"Boro (ぼろ) are a class of Japanese textiles that have been mended or patched together. The term is derived from the Japanese term "boroboro", meaning something tattered or repaired. The term 'boro' typically refers to cotton, linen and hemp materials, mostly hand-woven by peasant farmers, that have been stitched or re-woven together to create an often many-layered material used for warm, practical clothing." Wikipedia
I first saw #borostitchpatches on Pinterest and immediately got hooked on to it. It was love at first sight. Personally, I not only enjoy the process but find boro-inspired stitching both as a relaxing and meditative practice. Such processes must have been the genesis for terms - and now practices - like #stitchmediation or #slowstitchiching which are really catching on.
I have a huge collection of fabric scraps, from my natural dyeing experiments and leftover pieces from my cushion shop. They are all beautiful handwoven, textured pieces and it would be a shame not to use them. I love transforming them into unique and functional patchworks, and this I think is a lovely way to #recycle or #upcycle your fabric stash. This is important because the textile world or the fashion industry is known to generate huge amounts of waste.
Did you know that "the global fashion industry produces over 92 million tonnes of waste per year. In the U.S. alone, over 17 million tons of used textile waste are generated annually." As consumers, we must learn to be caring and develop sustainable habits to reduce the burden on our Planet Earth and Boro Stitching is one way that makes both ends meet. It reduces both waste and stress.
Here are some of the pieces of my stitch meditation. These can be used to beautify your jeans, jackets, top and even tote bags.
I am currently working on two more projects so watch out this space for more Boro stitching inspired DIYs.