Handwoven by textile artist Anri Izai, these pure linen placemats feature yarn dyed at Norabi, a traditional studio dedicated to completely chemical-free indigo fermentation.
The creation of each set begins with the linen threads themselves, which are prepared using the kasuri (resist-dyeing) method. The threads are carefully knotted by hand in precise intervals to map out the final pattern, then simmered in a mixture of water and wood ash lye to open the fibers for the dye.
The deep, nuanced blue is built slowly through a cyclical process at Norabi. The threads are dipped into living indigo vats—maintained using only natural ingredients such as wood ash, clamshell ash, sugar, and indigo leaves—and then brought out to dry in the sun. This sequence of immersion and sun-drying is repeated at least five times, gradually layering the color onto the linen fibers. To set the dye permanently, the thread is simmered once more in water to remove the remaining lye, then cured in the sun for an additional two days before the knots are untied to reveal the undyed patterns beneath.
Once the dyeing is complete, Izai sets the dressed threads onto her loom to weave, trim, wash, and hand-shape each piece. Because the living vats at Norabi are carefully tended daily and dyed only in small batches to preserve the health of the indigo, subtle variations in tone exist from batch to batch, making each pair distinct. The result of this entirely natural process is a resilient, enduring blue that holds its depth and will not fade with washing.
Set: 2 pieces
Material: 100% Pure Linen
Dimensions: Approx. 455mm x 300mm (18” x 12”)
Origin: Hand-dyed at Norabi Studio & Handwoven in Chiba, Japan
AI05
Handwoven by textile artist Anri Izai, these pure linen placemats feature yarn dyed at Norabi, a traditional studio dedicated to completely chemical-free indigo fermentation.
The creation of each set begins with the linen threads themselves, which are prepared using the kasuri (resist-dyeing) method. The threads are carefully knotted by hand in precise intervals to map out the final pattern, then simmered in a mixture of water and wood ash lye to open the fibers for the dye.
The deep, nuanced blue is built slowly through a cyclical process at Norabi. The threads are dipped into living indigo vats—maintained using only natural ingredients such as wood ash, clamshell ash, sugar, and indigo leaves—and then brought out to dry in the sun. This sequence of immersion and sun-drying is repeated at least five times, gradually layering the color onto the linen fibers. To set the dye permanently, the thread is simmered once more in water to remove the remaining lye, then cured in the sun for an additional two days before the knots are untied to reveal the undyed patterns beneath.
Once the dyeing is complete, Izai sets the dressed threads onto her loom to weave, trim, wash, and hand-shape each piece. Because the living vats at Norabi are carefully tended daily and dyed only in small batches to preserve the health of the indigo, subtle variations in tone exist from batch to batch, making each pair distinct. The result of this entirely natural process is a resilient, enduring blue that holds its depth and will not fade with washing.
Set: 2 pieces
Material: 100% Pure Linen
Dimensions: Approx. 455mm x 300mm (18” x 12”)
Origin: Hand-dyed at Norabi Studio & Handwoven in Chiba, Japan
AI05
