As a stencil-cutter, my love of Japanese fabrics began with stencilled designs that employ clever solutions to the challenge of creating an interesting repeat over a large kimono, using only a small stencil. Recently, however, I’ve come to appreciate (and acquire) woven silk kimonos that display all the ingenuity of Japanese design without the use of stencils. 

Fabrics for this pillow come from two kimonos I deconstructed. One features a very quiet motif of decorative balls used as children's toys. And the other features an off-kilter geometric design, probably from the 1960’s, when Japanese designers were experimenting with Western ideas of “modernism.”

The insert is feather and down, and the dimensions are 18" x 18."