While living in Kyoto this year, I had the opportunity to get involved with life in Kyoto outside of my classes at Doshisha by taking lessons on how to sew kimonos. Because I\u2019m an art student with an interest in clothing and textiles, when I came to Japan I knew I wanted to study kimono making. For that reason, I\u2019ve had a great time so far taking my lessons. Over this semester, both my sewing and Japanese skills have gradually improved. I look forward to continuing my lessons next semester as well.<\/p>\n
In the old days, all kimono were sewn by hand, so when I started taking my lessons, I also had to learn how to sew by hand. I had made clothes with a sewing machine for art classes before, but I had never made anything just by sewing by hand. However, my Sensei was able to sew with his hands as fast as a machine. I haven\u2019t become that fast, but with practice I have become more skilled in working with the thread and fabric with my hands. The skills I\u2019ve acquired through my CIP will definitely help me with taking my artistic work in new directions when I return to America.<\/p>\n
During our lessons, I was also able to practice speaking Japanese with my Sensei. From cutting, to measuring, to folding, to ironing, to sewing, I always had to keep close to my teacher to know what to do next with the cloth. I didn\u2019t know a lot of Japanese words related to clothes when we started, and my teacher\u2019s accent is a little thick, but gradually I became able to both understand and converse with my teacher about his craft. I\u2019ve discovered so much about the minute details and hidden facets of Japanese sewing, and I couldn\u2019t have gotten these insights without the ability to talk with my teacher in Japanese. I\u2019m definitely glad I was able to take these lessons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While living in Kyoto this year, I had the opportunity to get involved with life in Kyoto outside of my classe … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080