Polka dots

水玉 mizutama

Polka dots

Round dots spaced evenly like drops of water; cheerful and fresh, a summer word in Japanese yet worn in any season.

Round dot pattern; the word mizutama (water drop) is old, the polka-dot fashion arrived from Europe

Mizutama first meant a drop of water, and Edo-period Echizen washi already had a 'mizutama' sheet with drop-like spots. The evenly spaced dot fabric known in English as polka dot spread in Europe in the 1840s with the polka craze.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.