dots to dots

My DNA, memee Nana, who was sewing all the time.  My grandma Tino, who knitted sweaters for me, and my mom, who made ridiculous clothes and costumes for us!  About the banana dress, I probably asked her to make that for me, and it was not a costume!

Growing up, my great-grandmother was a seamstress, she also did cross-stitching, my grandmother was always knitting us something, and my mother would make us clothes, sometimes embroidered even~  I guess it was in my blood, I started late, at 20 I think, knitting and then falling in love with all sorts of designs, textures, colors.  I learned to weave and to sew, did many sashiko projects and then I don’t know how, but I called a woman in Kiyose who teaches shiborizome.

I don’t know how to explain things but all along in life I knew there was something I had to do but hadn’t yet found it, and little hints little dots led me to where I arrived.  When I arrived at TANSHOUAN, my teacher’s atelier, I knew I had arrived where I was supposed to be.

I hope to share some of my new passion here.  I am lucky to be in Japan, and to be able to take the train or a car to go visit really amazing places where you can smell and touch indigo, places where, when you come out, you are simply indigo high.

写真は、バナナドレスの私と、ひいおばあちゃんと私。ひいおばあちゃんはメメナナと呼ばれていた。彼女の家に行くと、ボタン、布、足踏みミシン、針。メメナナは毎日ちくちく、お客さんのお洋服を作っていた。歳をとって、少しずつ簡単なものにはなってきていたけれど、いつもちくちく。メメナナの娘はマミティノ。彼女のスペシアルティは編み物。色々セーターを編んでもらった。マミティノの娘は私の母、カリーヌ。カリーヌは私たち3人兄弟の服を作ったり、日曜日はマルシェに行くと必ず布を見ていた。

だからなのか。。。DNAなのか。作るのが好きで、最初は編み物、織物、刺し子、色々触ったり、手を動かしたりするのがとにかく好きで、何でも自分で作りたいという心の持ち主。

35歳の時かな。絞り染と出会って、夢中に。インターネットで素敵な絞り染の写真があって、それは何、と追及したら、電話番号があって、そこに電話したら、本当に全てここで繋がって、今までやっていた全ての事がここの出会いの準備だったのかなと。。。今は藍、絞りに夢中。

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