Rose-Mauve with Sumi-e? Vintage Kimono Silk From Japan, All Narrow Pieces Still Stitched: #1219

The base silk is a dark dusty rose color, with in-the-weave tiny black kasuri crosses, visible on the front and the back. They almost look like sashiko stitches. The print looks like ink brushwork, and it may actually be a similar technique, but the design does repeat. Lots of scenery, buildings and people mixed in with the trees. The black "ink" 'fades' now and then, we think intentionally. This kimono silk looks antique and may be, or perhaps not quite that old; we can't tell. It's textured and a bit supple, with thinner and thicker silk fibers in the weave. It is reminiscent of raw silk, and the back is lighter; the black doesn't come all the way through. It's mid-weight, with a bit of body and a cotton-like texture, with a matte finish and no shine at all. Wonderful loopy silk selvedges.  These pieces were once part of a kimono, and are in excellent condition.  Fabulous, mysterious. Looks antique. 100% Silk. Japan. 

These pieces (now one piece) were once part of a kimono, that had been taken apart then stitched back together to be washed: arai-hari. After cleaning they are usually taken apart again then re-made into a kimono, but this one never got re-made, so we're upcycling it to you. It's one piece 14" x 3-1/3 yards long, made up of 3 pieces: Two are 7" x 60" and one piece is the entire length of 3-1/3 yards, and 7" wide. Often, arai hari silks are loosely hand basted, but this one was basted by machine, not loosely, but if you do remove the stitching you'll have the three narrow pieces separated, if you like. You can see the stitching in the first 3 photos. The wrong side of the seam is on the right side of the fabric, and it's done for cleaning, not for pattern-matching so the design is interrupted.