Carolyn Foley of Caro-Rose-Creations has a special interest in Kogin embroidery — traditional needleweaving of northern Japan. She says,
Since I have started this technique I have found it very hard to find charted patterns. There are some Japanese books that have some of the patterns but nowhere can I find a definitive guide. So I have started on my own quest to collect and chart as many of the designs as I can find.
So far, she has charted and shared six designs, and I hope many more will follow. To learn about this artform and download the free patterns, go to Carolyn’s blog and click “Kogin embroidery patterns” in the right-hand nav bar.
Wonderful! I find different needlework techniques fascinating.
How interesting to find you on Google! I am the author of KOGIN EMBROIDERY – THE FIRST COMPLETE EXPLANATION PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH, by Beatrice Fulton Keeber, copyright 1981, and Makeit KOGIN, by Bea Keeber, Kogin Adaptation For Contemporary Stitching, by Bea Keeber, copyright 1982. Both those books plus one written by me and published by DMC Corporation, featuring Kogin designs adapted to a variety of Christmas stitchery. All books are not out of print. However, since I still have full reproduction rights for the first tow, I wonder if there is currently a market for re-publication? If interested, please contact me at e-mail above.
Corrections to earlier “comment”: Both those books plus one written by me and published by DMC Corporation — are NOW out of print.
Added comment: In reading further on-line, I see, Carolyn, that you are plannng a 2014 trip to Tokyo where I believe you may see work done by my teacher, Setsu Maeda, a prefecturall Treasure of Japan. Good for you! – I know you’ll enjoy it. – In 1979, I went to Japan and studied Kogin with Mrs. Maeda in Aomori (and took American workshops with her later, and she visited my home in the US with some Japanese students). This is a fascinating embroidery technique with a most interesting history (which I note in my book KOGIN EMBROIDERY). Learning this technique in Japan and teaching it all over the US became a magic carpet for me! While I have retired from embroidery teaching-touring, I am quite delighted to see it on Google! It had not occurred to me to look till a friend found it. BFK
Another afterthought from Bea Keeber: A few years ago, I sold the last of my inventory of the book, KOGIN EMBROIDERY by Beatrice Fulton Keeber to a shop-owner in New Zealand, along with a few other Kogin Embroidery publications of mine. I no longer have the data on that sale, but now wonder if you are that same person, Carolyn? I’d be quite pleased if you are and had followed up so enthusiastically on that purchase from me. But if you are a different shop-owner/teacher, I am also delighted in your interest in this embroidery! BK
Bee, CraftGossip just reports on craft news around the web. We did not originate the posts about Kogin embroidery. If you’d like to communicate with Carolyn, please follow the link in the story to her blog and post or email her there.
Best wishes,
Denise