Obi in Japanese means sash or belt and is the long piece of fabric used to close a kimono.

Obi are woven pieces of fabric 38’ long and 11” wide. To wear an obi it is wrapped around the body twice and tied in a knot at the back.

I give talks about the history and types of kimono, dressed in full kimono and obi and, I can tell you, wrapping 38’ of fabric around your body is a real effort! I learned to tie obi by wrapping it around my body twice, tying the knot at the front and then shifting the whole thing around my body until the knot is at the back. And I seldom get the knot straight, it seems to shift as I move it!

I have a very large collection of obi, many of which I have made into cushions and several hang on my walls.

The first set of cushions I made from this obi and sold all four immediately. I so wished I’d kept one for me, loved the green colour.

This part of an obi hangs in a stairwell. Imagine how long the complete obi is!