prov-e-nance ˈpräv-nən(t)s, ˈprä-və-ˌnän(t)s
noun. the place of origin or earliest known history of something.
I am so excited to announce my new gig as a monthly guest columnist on Krista Nye Schwartz‘s blog Cloth & Kind. I’ll be penning the Provenance column and it’s a match made in heaven. Krista and I had long been admiring each others aesthetic – she describes herself as a “self-diagnosed textile addict” – and I basically stopped bothering to Pin once I discovered her Textile Files on Pinterest. I’ll be joining forces with two other talented bloggers, Tami Ramsay, an interior and floral designer from Athens, GA and Bonnie Berry, a wedding and food photographer from Austin, TX, who will also be writing new columns on art, flowers and you guessed it, food! Although the internet knows no geographic boundaries, I often toil away here in Japan feeling a little bit isolated, so I am so thrilled to have a team of great women to work with.
My post this week is on the origins and techniques of Japanese kasuri. For my readers, it would mean the world to me if you would head over to Cloth & Kind and read the post and leave a comment to show you’d been there – here’s the link straight to it. I know it’s just the kind of post you would like. For those coming to my blog via Cloth & Kind, welcome! I think you’ll find lots of content here to enjoy and I’d love to hear from you. I have category tabs down the right side of the blog and I use tags pretty freely as well. Search away!
One photo that didn’t make it into the post is these kasuri work pants. I am constantly tempted to buy some of these old work clothes with an eye towards wearing them and then the voice of my 13, soon to be 14-year-old daughter pops into my head. So unfortunately (perhaps fortunately), I left these as the market last week.
In addition to Krista herself and her content on Cloth & Kind, I just adore the physical design of her blog. She takes such care with the art direction and this has confirmed for me what I have long known and talked about before. I need to get out of my standard blog platform and move to a design that matches the quality of my content. So if you know of any great graphic designers with wordpress.org skill (or are one yourself), please let me know. And if you want, instead of the usual currency, there is the opportunity to be paid in antique textiles, porcelain or whatever else!
It truly has been an indigo trifecta over the last week or so, with the long-awaited post on the amazing Amy Katoh and her treasure filled shop Blue & White. The giveaway for the LuRu Home pillow was a huge success with 83 entrant spaces. I am excited to announce that Loi Thai, proprietor of Tone on Tone Antiques in Bethesda, MD is the winner. Loi also writes a beautiful blog, he’s a dear and his taste is impeccable so I can’t wait to see what he does with the pillow as it is a little bit outside of his usual palette.
Once I knew he had won I made a bet with myself – I was sure he’d choose the pillow in Babyteeth – and he did!
Please join me over at Cloth & Kind today!
Congratulations on your new column! You may work for yourself, but never by yourself. And that is never more true than in the blogging world. I hate to even use the word “work”! Excited for you!!!
Just read your great post on Cloth and Kind. Well done, Jacqueline! You know those kasuri work pants you were thinking of buying they’re called monpe/mompe and they’re still sold at many hardware stores in the countryside. I too was thinking about getting a pair but my husband just laughed at me! You should get a pair to use when you go back to the U.S. They’d be great for gardening.
Congratulations! Excellent!
I’m so thrilled to have you guest editing over at CLOTH & KIND, Jacqueline! The time and care that you put into this first post on kasuri is evident, as is your passion for the topic. I feel so incredibly lucky to have you as a regular contributor and look forward to exploring many other iconic styles in textiles and design with you in the coming months! Thank you, most sincerely.
Krista
Thanks for the shout out and I LOVED your post on kasuri. I have a few pieces of this textile in my collection and they are some of my favorites. I enjoyed learning more about the history of the textile and particularly learning more about how those incredible designs are created. Glad to be sharing a guest editor spot with you on Krista’s blog CLOTH & KIND.
Hi, Jacqueline –
Thanks so much for hosting this giveaway. And, a BIG thanks to LuRu Home! I’m so excited to be the lucky winner 🙂 I already have a spot reserved for this baby!!! Have a fabulous weekend ~
Cheers,
Loi
PS – Congrats on your guest column. I look forward to visiting.
Painted Staircase…A Decision Made? | Tokyo Jinja
[…] from Loi Thai, proprietor of Tone on Tone Antiques in Bethesda, MD. You may recall that he was the winner of the LuRu Home pillow from the giveaway I did this spring. Loi’s home is simply […]