Boro and Sakiori Inspiration

Western Redbud tree beginning to bloom in my backyard

Hi Friends,

The weather here has been warm, and it feels like spring is in the air, even though it’s still only February.

Last week I finished the third plaid flannel piece inspired by Japanese Boro textiles. Boro refers to worn out clothing that has been cut into pieces and restitched together to form new clothing. It was a necessity for Japanese peasant farmers in the days when clothing was handwoven and resources were scarce.

My Boro pieces are made from pieces of worn cotton flannel shirts I get from a local thrift store that sells less-than-perfect clothing at low prices. The finished Boro pieces are stretched over canvas and designed to hang on the wall.

The piece below is titled “Homage to Mondrian,” and was inspired by his color block paintings created using only primary colors, black and white.

You can see all three of the plaid Boro pieces by clicking here.

“Homage to Mondrian,” 20 x 20 inches, upcycled flannel shirts and hand-stitching

I had quite a bit of usable flannel left on the shirts after finishing the Boro pieces. I decided to try tearing it into strips and weaving it into a Sakiori inspired scarf. Sakiori, like Boro, uses worn out clothing to create new cloth. In the case of Sakiori, the clothing is torn into strips and rewoven using a cotton, linen or hemp warp.

For my Sakiori scarf, I used black cotton for the warp. The black cotton was also used between each strip of torn flannel to give the scarf flexibility and a more lacy look.

Click on the images below for more information and to see the scarf in a browser.

Handwoven Rag Scarf, “Mondrian,” 6.5 x 59 inches

Here are two detail shots of the scarf.

I like the way the colors pop when paired with black. The scarf is thick and sturdy, unlike scarves made with lighter weight yarns. It’s very warm when wrapped around the neck, and is great for cold weather.

Where do you find inspiration? I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts. You can share them with us in the comments section below.

With love and appreciation,
Cassandra