Here are more textile finds from the ropa that will eventually end up in fiber art. I am really big into recycling and reusing. It’s funny that I’ve done this for years and I am finally in style. “Ropa” is spanish for clothes but here in the valley we call the used clothing/thrift shop businesses ropas. The ones I go to have both new and used merchandise.

The first piece is a reversible jacket in beautiful blue and lemon yellow brocade. I particularly wanted the frog closures off of this. These are about an inch and a half flowers that are hand stitched to the front flaps. I also love the heavy quilting on the lapel and bottom of the jacket. Who knows where pieces of this will end up?

This is an indigo summer kimono. I wasn’t sure if I would take this apart but friends on the Quilting Arts List assured me that the textile gods would not reach down and snatch it from my hands when I take the scissors to it. The first pix shows part of the front to show you the scale of the mum print. The seams are 11 inches apart which is common in kimonos. This allows for piecing without cutting and having raw edges. Each of the seams is hand stitched with heavy sashiko weight thread. All seams are stitched with a double line of stitching . Where horizontal and vertical lines meet, they are stitched down with an x-stitch like shown in the next pix. This should be a piece of cake to take apart and store the fabric. The selvages are visible on each of the seams and the fabric is 13 1/2 inches wide. I remember years ago in Hawaii how surprised I was to see all the bolts of 14 or 18 inch wide fabrics in a shop. I think that’s when I fell in love with kimono fabrics.

This last pix is of a blouse . The fabric from this one already has a place. I have been working on a series featuring the White River. The blouse is burned silk with a few copper sequins. Can you see a birds eye view of lily pads in the shallow?