Founder of Senninbari Project Visits Budding CSUS Entrepreneurs

of kimono making and the garment business to provide a livelihood for women who lost everything after the tsunami. They (and former students from Onodera's school) go to shelters to teach women how to sew traditional Tohoku designs. Each woman stitches on one twenty-inch square of fabric. Thirty-four of these embroidered squares made by different women are then sewn together to make one Dotera. A Dotera is a quilted kimono made with layers of heavy cotton insulation for the cold climate in Tohoku. One Dotera is a collection of each family's crest, invoking spiritual protection from preceding generations. The Senninbari Project is working to help rebuild lives. Senninbari means “Thousand Person Stitches.” The Japanese believe that a garment sewn by many people becomes an amulet, protecting the wearer from danger and clothing them in prayers. The goal of the Senninbari Project is to form a sewing collective for these women. The hope is to exhibit the pieces sewn sharing the resilience of the women of Tohoku during this hard time. Items will also be created that will be for sale. Our students were inspired by her enthusiasm, her resourcefulness, her drive, her ability to carve out a niche where she could make an impact and her passion for the cause.