Category: News

It has been a great fun to share the Sashiko we practice on Youtube in form of “Sashiko Live Streaming”. The purpose of this Sashiko Live Streaming is to offer a real view of unedited Sashiko Stitching. I understand the great need for me to talk in English in the Live Streaming. However, since English is my second language, I often end up with talking in Japanese especially when I do not have a specific topic to talk about. As much as I will do my best to prepare the English Sashiko Live streamig, I would like to try other methods to deliver the similar message. One idea I came up with is the “Sashiko Zoom Lecture“

What is Sashiko Zoom Lecture?

First, please understand that Sashiko Zoom Lecture is not a workshop or a class that I teach some Sashiko techniques. If you are interested in learning the Sashiko technique and posture, please consider taking the Sashiko Online Class. I am confident that the learning in Online Sashiko Class will enrich the experience in Sashiko Zoom Lecture.

Second, please be advised that this is not “Sashiko Gathering” that I occasionally offer. In “Sashiko Gathering”, anyone can speak up anything about Sashiko in a Zoom Meeting. I do not record the gathering, and I do not insist the copyright of any contents. I do not control who talks about what. I even leave the meeting with asking someone to be in charge from time to time. Sashiko Gathering is more like a “friend gathering”, and therefore, as of 2020, I only invite people who I know from Sashiko Workshop & Online Sashiko Class.

The Sashiko Zoom Lecture is an opportunity for me to answer your questions over a Zoom meeting. In the Youtube Sashiko Live Streaming, I just would read out the comments and offer the answers to the question as I talk & stitch. Since I often receive the same question, I end up with talking the same thing. There is nothing wrong with repeating the same answers (and I probably should do so to increase the subscribers), but I would prefer to talk about something new everytime I am doing. Sashiko Zoom Lecture enable me to choose the question first, and then I can have a conversation partner who has a question about.

I will invite those who wish to join the Sashiko Zoom Lecture with mute on. When you have a question about Sashiko, you may share it via “DM/Comment” on Zoom Platform. When I confirm the question is not so repetitive, I will ask the person to be my conversation partner for the question. You do not have to bring any questions, but please agree with the rules & guideline of Sashiko Zoom Lecture below

Guideline for the Sashiko Zoom Lecture

• The whole lecture will be recorded. We shall obtain all of the copyright, and will upload the video to Youtube as an archive. The participants agree to allow me to upload the video which may contain the visual and/or audio contents. Although it is okay to not to share the image (joining with no videos), it is the participant’s responsibility to control the On/Off of the video.
• The purpose of this Lecture/Discussion is to have a good discussion about Sashiko in English. A good question will be very much appreciated to enrich the discussion.
• Please keep the microphone muted until I direct to unmute. When you are invited to the discussion, please engage in the discussion. It will be our dialogue. (It is more like a remote school that many children are experiencing now under Covid-19.)
• This is a trial and free of charge to join. There is a capacity of 100 participants at once. 
• This is not a workshop or class to teach techniques of Sashiko. So, I will probably not answer the question about “How to”. Please consider taking the Online Class for the specific techniques.
• Please be advised that I may not answer the questions regarding the techniques and patterns to be fair with the participants of Online Sashiko Class / In-person Sashiko workshops. A question about Sashiko history & mindset would be very much appreciated. (The summary of many questions I have received so far is available on Patreon.)
• I welcome a question. However, please do not “challenge” me. Upcycle Stitches LLC will have the right to remove a participant from the meeting.
• All the questions & comments has to be somewhat related to Sashiko and/or Boro.

(Update: December, 2020)

How to proceed it

• Please fill out the Google form to register the Sashiko Zoom Lecture after reading & agreeing the guildline above.
• Please expect an email from Atsushi for the Link to join the Sashiko Zoom Lecture. As of now, the dates are very irregular. If meetings go well, I try to make it more periodical.
• Once you join the Zoom meeeting, please make sure that your microphone is muted.
• Please comment on the Zoom Meeting for your question. When I find a question non-repetitive, I will invite you to a discussion about Sashiko. (When you do not have any questions, you may just enjoy watching us talk.)
• I will direct you to unmute the microphone. I will answer your question as if I have you as my conversation partner.
• Once the question is answered & no more questions are appeared, I will move on to the next question.

Registration for the Sashiko Zoom Lecture

In order to secure the privacy of the Lecture, I will NOT share the zoom link (meeting ID) in public. If you are interested in joining, please fill out the form (Please edit your answers if you have filled out before for Online Sashiko Gathering). I will send out the email with link when we are ready.

Why Do I offer the Sashiko Live Streaming

I have reasons why I offer the Sashiko Live Streaming on top of everything.

“I want you to learn the Sashiko as the Japanese would have learned” is one of the reasons here. Many Japanese crafts were(are) passed down in learning by just looking. There is no caricurum. There is no textbook. The apprentice observe what the master does, and then learn by themselves without specific teaching. In fact, that’s how I learned the Sashiko I am teaching today. I am just summarizing my decades into 3 hours.

