slightly OT: prezzie from my DBIL

I so envy you your wonderful BIL.

Beverly

Oh Sharon, that is beautiful!! When you get it properly displayed, we'll see more photos. Emily

Yes, Ma'am. ;) I've been scoping out spots in the living room. Since most of the accents in there are a dark red, this ought to fit right in. :) I told DH last night that I wanted to hang it up. He said "oh yes! We will definitely have to hang that up!" So I will have some help figuring it out. Right now, it's hanging in my closet---and the closet door is Firmly latched. (the cat likes to nap in there sometimes, she's gonna have to find another spot for a while!)

Sharon

That's about the same reaction I had. ;) I think I sucked all the oxygen out of the room when I first saw it.

That's what I'm thinking about. We have cathedral ceilings in the living room. So I'm thinking about putting it in there. The other accents in the living room are dark red, so this would fit in with that. I'd really like to get a glass or plexiglass box to hang around it, but I don't know if I'll be able to. (It would have to be a really BIG box.) We'll get it figured.

Isn't he just a gem? When I called him last night, he about made me cry on the phone. I thanked him profusely for such a wonderful gift. And do you know what he said? He said, "Oh no, no. Thank YOU for what you did for me." *sob* Talked to DSIL too. She said it took him weeks to choose one. He really put a lot of thought into it.

Oh! Then he asked me if I thought I could make one of these. lol I told him if I had another 20 or 30 years to practice. He cackled!! I told him I was quite content to stick to solid colors like his stuff for right now. lol

Sharon

heh heh heh!! I'd let you pet it....won't even make you wear white cotton gloves. ;)

If you would like to lust after even more, the website is

Have fun! Sharon

snipped-for-privacy@cox.net wrote:

I have two uchikake in my foyer which is open up to the second story ceiling (photos are at my Webshots album, link in my siggy line). I also have two beautifully embroidered kimono hung -- one in the formal living room and one in the dining room. I put all of them on metal curtain rods and it has worked quite nicely. I use the adjustable hanger thingies (like that technical term-LOL?) that the rod sits in so that the uchikake is kept as far from the wall as possible. Also, I use a rod whose shortest dimension is just a bit longer than the width of the end-to-end measurement of the uchikake. This means that the rod is not opened up at all so the extension part is inside and gives a double length of rod to help support the uchikake. I also use the center support for the rod because the garments are so heavy. I use binder clips to keep the front of the uchikake and kimono open so that you can see all of the exquisite embroidery. I put a picture hanger in the wall, hook the clip to the front edge of the garment and then hook the clip to the hanger. Then, to cover up the ugly clip, I hang tassels or some other sort of Japanese thing from it. All of my uchikake and kimono are hand sewn -- no machine stitching on them at all. I was told that the padded roll at the bottom of the uchikake is filled with cotton. DH and I were lucky enough to holiday in Japan twenty years ago. That is when I got my first uchikake -- it's the pink one -- and was told that there is no sewing machine used at all. I have tried for years to purchase the beautiful clips the Japanese department stores use to hold the uchikake open. Unfortunately, I have never been able to find anyone who sells them! My Japanese garments are all used, too. When we were in Japan, I priced new kimono and they started at about $3,000 USD so I hate to think what they cost now. Uchikake were starting at around $12,000 so I was unbelievably happy to find my used one at $500! The multi-color one cots me just a bit over $300 on e-Bay and the two kimono were about $125 each on e-Bay also. If you want to see some truly exquisite kimono and uchikake, go search e-Bay -- you will be speechless after a few minutes :-)! And remember, ALL of the embroidery is done by hand and done in silk fibers! Absolutely breathtaking!! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Those are both gorgeous too!!! The artistry of these is just flat amazing to me.

This is just brilliant!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I'm printing it out. ;) I think that's a very smart way to hang them, and yours are lay just beautifully hung like that. Now I just have to pick a place. heh heh

Thanks again!

Sharon

What a beautiful kimono and a thoughtful gift!

OMG it's gorgeous.

I have a friend who sells secondhand kimono and obi. I'll bet she would be able to tell you how to care for and display your lovely prezzie!

I have posted to her blog about your gift, and hopefully she will get back to you. Her name is Marty F and her company is Secondhand Silks.

Wendy Z still sigless in Chicago

Thank you darlin'!!! I'll watch for email from her. That is so nice that you thought of that. :)

I just still can't get over it. A girlfriend of mine stopped by today on her way to a meeting. I dragged her down the hall to show it to her. She was just in awe of it too. Her BIL is Japanese and he has some kimono and things from his family. She knew exactly what it was as soon as I showed her. But she was just in total awe of the artistry of the thing. We stood there and petted it and cooed to it. ;) Always good to have someone of a like mind drop by. lol

Thanks again, Wendy!! Hope you find your sig soon. :(

Sharon

That is *SO* beautiful! Ya gotta love a DBIL that says thank you so thoroughly! :D

That is really beautiful.. What a nice present...

I am redecorating my bedroom with an oriental inspired motif, and that would really look lovely mounted on the wall over the bed.

me

don't know if

How about hitting a lumberyard to see how large of a frame you could make out of, say, 1 x 4"? Attach frame to wall, then you just need one large sheet of plexiglass.

(How to attach plexi to frame, I dunno.)

Perhaps the frame could contain some of the mounting hardware. Fewer holes in the wall.

Just a thought!

--Karen D.

don't know if

Something like this -

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

This is another time to check local sources. Shipping adds quite a bit to the cost of such a large item.