As I've embarked on my self-directed MFA in Textile Design my 'classroom' thus far has mainly been books, museums and the internet. One great resource I've discovered online is Fibercopia, a blog written by designer and textile aficionado Arcadia Smails. The site regularly introduces new designers and independent textile companies while also informing the reader on traditional textile design and history. Yesterday's post did all that at once by featuring "Folded Paper", a new design by Lucinda Newton-Dunn for Furoshiki. The company produces new patterns for "a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that was frequently used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. Although possibly dating back as far as the Nara period, the name, meaning 'bath spread', derives from the Edo period practice of using them to bundle clothes while at the sento (public baths). Before becoming associated with public baths, furoshiki was known as hiradzutsumi, or flat folded bundle. Eventually, the furoshiki's usage extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares or to protect and decorate a gift." The "Folded Paper" cloth is available for purchase from Plastic.
photo via Fibercopia
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