April 10, 2021

The Artist:

John has been living his dream, his passion, of working with Japanese textiles and designs for the past fifty years. His one-of-a-kind garments have been exhibited around the world, including shows sponsored by Kodansha, the Embassy of Japan, the Textile Museum in DC, and the US State Department. His writing career started with clothing design in the form of Make Your Own Japanese Clothes, Patterns and Ideas for the Modern Wear, Published by Kodansha in 1988 and still in print. Since then he has gone on to publish, teach, and lecture extensively about Japanese textiles, dyeing, and clothing design, sharing his keen love of Japanese traditional culture and techniques.

Guild Meeting/Program:  Pageantry of Japanese Textiles

Ready for a roller coaster tour of Japanese textiles in all their glory? John will be opening up his closets to share over fifty-years worth of collecting and research with all you textile aficionados. We’ll delve into the intricacies of every-day ikats, marbling, and clamping, and then move on to explore the exotics such as 24k gold woven velvets, woven crane feathers, and woven mother-of-pearl. But we won’t stop there! Our tour will also include laminated bagworm hides, peacock feathers, and trained silkworms. Did I mention dyeing with dirt, lapis lazuli, and platinum powder? Do you have a Japanese technique dear to your heart that you’d like to see included? Just let John know and he’ll do his best to include it in the follow up mini-work shop later that afternoon.

Date/Time: April 10, 2021 10:30 AM (following Guild meeting)

Location: Online (Zoom)

Mini Workshop: Plunging into the Depths of Japanese Textiles

Primed with the lecture presented earlier in the day, participants will be delving ever deeper into the mysteries and extreme, loving manner in which the Japanese approach their textile arts. John has gone to great efforts to share not only the “Wow!” textiles with close-ups and diagrams of weave structures, but also a few of the humorous, “Um, maybe nots…” that every culture offers up. Lively, at times humorous, and always informative. But wait – that’s not all! John will also be including rare footage of lac being herded up the Himalayas to produce the dyes used in kimono, silkworms in SE Asia guided by flashlight to lay the silk strands just so to produce non-woven silk textiles for Japanese obi, and so much more. More information is available at johnmarshall.to/PFAG/miniWKP.htm Won’t you join us?

Date/Time: April 10, 2021 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Location: Online (Zoom)

Mini Workshop Fee: Members: $30.00 Non-Members: $45.00

Student’s Materials Fee: None

Student Supply List: None

Extended Workshop: KIRIBAME – Traditional Japanese Piecing and Inlay Techniques

Kiribame means to cut and insert, and that’s just what we’ll be doing. This time-honored technique includes applique, trapunto, inlay, and piecework to create highly tactile and colorful pieces. The method may be used to create splendid wall hangings, quilts, or for purposes of our workshop, one-of-a-kind garments. Do you have an idea in the back of your mind such as a soaring dragon peering out from among the clouds on the shoulders of your next bomber jacket? No problem – John will be showing you how to prepare the glass eyeballs, veins and all, and insert them into the sculpted scowl of your talisman. Ephemeral cherry blossoms wafting in a gentle breeze more your style? Alright then – we’ll cover how to create a delicate sense of depth through layering. But one of the real secrets to the beauty and whimsy of traditional kiribame is the spark achieved through finely painted details using only watercolors and soymilk. Intrigued?  See you there!

This class will be recorded on Zoom and will be made available each day after class to allow you to review the lessons at your leisure. All video clips, stills, and diagrams will also be available to you each day after class and remain available for you to access for one month after the last day of class – so don’t panic at the volume of information being covered. Sit back, be inspired, and allow yourself to pick and choose from the full range offered as you follow your own muse.  See the list of supplies and additional information about the workshop at johnmarshall.to/PFAG/XtndedSupplies.htm

Date/Time: April 11-12, and 13 2021 10:00 to 12:00 PM and 1:00 to 4:00 PM

Location: Online (Zoom)

Workshop Fee: Members: $225.00 Non-Members: $315.00

Student’s Materials Fee: None

Student Supply List: http://johnmarshall.to/PFAG/XtndedSupplies.htm