Rob Jones – ZOOM Talk – An exploration of Japanese textiles crafts
I will talk to you about Japanese textiles crafts, discussing the origins and history and daily usage of the following crafts:
- Shibori resist dyeing
- Katagami stencilling
- Sashiko embroidery
- Boro
- Kogin counted thread Sashiko
- Kasuri weaving
I will bring examples of all these vintage textiles for you to see, including vintage Japanese textiles and examples of my own work.
I will explain how I came to be a Japanese textiles designer/maker and teacher and tell you a few tales of my trips to Japan to learn with my sensei and internationally renowned Japanese textiles artist, Bryan Whitehead.
About Rob
London-based Romor Designs was formed in the autumn of 2016 by Rob Jones, a shibori textiles designer and natural dyer.
Having discovered Shibori, the ancient Japanese art of resist dyeing, at West Dean college, Rob went on to study in Japan under indigo guru, Bryan Whitehead.
In 2018 and 2019, Rob returned to Japan to expand his Japanese textiles skills and teaching practice, visiting Ise, the home of Katagami stencilling and the Sashiko museum in Hinohara, bringing back antique stencils, sashiko thread and vintage Boro textiles.
Rob’s passion is in finding the new in the old, building on the tradition and centuries of skill that Japanese textiles crafts have behind them. He believes in taking work in new directions by combining techniques and inventing his own forms.
Rob teaches a variety of Japanese textiles-based courses using indigo and natural dyes at various London venues. He is a short course tutor at West Dean College, near Chichester, where he teaches Shibori resist dyeing, Katagami stencilling and Kogin embroidery. Rob also teaches Shibori and Katagami at Old Bank Studios in Harwich and Handprinted in Bognor Regis
In the summer of 2022 his Sashiko embroidery and Boro mending were featured in the Semi-final of the Great British Sewing Bee as inspiration for the conversion challenge.
Rob’s work was exhibited at the Japanese Embassy in London from May through September 2023.
Full details of classes can be found at http://www.romordesigns.com/workshops
The talk is free to members of Textile Explorers