| "Katagami" Blue Navy Koi Fish with waves and cream background. 45 inches wide, sold by the yard, 100% cotton fabric. Great for quilting, curtains, aprons, pillows, d�cor, table top, and anything you can dream up!
The Allentown Art Museum located in Allentown, PA brings us this exquisite collection of Japanese designs. Katagami is the Japanese art of making paper stencils. The technique has been used for over 1000 years and was used primarily for kimono printing. The museum has an extensive collection of these delicate stencils and has graciously allowed us to reproduce some of them in this new fabric collection. Using traditional indigo and cream, these two-color prints are bold and dramatic! We are also including two textural prints � one based on a Shibori pattern and the other based on a Yukata design. All of these dynamic prints will work beautifully for multiple applications from home dec to apparel to accessories.
About Katagami: Katagami are Japanese paper stencils that are used in the process of dyeing textiles. A technique used for over 1000 years, these stencils were used primarily for printing decorative patterns on kimono textiles. Katagami is comprised of two kanji (characters). The first, "kata" means "pattern" or "template" and the second "gami" represents "paper". Therefore, the resulting Japanese word denotes paper template or in English, Stencil. Multiple Layers of thin washi paper are used to create the stencil. Washi is traditional, handmade Japanese paper. The paper is bonded with a glue that is extracted from persimmons. This glue makes a strong, flexible brown paper. The bonding enhances its strength and stiffness, enabling skilled pattern craftsmen to create their delicate designs.
Katazome is a Japanese Method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste that is applied through a paper stencil (katagami). A sticky miture made from rice flour and bran is forced through the openings of the stencil onto a piece of fabric and allowed to dry. The fabric is then brushed with a sizing solution of soybean liquid. When the fabric is completely dry, the dye color (usually an indigo pigment) is applied by brush. The sticky paste is then washed away, revealing the exquisite pattern underneath. Historically, one attraction of katazome was that it provided an inexpensive way for allover patterns to be achieved on cotton. People often found expensive woven brocades out of their reach and gravitated to the cotton prints. As with many everyday Japanese crafts, this dyeing method developed into a respected art form of its own.
Katazome has been used to decorate linen, silk and fabrics that are all or partially synthetic.
We hope you enjoy this fabulous print using the Katagami from the Allentown art museum, on a beatiful printed cotton.
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