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Sakiori (which simply means ‘rag-weaving’) was a technique practiced by the Japanese peasant class from approximately the mid-18th through the mid-20th centuries. The Japanese archipelago lacked native non-bast fibers (including cotton and wool). Most people were, therefore, clothed in garments made from bast fibers from trees and vines, which were difficult and time-consuming to produce, and not very warm. When cotton finally became widespread in Japan in the 18th century, it was welcomed as a way to have warmer and easier-to-produce clothing. Until modern times, new cotton cloth was unattainable for all but the upper classes due to economic and sometimes even legal reasons; thus, purchased cotton rags were the mainstay of sakiori, and the resulting cloth was used mainly for clothing. This is distinct from the European and North American rag-weaving traditions, in which worn-out clothing and household textiles were used mainly to make rugs for the house.

Sakiori is relevant to the modern-day world, where textile overproduction creates an abundance of potential materials and reducing waste in the textile stream has taken on a new urgency. Western Sakiori explores how to implement sakiori techniques to achieve practical, beautiful results.

About Amanda Robinette:
Amanda Robinette explores recycling, frugality, and the joy of creative destruction through rag weaving. Teaching and practicing Tai Chi is her other passion. She is the author of Weaving Western Sakiori and the developer of the Tai Chi for Weavers workshop and DVD and the Tai Chi for Fiber Artists workshop.