 2cm in diameter decorated with gold or silver thread and a bead in the centre. The design comprises parts of two Sierpinski triangles (Google it!). (Well, I was a maths and statistics lecturer.)
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