Cushion cover number 4

Working with these Japanese kimono pieces has been interesting.  Their texture so delicate, the workmanship in each piece has been interesting.  It appears that kimono’s are largely sewn together by hand stitching, and where machine stitching exists, it is also painstakingly accurate.

I would never have cut a full kimono, to me, it would be like cutting a wedding dress – I would equally find this hard to cut apart.

When I’ve been taking apart the lining from the outer shell of the kimono pieces, I did this wondering what the story behind each kimono was.  “Did you belong to a beautiful woman? Or a Japanese man?”  “On what occasions were you worn?”  There are some pieces that I think would have been day wear, and others where the silk is so luxurious it left me craving for more pieces like it.  (Alas, not so).

Then to my surprise, one kimono piece has given me a hint of it’s past life.  I found this sewn kanji on it:

I asked a friend to translate from a poor photo taken on my phone.  She said it is most likely a girls name, “Michiko”.

Here's a close up of the fabric:

So, I decided that this cushion cover will be simple.  Here it is:

I wonder, is it usual for a child’s name be on a kimono?  Can you enlighten me?

Happy sewing everyone.

Sandra