When I was in Japan, I often heard my mother Keiko talking to the fabric while s

When I was in Japan, I often heard my mother Keiko talking to the fabric while she was stitching. It took while to understand her saying underlie the Sashiko she practice. She says, “I will bring you back to the main stage once again”, especially when she works with Kofu (Vintage Fabrics). Her saying is another form of “Upcycling”, not only from a materialistic perspective, but also from “spiritual (how we live & value what we do)” perspective.
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This saying applies to her life itself. She probably wanted to bring herself up on the stage once again. This saying may be an encouragement to me who failed many times. Also, I believe, this saying is one principle of Sashiko’s Philosophy – and I want to say this to you. We all have “value”, yet we are “categorized” as success or failure, special or mediocre. However, when “it (something great – or Luck – or even fate)” tries to “upcycle” who we are, the value we felt yesterday can be redefined today. The value is very “fragile”, and you/we are valuable when it add one “stitch”, although the majority consider us as mediocre.
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Core of Sashiko exists in the ordinary. The trend “forcefully” made it special. It is great that I get so much attention, yet the value system can be completely different when the “force” changes its mind. It isn’t sustainable if the practice is destroyed when the trend is over. Unfortunately, the Sashiko introduced in English by so called “teachers” are not mentioning the core part of Sashiko – they just focus on the “how it looks” and “How to stitch”. Outcome is important, but there are people behind the practice, like Keiko, me and many other unknown & nameless, ordinary heroes who passed down the Sashiko we practice today. I am here to share “it”.
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母親である恵子さんは、昔から不思議な人でした。布と向き合う時。糸を染める時。独り言を呟くように材料に語りかける姿は、日本から離れた今でも時々頭の中に思い浮かびます。恵子さんが刺し子を「再スタート」したいと相談してくれた時の彼女の言葉が、今でも恵子さんの刺し子作品の根底にあるのだろうと思っています。「もう一度、世に出してやるかな」。
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これは古布への思いだけではなく、彼女自身への言葉なのかもしれません。そして刺し子という重い荷物を下ろした当時の私への願いだったのかもしれません。刺し子が趣味として広がることは素晴らしいことです。ただ、刺し子に人生をかけた人達がいることも知って欲しいのです。その「矛盾」も含めて知って欲しいのです。
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2024-07-13 09:13:40

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