Into the Indigo: A Journey Through Japan’s Textile Traditions

By Simone DeSantis, Founder & Artist, Willow + West Textiles

Last year, I had the rare chance to immerse myself in the world of Japanese textile arts — not just as an observer, but as a maker. I traveled to Fujino, a serene mountain village just outside Tokyo, to study traditional shibori and katazome techniques alongside masters of the craft. What began as an artistic adventure quickly became something much deeper — a soul-shifting experience that forever changed how I approach my work at Willow + West.

Arriving in Japan: Culture Shock & Creative Connection

Landing in Tokyo felt like stepping into another world. I don’t speak Japanese, and suddenly I was navigating a place where I couldn’t read the signs or understand the announcements. It was disorienting at first, but also humbling and exciting — I was truly a student again.

Our group of women came from all over the world, ranging in age, backgrounds and artistic experiences.. Despite our differences, we were united by curiosity, creativity, and a shared love for handmade things. Working together, learning ancient techniques, and celebrating the little victories — from a stitched “blob” transforming into a beautiful dyed pattern — was incredibly moving.

Shibori: Stitching by Hand, Dyeing by Heart

Shibori is a centuries-old resist dyeing method that involves folding, binding, stitching, and dyeing fabric — usually with natural indigo. I had admired it from afar for years, but never tried it myself.

Before the trip, I spent countless hours prepping fabrics by hand — washing, marking, and stitching patterns as homework. That turned out to be only the beginning. Once in Fujino, I continued stitching daily, building blisters and learning just how physical this process is.

The techniques I focused on included:

Mokume Shibori: A stitched resist that creates soft, organic “wood grain” textures. Every line is sewn by hand. You can see this in my Mokume pattern.
Arashi Shibori: Also known as pole-wrapping. It took two people and two days to prepare just one yard of fabric. The tightness of the wrap determines how much white remains — and that white is incredibly hard to preserve. My Sora pattern was created from my Arashi Shibori
Katano Shibori: A pleat-and-bind method that requires fine, consistent pleating, then stitching through all those layers. It's as difficult as it sounds — especially for someone who had never sewn before! You can see this technique in my Katano pattern.

After all the prep, each piece went through up to 12 dips in natural indigo, with long rest periods between for oxidation. Indigo isn’t just a dye — it’s a living process. Watching the fabric change color as it breathed felt almost magical.

Then came the part I never expected: to fix the color and remove the resist, we hiked down to a nearby river and washed our pieces against the rocks, just as artisans have done for centuries. This process helps bind the indigo to the fabric without harsh chemicals — a sustainable, beautifully old-school method.

Katazome: Carving Tradition Into Cloth

Katazome (also called katagome) is another traditional Japanese resist technique — but instead of stitching, you apply a rice paste through a hand-carved stencil made of waterproofed persimmon paper.

First, I had to design and carve my own repeating stencil patterns — a meditative, careful process. This persimmon paper is unique to Japan and nearly impossible to find elsewhere. It’s naturally water-resistant, which is crucial when you’re washing off the paste and want to re-use the stencil.

We made our own rice paste resist (a combination of rice bran and other local ingredients) and used simple cardboard scrapers to press it through the stencils. The application had to be clean and evenly spread across the fabric.

Once dry, the fabric was dyed just like the shibori pieces.

A Collection Born from the Journey

In all, I created over a dozen one-of-a-kind pieces during the workshop, each using different techniques. Many of them inspired or became part of my new Fujino Collection — a deeply personal series rooted in the visual language of shibori and katazome.

Every pattern holds the memory of handwork — the stitch of a needle, the wrap of cloth, the rhythm of indigo dipping. These are more than just designs; they are stories in fiber, grounded in tradition, effort, and deep respect.

This trip reminded me why I do what I do. At Willow + West, every fabric is made with intention — from my hand-painted artwork to our small-batch, sustainable production methods. But this experience took that commitment even deeper.

It reconnected me to process, to patience, and to the cultural lineage of handcraft that too often gets lost in mass production. I'm so grateful to have learned from masters, to have shared this journey with other women artists, and to now share it with you — through every stitch, brushstroke, and bolt of fabric.

If you’re an interior designer looking for textiles with soul, I invite you to explore the Fujino Collection — and bring a piece of this journey into the homes you create.