Tell us about your company.

Kimagureya (Japanese for "capricious" or "fanciful") reflects my tendency to jump between different creative projects, whether in design or production. I’ve always been a bit of a dabbler, but I’ve recently focused on working within one or two mediums at a time to hone my skills, while still creating a diverse range of work to satisfy my restless nature. At the heart of my business is katazome, a traditional Japanese textile printing technique using hand-cut stencils and rice paste resist-dyeing on fabric or paper. I also enjoy exploring digital and traditional design, as well as illustration.

How did you start your freelance/small business?

I started it at first as a way to pay for itself, since a lot of the materials used in katazome can be somewhat pricey – I had to purchase them directly from Japanese stores when I was starting out. Since then, I have grown to really love selling my wares in person in markets and work on commissioned work!

What inspires your craft? What is your philosophy?

The biggest thing that inspires my craft is nature and the changing of seasons. In a more literal sense, I love working on pieces that have natural motifs – flora, fauna, landscapes – but also, the subtle changes that happen with the shifting seasons like humidity, temperature, and amount of sunlight can affect how I work. Our house is old and drafty; dyes and resists dry very quickly in the summer and take much longer to dry in the winter; dye vats can behave differently as well. I have to adjust a few things here and there to make sure pieces are ready on time, but it brings me joy to feel the seasons in this way.

My philosophy in my work is to make high quality pieces but embrace the natural imperfections that come about as a result of this type of work. Also, to have as low of an impact on the environment as I can. I make work to honor nature, and I feel like it would be doing it a disservice if I’m not able to do that.

What do you hope to inspire in others with your products?

I aim to inspire curiosity about Japanese art traditions and foster an appreciation for handcrafted work. In an age of convenience, many people have lost sight of the labor behind the things they consume—the design, creation, packaging, and shipping. With automation, AI, and the ease of online shopping, human labor is often undervalued, and tangible items are less appreciated. While it takes me longer to create a piece than it would a factory, I hope sharing the process behind my work helps people recognize the importance of supporting artisans and craftspeople.

Tell us about the traditional techniques you use to create. What makes your art different from other artists?

Katazome is a traditional dye technique from Japan, which is a resist dyeing technique much like batik from Indonesia or mud dyeing from western Africa. I like to incorporate traditional motifs from Japanese textile design, but with a twist – I like modern, scandi-inspired designs and I get a lot of inspiration from that look.

What is a typical day like for you?

A typical workday for me begins with a small breakfast and a cup of tea. Since I work in batches, the day varies depending on what stage each project is in:

• Design Stage: I spend this time drawing, editing, and finalizing designs, sometimes printing them out for physical adjustments and transferring them to large sheets of tracing paper for stencils.

• Stencil Cutting: I transfer designs to katagami (waterproof paper or washi reinforced with kakishibu) and cut them out with a knife. For delicate designs, I use sha, a silk netting, to prevent distortion during the next stage.

• Nori-Oki (Resist Application): The stencil is placed on fabric or paper, and nori (the resist) is squeegeed on with a hera (wooden or plastic squeegee). Afterward, the piece dries for about a day.

• Dyeing: I mix various dyes and apply them to the dried resist fabric. This stage can be time-consuming, especially for intricate designs, and usually takes a day to dry.

• Finishing: My favorite part—steaming the textile to set the dye, then rinsing it off to reveal the design as the resist melts away. It’s always magical to see!

• Additional Stages: After the piece dries, I iron, sew, and stamp it with my signature. Sometimes, I also make fresh nori from a mixture of mochi powder, rice bran, salt, and water, which requires a lot of steaming and mixing!

  

How does sustainability fit into the work that you do?

Sustainability is very important to me. I’m aware that sourcing supplies and materials from Japan requires a lot of fuel – so I like to order in bulk, and work to find good alternatives domestically where I can. I stay away from single-use plastic, use repurposed materials when shipping, and I like to source second-hand or deadstock textiles and materials to dye on.

Where do you hope to see the business in 10 years?

I would love to continue to create katazome – and perhaps have a small studio space to practice in. It would make it easier to host workshops and also have more room to do different types of dye-work. My long term goal is to start weaving my own textiles to dye on, so I won’t have to rely on ready-made fabric that I purchase from the store!