Extreme Skills. Traditional Techniques. Sustainable Art. Accurate Stitching. Being Right in contrast to being Wrong. Cultural Appropriation. Upcycle the fabric. Slow Fashion. Visible (invisible mending) and Meditative Life-Style. They are all important in Sashiko/Boro, but these are NOT the first thing I advocate. If you are a long follower here, you know what I push to the world: a bit of extra time to be mindful to care for others, just a moment to acknowledge someone who may be behind the “(extra) ordinary”.
☆
The “someone” is often the one who you care about. “Care” here is not equal to being “nice” or “comfortable”. We can dislike someone & care simultaneously. The opposite of “Caring” is not “hating”: it is “ignoring”.
☆
I hope this post also adds some sense to why I keep saying “Sashiko in English is insufficient yet”. I know we live on busy days with a small family unit. However, if you can, as I received a heartwarming comment yesterday, please talk to your “roots” as much as you can. “Respect to eldery” is not just a form of courtesy. It is what defines us. We don’t have to like them (of course, it’s great if you like them), just don’t ignore (indifference) them even if they are uncomfortable. You can run away if they have problems, but keep them in your mind (with love/hatred, either way). One day, the fabric communicates “it” to you throughout stitching, either theirs or yours. “It” happened to me, and therefore I can share so many stories about Sashiko & Boro. We weren’t made from nothing: Someone was there for us, and we were all covered with some fabrics.
☆
–
–
–
☆
「英語圏で流行っているBOROと、日本人が培ってきた襤褸は違う」と断言した手前、様々な襤褸の写真を見たり、自分の持っているものに再度触れまくったりしているのですが、やっぱり襤褸は「畏れるもの」なんだなと。自分の母親が作ったものでさえ、一歩引くのだから、過去を確かめられないものは余計に畏怖してしまいます。これをどう言葉で伝えるかなんだよなぁ。実物みりゃ一発って言えるのは日本人だからなんだよなぁ。
☆
2021-10-25 20:58:55
Beautiful
写真見ただけでも…💦 ですがね😅海外の方は、実物見ても怖いと思われないのでしょうか？
thanks for sharing!!!!
念が込められてるからこその不気味さみたいなものですかね….
Some of the best mindful, caring moments of my life were spent in Tokyo with a group of Japanese ladies at a sewing group 💙 They took me as an ex-pat into their midst and shared their knowledge and food. It was soul nourishing💙 I’ve tried to recreate the feeling with my daughters and grandsons and they love it💙 Thank you so kindly for the reminder 💙
I like your words ☺🙏
This spoke to me.
One of my most comforting memories is falling asleep in the car on the way home at night and my father carrying me to my room, putting me to bed. I felt so safe. I knew he’d never drop me. He was so strong and sure of what to do. We had a difficult relationship later. I made a point to salvage it late in life and mend the rips and tears of our familial fabric. In the end this mighty man was fraying. Each call I listened to, each observation and soft suggestion I made, each of the many rants I listened to and acknowledged, they did help him and his view of me. It was visible and invisible mending. In the end he did finally get the release from angst he needed and I know I was a comfort to him. In the end I was strong and sure of what to do. He felt safe. I didn’t drop him.
I started following Sashiko and boro hashtags because I wanted to visibly mend a shirt for my husband where I removed an embroidered company name. It left some areas that I envisioned sitting and lovingly doing some visible mending to. I wanted it to be a special effort. Since then the needs of my parents and all the other things I do make this not a good time to do this for my wonderful husband. Until I do, I see and listen and absorb. Thank you for continuing to share. Thank you for making time to stitch and the extra time it takes to communicate. It’s worthwhile and appreciated.
やっぱり好きには慣れないと言うか拒む気持ちが前に出る。
海外の人が作る(この表現だって違和感あるけど)BOROは拒むと言うより逆に可哀想な気持ちになるんだけど。。襤褸に感じる気持ちがBOROには感じない。
❤️
🍀✨🔥