Japanese Washi Crafts

Every now and then there's a washi paper workshop, where you can learn to cover blown eggshells with traditional Japanese paper or make other unique gifts from Japanese kits. The covered and lacquered eggs make unusual Christmas and Easter tree ornaments and also look good displayed as a colourful collection in a bowl. The wide range of kits that I have in stock make small decorative boxes, chests, mirrors, etc., which you can then cover in your choice of paper.

Washi paper is made of plant fibres (often the inner bark from mulberry bushes), which gives it the feel of cloth and makes it very strong, even when wet. It has been used for centuries for making umbrellas, screens, kites, fans, purses and every kind of decorative object. The paper is screen-printed in a huge variety of colourful traditional designs, ranging from the kitsch to the elegant.

Recently, swissinfo.ch came to the studio and made this short video of a washi egg workshop:

Please contact me if you are interested in finding out about the next workshop.