Since starting this course, I have been accumulating a range of fabrics – new and old.  Old, unwanted items of clothing are cut up and added to my stash.  Best of all – I love rummaging around the Antique markets in and around Tokyo for old bits of Kimono.  Sometimes I pick up a whole kimono with a tiny stain for next to nothing.  Last week at one such market – kimonos were going for 2 for 500 yen – so I picked up 4 kimonos for approximately £7.50!  i tend to go for natural materials – cotton, silk, hemp and my favourite – linen.  I do have a range of synthetics – chosen for the colour and designs but i really don’t like the feel.

So, for this project, I emptied out cupboards, drawers, baskets and shelves.  I had already sorted my small pieces of fabrics into bags, according to colour: white/cream; browns and beiges; blues; greens and yellows; pinks and oranges; black and greys.  I sorted these again, also considering texture and thickness – I separated the silky fabrics : silks, muslins, polyester, thin cottons and nylons from the denser cottons, linen, wool and coarsely woven fabrics.

I put the smaller pieces in plastic bags and the large bolts of fabric were left loose.  I didn’t cut small samples as suggested as I could see the range of fabrics through the bags and I was eager to get on but this is something I may consider in the future.