Klay Blog
The story of making the new limited Flat Squabs by Shirai+Klay
This project began a couple of years ago, and over the last two trips to Japan, I’ve sent the covers back to New Zealand. The covers are made by 96-year-old Shirai-sama, with the help of his wife, in their small futon studio in Kyoto. Their family business has been making futons and cushions for over 100 years.
We customised the cushion sizes and the way the openings are finished, to allow for our own handmade inners and final trussing for when they get back to NZ.
The covers are the same Japanese 100% cotton fabrics that Shirai-sama has been using for years.
When I was at Shirai-sama's workroom he would show me his tools and equipment & I would whatsapp photos to Kirsty in NZ to show her his set up. We always find it interesting to see other peoples sewing set ups! I loved seeing the wooden patterns.
One day when we visited Shirai-sama to check some samples, he was coincidentally wearing a tee-shirt that at first looked like it said 'Auckland'...which is where we live & where the cushion covers he just made were being sent to. But it actually says... stickland :D I like to think it says Auckland <3
We started this collaboration when we first were in Kyoto in 2023 & send back two batches of orders from Shirai-sama. He is 96 years old and said that it was too complicated for him to go to the post office to send the covers to New Zealand so we can only pick our orders up in person :)
So I sent the covers back to New Zealand ready for us to fill with our signature recycled wool & labour intensive hand trussed inners. These are a new special style though so they feel different to the other cushions we have made before.
They start off quite poofy before we steam mould them into their pancake flat shape.
Then we hand truss them closed. There are four other layers inside here that you never see that involve two sets of different hand sewing to join layers together! We just don't show this step because it is our IP :)
Then we steam mould them to be flat! We use a commercial big press to get them evenly flat. We want them to be very thin squabs to be used on a chair or the floor. They might flatten even more over time too (we love this trace of use).
The image below shows how much we flatten them with an industrial hot press. The final thickness of the round shape is approx 2.5cm thick and the square is approx 3.5cm thick. The Squab on the left is the flattened one and the right is waiting to be flattened into its final thickness.
The Square Shape before they are trussed & flattened.
We have been chipping away at getting these finished over the last few weeks. This is about 1/3 of the stock we have in this photo. We aren't sure if we will be able to repeat these once they sell out.
During the development of these, we tested a few samples at home over several months to refine the technique, process & final materials for the inners. They underwent a few variations before we settled on the perfect flat thickness and weight. Personally, while testing them on a chair and on the floor over months, I found that mine didn't get too dirty, and I really appreciate the lived-in feel they now have. There was just one small spot that we spot cleaned, and we make sure to air them out from time to time. The photo to the right is my personal Ginkyo coloured one that has been used for about a year on a chair at the dining table.
The key difference between these new Flat Squabs and our usual Cushion range (aside from their flat design and size!) is that they do not have removable covers and can only be spot cleaned. In contrast, our standard cushions feature removable covers that can be hand washed at home. If you're concerned about them getting too dirty, I’d recommend choosing cushions like our Disc Cushion or Floor Cushion, which come with removable, washable covers.
However, we do have care directions sewn onto these new Flat Squabs and additionally have more tips on the Product Care page here, such as how to use talcum powder to treat oil spots or Kirsty's expert spot cleaning directions!
We designed the round shaped option primarily for use on chairs, but they also work well on the floor and pair nicely when placed on top of the larger square-shaped option.
We designed the square shape to be used as floor squabs. The final size is 48cm x 48cm and 3.5cm high. The are slightly smaller than our usual Floor cushions, which are 55cm x 55cm and 9cm high.
If you are not sure what colour you want, then you can order fabric samples here. Shirai-sama gave me a bag of scrap off-cuts for this reason :)
Please keep in mind that these are very limited so by the time you get the fabric sample there is a risk the colour you are after might have sold out. We do aim to despatch orders within 1-3 days & send on speedy courier services though!
I feel very lucky to have met Shirai-sama. He has been a great inspiration to Kirsty, myself and Mason. He often reminds us he is 96 years old and how healthy and strong he is. He still works most days and we believe that sewing has helped kept his mind and body healthy.
Here is Shirai-sama outside of his 100+ year old futon shop in Kyoto with his niece, who was visiting her uncle when we saw him last. We hope to see him again this year. We hope you like our cushion collaboration with him and to we do hope to order again from him when we see him next in Kyoto.
