A first in Japan! Deerskin dyed with apricots is born!
Groover Leather has finally created a product that is the first of its kind in Japan!!
In my previous blog, " Getting closer to ALL Chikuma ," I mentioned that I was dyeing deerskin with apricots, and it's finally finished! (May 2023)
The place where the dyeing takes place is in Kurashina Village, a 12-minute drive from Gruber Leather, heading towards Apricot Forest.
After passing through Mori Shogunzuka Tomb and Agri Park, you will arrive at Sarashina Hanaori Kobo .
This workshop mainly dyes fabrics and threads for use in kimonos, but the most amazing thing about this place is that after the threads are dyed, they are woven on an old-fashioned loom.
Among the works made using apricot thread dyeing, which requires repeated, mind-numbing work,
There seems to be a technique called Egasuri , and as the weaving process progresses, the pattern is calculated to appear as if it is floating up!
The picture is expressed with the weft threads, and the rubbed warp threads make it look square, but when the vertical and horizontal threads come together it looks whiter. You may wonder how the pattern is created.
The weft threads are first arranged in a shape, and the parts that should not be dyed are then tied off and dyed, creating an uneven pattern that allows the image to be expressed. This is e-kasuri!
No, no, I don't know! (^^;;
I understand how you feel.
It's a time-consuming task after all!!
You can feel the work of a true craftsman who can only be made with love!
Hats off to you!
It's been about 52 years since then, and looking at Mr. Kubota's website, we can see that he has a long history and has even written books, making him a man who could become a Living National Treasure.
And now for the apricot dyeing.
Apricot dyeing is done by boiling apricot nuts to extract the apricot dye.
The apricot trees are cut down by farmers because they are diseased or no longer produce fruit.
This photo? It seems like there are other trees besides apricots mixed in, though? ^^;
Anyway, cut this into small pieces and bring it to a boil in a pot.
Those who do plant dyeing may know this, but at this point I was already wondering, "Aren't they apricots?"
Please take a look at this video first ← If you click on it, you will get a general idea of the dyeing process.
A powerful blow from Kubota-san!!! Yay!
Nice photo (^○^) Break it into small pieces and put it in the pot!
Kubota usually boils it for about three hours to bring out the color.
Of course, the color will vary depending on the tree.
The colour will change depending on the mordant, but the current direction is to create a deeper colour by dyeing it multiple times.
Once the color has come out, strain it and transfer it into a container.
Once you've transferred it to the container, it's ready to be put into the leather!
Tanned leather can withstand heat up to approximately 85 degrees.
Chrome tanning is at a temperature below 100, and the leather used for this apricot dyeing is tanned leather, so by the time this filtering process is finished, the temperature will generally be below 85 degrees, so this is the time to add the leather!
We put in the squeezed leather that we have prepared in advance; we prepare this in the workshop the day before and moisten the leather and tie it with thread and rubber bands.
The thing that is put inside at this time is "apricot seeds".
Dyed with apricot wood and with apricot seeds to make the flowers bloom
How many times should you dye your hair? There is no answer to that question.
The dye comes out differently depending on the apricot, and the color also changes depending on the season.
The deerskin that was put in while it was still warm is left like this until it cools down.
After it cools, the leather is dried and then heated again on another day to boil it.
Then it is wetted and soaked again in the apricot dye until it cools. <br data-mce-fragment="1">This is done at least twice, and the degree of dyeing is assessed before deciding.
Once the dye has cooled and you undo the tied parts, can you see a little bit of a pattern appearing?
Also, the thing rolling on top is an apricot seed.
Dyed with apricot wood and put apricot seeds in to make them bloom (this is the second time ^^;)
I'll take this back to the workshop now.
The process of restoring the squeezed areas to their original shape!
The leather is stretched and stuck onto a desk in the workshop, and then rolled around to let it settle; it can also be changed in shape by getting wet.
Additionally, once moisture has been added to the leather, it will retain its shape once it dries.
As you can see, I'm rolling around a lot (^○^)
Once dry the bumpy leather becomes smooth and crisp.
From here, we will start massaging it until it becomes soft.
After a light massage, we will use tools to massage your lower back a little.
Tanners would run the strings through a vibration machine or beat them on a drum, but we don't have anything like that, so it's all done by hand!
Once it is completely soft, we will cut it into summary products!
This is the finished product.
This will be on sale at Ginza NAGANO from June 28th!
As soon as stock becomes available on the same day, the product will be available for sale in our workshop and at some of our retail outlets.
At Ginza NAGANO, "Shinjuku Takano collaboration event \Freful Shinshu/Taste apricots from Chikuma City"
An event was held, and we participated together with officials from Chikuma city!
I intend to show off Anne's new potential!
We have also received a lot of information and interviews about apricot dyeing, so we would like to introduce it to you in the future!
This is the first time in Japan that we have made a product that has been announced behind closed doors! We wanted to announce it at the right time! In fact, before this apricot dyeing, we also did some real indigo dyeing, which will be revealed soon! It won't be long until you can see the majestic indigo dyeing!!!