Anyone can learn Sashiko as they wish. For me, sharing the Live Streaming in which no one can “edit” and “hide” is the best thing I can contribute to the Sashiko we would like to pass down.

Please watch the Sashiko Live Streaming. There may be something you can learn even if I only talk in Japanese. Then, please join this new adventure, Sashiko Zoom Lecture, where I may be a bit more precise help to you.

It has been almost 3 years since the day I had offered the first Sashiko workshop in the United States. I cannot believe how fast time fly. Here, I would like to share what I am feeling as of now toward the year 2020. It is not a plan, just my feeling. So, your feedback would be appreciated to reform what I plan to do in 2020. My hope is to make 2020 for the year of “Sashiko Creation Year”.

1. Workshop Continue, but less in NYC

I continue offering Sashiko Workshops. The Sashiko Stitching Workshop (Core & Basic) is the best way to share the Sashiko we practice. I had met many Sashiko friends there, and it is the biggest activity I do throughout the year. In 2020, however, I plan to offer fewer workshops in NYC. Instead, I will be more open to an individuals/organization who can arrange the workshop on behalf of me anywhere in the U.S. 

As the year of 2019, the same workshop in Lewisburg (PA) and Online Sashiko Class will be available throughout the year of 2020. The contents are the same, just different locations and different media.

The Online Sashiko Class is one of the biggest achievements I have accomplished in 2019. I will keep improving the content in 2020. The special coupon for the Online Sashiko Class will be expired at the end of 2019, so please register your course before the end of 2019.

2. Focusing on Creation & Story-telling

Another big shift I made in 2019 (besides offering the workshop online) is the online platform where I can feel safe in sharing my honest insights. I publish fewer articles here on upcyclestitches.com as well as on SNS account. Instead, I make myself to publish at least 10 articles every month on Patreon Platform.

Sashiko is not only about the stitching techniques. There are hundreds (thousands) of stories I would like to share. I would continue this “story-telling” activities in 2020, and hopefully, I can summarize them into one book or something at the end of 2020, with more than 100 articles on Patreon. Your support there would be very much appreciated.

And, I wouldn’t want to forget about “Creation”.

I decided to take time off from “teaching & offering workshop” over the summer of 2019. (Although I end up spending time on replying over Social Media posts), it was fun to focus on creation again. As much as I love sharing Sashiko, I would like to have a certain amount of time for my personal creation. I will try to balance my work as well as actual creativity.

3. Following up the current followers rather than expanding

Many people advise me that it is time (the year) to take a risk. Sashiko is getting very popular, and many people would like to learn what I share. I could probably arrange a tour to visit cities all over the world with teaching Sashiko.

Some advise me that I should hire someone to accerate what I do. A famous proverb says: “strike while the iron is hot (Make use of an opportunity immediately)”

I agree with their advice. Their advice is very articulate and precise.

If my goal is to make a good wealth (being rich) by sharing Sashiko and expanding a community of Sashiko, then it is my time to accept any offers I would receive from anyone. Sashiko is now in the trend. While many other hand-crafting suffers from its lack of trend, I may be too fool to not to ride on this trend.

However, I would choose to focus on the “follow-up” to the current followers (friends who took my workshops) rather than expanding to the new audience. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying here though. I would LOVE to meet the new people who can share the passion for Sashiko. What I am saying here is that I would like to focus on what I can do instead of jumping high to “try” to catch something.

I will be available for the workshop in Lewisburg (PA) or Online Sashiko Class. The gate for the newcomers, who wish to come across to meet me now, is always open. It would be great if you could understand like this: that I feel a priority of supporting the people in current community. You are welcome to join there anytime you are willing to.

*My point is “willingness”. I do not want to “sell” what I am proud of for those who would like to ride “a quick trend” with less interest in the cultural perspective. By taking the risk, the priority needs to change. I probably won’t do that in 2020.

Toward the Sashiko Creation Year

Believe or not, I (Atsushi) am in charge of pretty much everything that we offer. Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya (Weblink in Japanese) is my mother’s project, and Keiko and I are the 2 main individuals to keep things moving forward with a lot of help from our friends in Japan.

Keiko and her friends in Japan are in charge of main production. What we share online with photos is mainly what they make. My job is to introduce them to rich stories as possible.

The solution would be asking someone to do part of what I do. However, Sharing Sashiko-stories is something only I can do. For the orders, I would like to make a package by myself with sincere appreciation for choosing us. I would need to train someone to the level of “caring”.

So, as a result, in order to keep the standard of what we do, we will not change the situation. Instead, I will slow-down myself to have some time for the creation time. It may be a crazy idea to slow down a project when the need is high… yet I would like to make sure the quality of what I deliver.

