Kami-ito

Textile by Vicki Essig detail image

Kami means 'paper' in japanese, and Ito 'strip' - Kami-ito.

I’m using a thin but strong handmade mulberry paper. It’s cut into 2mm strips, put under a damp cloth for several hours in order the for the paper to relax. It is then spun on an Indian spinning tool called a book charkha. This is the tool that Gandhi traveled with while protesting British rule. 

This beautiful thread is then used in many of my handwoven pieces.