5801: 1960's Deadstock Japanese Tsumugi Silk-Wool Blend,Yard

5801 1960s tsumugi silk-wool blend, close

Catalog# 5801

1960's Deadstock Japanese Textiles:
Tsumugi Silk-Wool Blend
Kimono Fabric by Yard

Width:13.125 inches / 35.88 cm
Length: 1 yard / 91.44 cm

Item Details and Description

This is a 1960's light-medium weight deadstock (new but unsold stock) tsumugi silk - wool blend ); used for making a woman's kimono.

Pedigree: This is what is called deadstock -- new/never used but aged, usually from store or company inventory or recyclers. Rolls such as this were turned in to recyclers by businesses or families in the past within Japan; This one is an unusual blend of Japanese tsumugi (pongee) silk with wool; ( *See Cultural Notes below for more about this type fabric).

Description: The fabric design is same on both sides, grid of large rectangles (about 5 inches 12.7 cm long) composed with various pixels and small cross-shapes and smaller diamonds and square cross shapes within; Fabric probably intended for use in making a garment for wear in cooler weather; While this is 50% wool with the tsumugi silk (50%) it still feels fairly smooth to the touch.

Colors: Basic background color is a beige, close to the color of unprocessed raw silk; other colors are black, cranberry and yellow, which are subtly interwoven into the fabric (see close-ups).

Condition: EXCELLENT.

*Cultural Background Note:
From English version, www.nippon-kichi.jp:

Tsumugi are silk textiles woven by hand using thread collected from the floss of the cocoons.

The floss is made from debris of the cocoons and spun by hand into thread. Because the thread is called “tetsumugi ito” or “ tsumugi ito”, the textile made from the thread became to be known as tsumugi.

Tsumugi is characterized by its unique texture and dull gloss coming from subtle variations of the tsumugi threads. It is extremely durable and has been used for everyday clothes and working clothes since ancient times....(read more)

To read the rest of this page and learn more about tsumugi, please visit: www.nippon-kichi.jp

Also, from Immortal Geisha Wiki, more tsumugi info HERE.