Mind blowing fabric - has to be Japanese

[Marniesews]

Mother of Pearl & lapis lazuli -  (in the best possible way)! Oh my word.

[bec]

Thanks for sharing, I didn't know the V&A were on youtube so will probably be going down that rabbit hole soon. 

The blue of the flower at the end is amazing.

[Bumblebuncher]

Holy cow! (best Robin to Batman voice)
Beautiful

[Iminei]

WOW!!!!

Well that knocks my working in a Brewery into a cocked hat!

They didnt (Or did they?) explain how they turned Lapiz Lazuli which I believe is a gemstone into thread ...

but Wow wow Wow ... Thank you very much @Marniesews

[realale]

Good grief that was amazing!! So beautiful to watch but I'd clocked way before it was said that all the workers were of the more mature years. So sad that such skills will be lost.

[Silver Rose]

How fabulous,  thank you @Marniesews.

[Ivydene]

Such beautiful items and so ask that the skills are being lost.

[Ploshkin]

Fascinating and awesome  (in the true sense of the word).  what incredible skill.
 Thankyou.

[Lilian]

Wow, such a beautiful art. I am in awe of these people and fascinated by the machinery.  It's a shame this art is on the brink of being lost forever.

[BrendaP]

Amazing precision, sad that it's a dying skill but sadly not surprising.

They didnt (Or did they?) explain how they turned Lapiz Lazuli which I believe is a gemstone into thread ...

It said same technique as the mother of pearl - so ground up, stuck to washi paper then cut into very fine strips.

[William]

 

Amazing!!!

[WendyW]

They didnt (Or did they?) explain how they turned Lapiz Lazuli which I believe is a gemstone into thread ...

@Iminei They simply said that it was the same process as for the mother of pearl.

Such an incredible process! Hopefully putting this video out there will draw in some younger artisans to take up the craft.

[Sewingsue]

I wondered how they use the fabrics. Each of the weavers we saw only worked with one type - gold or lapis lazuli or mother of pearl, but the obis were made of more than one.