Two new books came my way last week. They have both captured my attention, focus and imagination and I wanted to share them.

Book #1

Years ago, when I was in Japan, I purchased two large books/catalogs of weavings made by the artist, Shimura Fukimi, a living Natural Treasure of Japan.  All the text was in Japanese but it was the images that drew me in: almost ethereal photos of woven cloth and color. These books have inspired me greatly over the years.

Much to my delight, Jori Johnson, a dear friend in Japan, sent me a book that she thought I would like: The Music of Color – by Shimura Fukimi and translated into English by Matt Treyvaud. As I began turning the pages of this book, I recognized the fabrics that illustrated the book throughout.  This was the artist whose work I had been admiring for years in those catalogs, but now with words that I could read.

The book contains beautiful images of the artist’s weavings but it was the text that most captured me. She spoke of natural dyes, plants, and the weaving process in words like a poem that I already knew on some level. 

                             

“Sometimes people tell me about attempts at dyeing gone awry. I wanted this color…so I used that plant…but the result wasn’t what I expected…. The colors we receive are already there, within the plants. Our task is simply to bring them across to our side unharmed and give them somewhere to stay” 


“Weaving on a loom is sometimes like strumming a harp. Tones seem to ring out one by one as I bring each color in…it feels like improvising a song to a predetermined rhythm.” 
                                         

The Music of Color by Shimura Fukimi

I recognize those sentiments! and so many others in the book. Thank you Jorie for the gift giving, and thank you Shimura Fukimi for your amazingly, thoughtful words and weavings.

Book #2

When my co-author, Joy Boutrup and I were contemplating doing a second edition of The Art and Science of Natural Dyes (Schiffer, 2018) one of the topics I really wanted to investigate was eco-printing. It’s not a process that I have had much success with and my attempts to learn more about it were often very frustrating. I purchased several books on the topic, though none of them seemed to unlock the key for me or give me much guidance. I made multiple samples, based on my own dye research,  in order to understand the interaction of plants and mordants but never really mastered the process.  I made satisfying tests but never a beautiful fabric.  I don’t think I was ever comfortable with the creative aspects of eco printing for my own work. I thought that perhaps Joy and I could at least bring some basic scientific observations to the technique, but ultimately we shelved the idea of doing another book. 

Then I had a message from Kirsi Mantua-Kommonen. She, and co-authors Ulla Lapiolahti and Paivi Vaarula were doing a book on eco printing and Schiffer would be publishing it. Would I be willing to read the draft? And possibly write a foreword for the book?

I had met Paivvi in a class that I taught many years ago and both she and Kirsi had studied with Joy Boutrup. 

After just a tiny bit of hesitation, I said yes, I would read it.

Wow, was I glad that I said “yes”! I was so impressed by what they had done.

The book begins by paying homage to those around the world who truly led the way and inspired a whole approach to using plants in textiles: India Flint, Terriea Kwong, Irit Dulman, Ellen Rikken, Alison Kelly, Outi Mäkelä, and Daniela Spinucci with a representative assortment of images.

Then the book dives into a clear and factual description of what really happens during the eco-print process including mordanting of both protein and cellulose, the selection of plants, tools, and processing. Beautiful images of eco printed cloth illustrate the text throughout. 

The authors make the following statement on page 14: 

“This is the book we wished existed when each of us dependently took our first baby steps in this novel technique.” 

That is EXACTLY the way I felt about natural dyeing when Joy and I began The Art and Science of Natural Dyes (Schiffer, 2019).

And Eco Print, The Guide to Natural Botanical Printing on Fabric is EXACTLY the book I wanted when I began my own experiments with Eco-printing!

This book will be an important resource for those wishing to “dig into” eco printing in a serious way. It can also be a great companion for those who want to understand the process, explore creatively,  and have some fun doing it.

Best wishes and best reading,

Catharine