About Us

Katie’s Vintage Kimono – (KT’s Japanese Kimono Fabric... on eBay)
Katie’s Vintage Kimono was born in 1995 – we’ve been selling kimono fabric for the past 7 years and during that time have built up an extensive collection of fabrics. We’ve been listed as a resource for quality kimono fabric in the books “The Magic of Crazy Quilting” by Marsha Michler (1998) and “ Art to Wear with Asian Flair” by Stephanie Kimura (2001) as well as in an article in ‘Threads’ magazine on using vintage Japanese textiles. We started selling kimono fabrics on eBay in October of 1999 and we put up new fabrics for auction each weekend. You can find us under our seller name, katienwalt. We live on the Kitsap Peninsula in Western Washington, across Puget Sound from Seattle. Our home/home-business is built in the middle of 10 acres looking out towards the Tahuya River. We can’t actually see the water from our window unless it’s flooding, then we see way too much of it! During one of those floods, our impassable road became the temporary home of neighborhood salmon. Most of the nearby land is part of the 23,000 acre Tahuya State Forest.

About Katie and how it all began...
Katie has a passion for Japanese textiles and before she started this business, she would purchase them from vendors at sewing exhibitions and quilt shows. She enjoys sewing and incorporates the vintage kimono fabrics into clothing she makes; right now her passion is designing pieced scarves. She also designs pieced throws, handbags, pillows and wall hangings. She is always looking for new ways to use the fabric. She also loves dyeing fabric so many of her creations include bits and pieces of over-dyed kimono silk.

While attending a poetry reading 8 years ago, she was introduced to someone who had heard about her passion for textiles; that person introduced her to a Japanese importer (enter serendipity). The two became friends and businesses associates and have worked together for the past 7 years. Katie goes through each new shipment of kimono and obi when it arrives from Japan, and chooses her very favorites. She makes buying trips each year so the collection continues to grow and change. Most of the fabric is stored in a climate-controlled warehouse 25 miles from their home-business. She systematically cycles through the collection to give her customers an amazing and every-changing variety of fabrics to choose from.

And Where exactly does Walt fit in to all of this...
Although Walt isn’t a ‘fiber person’, he brings computer and photographic expertise to the enterprise, as well as muscle – he lugs lots of boxes of kimono from home to warehouse and back. He works as a computer engineer by day and during his off time in the evenings or on weekends, he does all the website and eBay photography, working to present the fabric as accurately and beautifully as possible. And if Katie has a problem with the computer or a software question, Walt is the man she runs to. It was Walt’s idea to begin selling on eBay over 2 years ago and he continues to be an integral part of marketing and operations.

We’d love to hear from you... Email Katie
Is there something you’re looking for but don’t see? Have a special project and need a special fabric? Just want to share information with another kimono fabric lover? We love hearing from you and hearing about what you’re doing with the fabrics. We’re received several photos (both digital and paper) from customers showing us what they’ve created with the fabric. A photo gallery is one of our future goals so if you’d like to share, we’d love to see and hear from you.