Money is merely a tool for us. It is very important to gain the profit to achieve what we want to do. However, if we have to change our values (mindset) to gain only money (be greedy to money more than we need), then I am putting the cart before the horse
(misplacing one’s priorities).

I will do everything I can to share the Sashiko better, wider and more mindfully. The year 2020 will be a beautiful year for me and you with many Sashiko creations. The year of Sashiko Creation Year.

Keiko (from Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya) visited Otsuchi to share the workshop with members of Otsuchi Recover Sashiko Project on June 13th in 2019. The administrative group in Otsuchi Sashiko updated their blog with her visit, so here is a translated version for their writing. I appreciate their time to share the previous time with Keiko. It is the translation from their article part.1.

*The Original blog in Japanese, as well as the other articles about Otsuchi Sashiko, is available at the end of this article.

Keiko visits Otsuchi Sashiko

(Tried direct translation)

Hello.

We offered a Sashiko Workshop by Keiko-san to our project members. Keiko told us that she would like to see us again and stitched together, then she drove more than 10 hours (one-way!) to make this workshop happened.

The members (they call them Sashiko-san) enjoyed the workshop with passion with longing to see Keiko for a long time. It is a lot of writing to summarize in one article, so we will write the series of articles.

Keiko arrived from Takayama (in Gifu Prefecture) to Otsuchi (in Iwate Prefecture) a day before the workshop with bringing many Sashiko samples, supplies and a mountain of hand-dyed Sashiko thread (This is one reason she prefer driving over flying). Look at her smile after so much driving. The photo is with the administrative staff of the project and Keiko in the project office.

The day of Keiko Sashiko Workshop

The entrance with Sashiko-san visiting the workshop space with Kanako san at the desk.

Sashiko-san were so happy to see Keiko after so many days. They all enjoyed the conversation with Keiko.

Keiko brought many Sashiko Jackets and bags (what Keiko made) for sharing the Sashiko ideas. Keiko even wears one of them. Look at the smiles.

17 members in the project participated in this workshop. With sharing the photos of excited Sashiko-san’s photos, we will conclude the article here. We will write more about the actual workshop.

I just wanted to share this article as soon as possible. I will summarize them later on with more information (like link to our philosophy to make the article easier to understand. This is one of the biggest reasons I continue Sashiko. I am very happy with this opportunity, and more importantly, their smiles (& serious faces).

We appreciate the interest in our Sashiko Workshop opportunity in Japan. As of 2019, we only offer the Sashiko/Boro Workshop in Japan for those who completed Atsushi’s Sashiko Workshop (In-person or Online). If you are able to speak/understand the Japanese fluently, please check Keiko’s Japanese website for more details.

If you would like to have a privately arranged workshop in Japan while your trip to Japan, please check the below and follow the procedure, after taking the Atsushi’s Sashiko Workshop.

Keiko lives in Takayama city, Gifu Prefecture. Her schedule is usually tight, but we will do our best to arrange the workshop when the condition meets.

Boro making Workshops in Japan

We had offered several “Boro Making” Workshops in Japan. Before we developed the Online Sashiko Class, we did our best to communicate the basic & core of Sashiko by using the translating App. Since we are now ready with the Online Sashiko Class, we would like you to take this workshop first, then plan the workshop in Japan.

We are a group of a mother (Keiko in Japan) and son (Atsushi in the USA). Keiko is a genius artist but not a good teacher. In order to share the Sashiko we are enjoying, it is necessary for you to go through the basic & core of Sashiko.

In other words, if you have taken the workshop with Atsushi, please feel free to contact me for arranging the possible (Boro-making) workshop in Japan.

Archive of Boro-Making Sashiko Workshop in Japan

Recommendation for Sashiko Workshop in Japan

As one of the frequently asked questions regarding the Sashiko Workshop in Japan, I am often asked if I have any recommendations for Sashiko.

As you may have learned throughout this website & Youtube, Sashiko was a form of hand-stitching developed in each household, each region, and in each community. Therefore, regardless of the numbers of great looking Sashiko groups in many places in Japan, I cannot make the recommendation to represent the Sashiko we practice. There are many ramifications in Sashiko, and we are merely one of the branches.

Please be advised that I will not provide the recommendation for the Sashiko Workshop in Japan.

Atsushi’s Friends (students) may be available

Alternatively, I have (and can ask to) my friends who took my Sashiko Class & experienced in Sashiko to offer you the workshop. As of Spring 2019, the workshop “may” be available in cities below.

• Sapporo – Hokkaido

This is a list of my friends offering the workshop with my “kind of” supervision. They do not speak English, so you may need to prepare the translator on your side.

Not a “Flash Experience” of Sashiko

We understand that the “need” is the Sashiko experience available in Japan. However, I would like to make sure that we can deliver the “rich experience of Sashiko” instead of “A flash & temporary experience” with Sashiko.

Once you take our workshops, we promise you will be part of our activities and will open our door to your requests. We sincerely hope to meet you there.