Dream Jester

Acquired
Dream Jester

Dream Jester revolves around a rare tsutsugaki image of a baku, the Japanese supernatural being said to devour nightmares. It’s the kind of fabric that immediately holds your attention.

On the reverse, I used plaid zanshi cloth woven from leftover threads. Both sides have original patches, along with additional patches I added myself, and the zanshi side also has a couple of areas with sashiko-style stitching.

This is one of the larger pillows in the studio. The cover itself measures 22" high × 23" wide. With the 30" × 30" insert, it takes on a depth of about 8". The insert has a cotton cover with 65% polyester and 35% cotton fill.

I backed the antique fabric with new heavyweight cotton canvas for reinforcement, finished the inside edges with overlocking stitches to help prevent fraying, and added a zippered closure.

There are also slight areas of discoloration in the fabric that reflect its age and history.
Dream Jester

Nearby works

Other works from the studio

Nearby works that carry the same language of wear, repair, and time.

Into the Blue

Into the Blue

Into the Blue came together in my Brooklyn studio from antique Japanese cotton fabrics dating to the late 1800s and early 1900s, including katazome resist-dyed indigo and bengala iron oxide-dyed cloth.

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Garden Groove

Garden Groove

Garden Groove came together from antique Japanese katazome fabric with an indigo-dyed floral pattern. I added a single hand-sewn patch and backed it with canvas for reinforcement.

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Scripted

Scripted

Scripted is made from beautifully faded antique Japanese tsutsugaki fabric from the early 1900s. What gives this piece its character is the Japanese script across the surface.

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