Vintage Thread Dyed for Kasuri - Variegated Dark Indigo

Unwoven story. Pattern in waiting.

This thread was dyed for kasuri weaving—where pattern is planned before the first thread hits the loom. The design is built into the thread itself, using a resist-dyeing technique: areas are tightly wrapped to keep them white while the rest is dipped, again and again, into rich indigo. Once the bindings are removed, the result is a thread with tiny, rhythmic white intervals—meant to align like puzzle pieces during weaving.

But this thread never made it to the loom. Instead, it lives here in its in-between state—pattern latent, possibility intact. To textile lovers, it's a rare glimpse into the pre-weaving process… and a gorgeous material in its own right.

Uses
While this thread wasn’t originally intended for hand-stitching, it can be used creatively with beautiful results. The strands appear to be single-ply twisted and are surprisingly strong—they don’t break easily when pulled. We've tested stitching with one, two, and three strands. All hold well, though the experience differs from using sashiko or embroidery floss:

• For best results, use with loosely woven fabrics or pre-punched surfaces.

• Expect texture: the thread isn’t smooth and may resist being pulled through tightly woven fabric.

• Multiple strands won’t lie flat like embroidery floss—they create a more textured, organic look.

Recommended for slow stitching, textile collage, raw-edge appliqué, couching for textured surface design, mixed-media fiber art projects.

This is thread with personality—less polished, more poetic. Let the irregularity be part of the story.

Fiber: Natural fiber, very likely cotton
Dye: Indigo (resist dyed using kasuri method)
Sold in lengths of: 30" (76 cm)
Origin: Made in Japan
Condition: Excellent vintage condition, with variation and slight irregularities from the hand-dyeing process
Photos show: The full hank as found, and a sampling of what it looks like unwrapped