Sashiko is a form of hand- stitching the Japanese had developed hundreds of years ago. I strive to leave this culture to the next generation by sharing the stitching technique and stories behind its history.
I believe the Sashiko is the process of mending, repairing, strengthening the fabric with putting thoughts of the family. Also, it was the Fashion the Japanese tried to enjoy in the limited resource and regulation. There are many “Sshiko looks” fabric available in the market. I hope people start enjoying their own Sashiko by appreciating the fabric they are already in Love.
If you are interested in any keywords below, the information in this website may be beneficial.
Upcycle / Repurpose / Sustainability / Janaese Traditional Stitching / Boro / Nogari / Mingei / Mending / Japanese Hand Made/
Recycle (Upcycle) what you love instead of Replacing it. You will love the item more if you repair it by yourself, with your hands.
Upcycle Stitches / Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya are a group of Sashiko artisans and craftspersons. Usually, we have a plan in our mind when we start a Sashiko project. The purpose of Sashiko stitching can be making a Sashiko Jacket from Japanese vintage fabric. Or, it could be preparing a piece of fabric with Sashiko for the Jeans mending project. Meanwhile, we just enjoy the Sashiko stitching itself without having a purpose. From time to time, we pile these Sashiko Swatches which we enjoyed and the piece of fabric which we didn’t use in the big project. We decided to sort our inventory (pile) and sell them as the “one-of-the-kind” Sashiko Swatches.
We enjoyed. Please use them for your Sashiko project.
Every Sashiko swatches are, of course, hand-stitched by a member in either Upcycle Stitches or Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya. Most of the fabric is Japanese vintage fabric, and Indigo dyed. Otherwise, I will specify the materials and dye methods. Please be advised that sometime we forget how we obtained the fabric. When you see the comment of “no proof,” it means “our best guess.”
It would be very wonderful materials/supply for your Sashiko project, especially for mending or repairing project.
As of now, the Sashiko swatches are available on our Etsy website. They are one of the kind products. Once it is sold, we won’t be able to make the same swatches.
I hope you can use these beautiful Sashiko swatches for your long-appreciating Sashiko project. These are strong fabrics because of Sashiko. These are beautiful fabrics because of time (vintage). By using this fabric, you step forward to make BOROs in future.
Thanks to customers finding our Amazon Store, I am enabled to build a much bigger inventory for Sashiko thread. Since we have some allowance for the inventory, I will provide some Sashiko Thread Bulk Discount. A purchase of our Sashiko threads excluding (Now including) the Natural-dyed thread throughout this website will be eligible for the discount based on the amount of your order. Please contact me first if bulk discount matches your interest, or simply use the coupon code available below in the rate table.
Without the effective code, the discount will not be applied.
Sashiko Thread Bulk Discount Rate
Here is a price table for the bulk discount. If you have question, please make sure to contact me first by mentioning “bulk discount,” and shop throughout the online store by using the discount coupon I issue to you, or available here.
Order of 10 Sashiko Thread Skeins
5% Discount*
Code: MANYTHANKS_5
Order of 20 Sashiko Thread Skeins
10% Discount*
Code: MANYTHANKS_10
Order of 50 Sashiko Thread Skeins
15% Discount*
Code: MANYTHANKS_15
Order of 100 and more Sashiko Thread Skeins
20% Discount*
Code: MANYTHANKS_20
*Depends on the stock, we may make the shipment from Japan. In that case, we cover all the possible shipping fees, custom, and duty.
*No other seasonal coupon may be used with this bulk discount.
*The coupon will deduct the percentage amount from the total price of your order of the Sashiko Thread on our online store.
A regular skein of our Sashiko thread has the length of 145 meters / 475 feet.
This is long enough to complete a few small Sashiko project. However, if you would like to try Hitomezashi stitching or a larger project such as Sashiko jackets, a few skeins would be great to keep in stock. Although I may promote our products with some seasonal discount on this website, such as Black Friday Deal, I promise that the discount code will not be more than 20%.
Sashiko Thread Wholesale
Upcycle Stitches LLC has not obtained the license for the wholesale business in the U.S. Therefore we do not offer an option to make a wholesale deal besides Sashiko Thread Bulk Discount. However, although we do not offer the wholesale price for now, please contact me if you would like to sell our products in your store and meet the requirement below. I may be able to help you as a curator to make a deal with Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya and other manufacturers in Japan.
Some of the possible agreements are following;
Agreement to purchase more than $2,000 of thread and/or products for the initial order. The wholesale rate varies depending on the amount of your purchase history.
Own a retail store with a physical store front.
I would love to visit your store to discuss not only the financial deal but the support we can provide regarding Sashiko. Please read the article about my plan, the Sashiko Road Trip.
This offer only applies to personnel/company who has the address in the US. If you live outside of US, and interested in being a distributor, please contact Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya for more information. We are happy to discuss the detail. For wholesale option in Australia, please contact our representative in Australia.
Keiko Futatsuya, my mother / a Sashiko Artisan in Japan, visited an unbelievable place regarding a hidden Sashiko/Boro culture – Tokiyama Sashiko (時山さしこ）. In a very small village called Tokiyama, where there are no grocery stores around, the people discovered their own Sashiko culture in 1990’s from the ground. The seniors tried to hide their Boro by burying them. A few generations later, the people there found out the culture, and dig out the Boro from Ground.
The people in Tokiyama tried to pass the culture down to the next generation by exhibiting Sashiko/Boro pieces and sharing Sashiko workshops in their small exhibit room.
The people (Sashiko practitioners in Tokiyama) knew about Keiko from her previous work as the designer in Hida Sashiko. They warmly welcomed her and share their story with her and her friends.
Yes. I mention it right. Discovered Boro from Ground
We, who live in the 21st century, value BOROs as a beautiful art piece. Patches and repeated stitching make unique “Visual Art” like abstract drawing or mosiac art. In the past, a few hundred years ago, the Japanese had completely different feeling toward Boro in comparison to the value we have today. The feeling was opposite side of the beautiful & luxery item. It was the shame. Regardless of its beauty, the BOROs were the symbol of Shame for them who lived in Japan for that time.
In Tokiyama village, Sashiko repaired Jacket probably represented how bad “poverty” there were. People considered the more a family possesses Boros (or Jacket/pants with mending), they considered the poor the families were. They felt ashamed of wearing Boros and repaired Sashiko jacket, which they didn’t have any choice not to do. When they had a pile of Boros and mended clothes which they couldn’t repair much any longer, they bury Boros in the ground to hide the shame they held.
In 1990’s, people learned that there was a Sashiko culture in Tokiyama hundreds of years ago from that time. They dug the BOROs and Sashiko jacket from the ground. Indeed. They found Boro from Ground. Some of them transformed its touch, the cotton became like a felt after getting the pressures under the ground.
Unbelievable Testimony of Sashiko by Tokiyama Sashiko
Sashiko formed its culture in many places in Japan. Many places where are rural places with a lot of snow and severe winter had the similar culture (probably named similarly to Sashiko). In these places, they developed their own Sashiko culture where Sashiko was a work for women to repair men’s jacket. Regardless of the numbers of culture’s footprints, it has been very challenging to make a research about Sashiko. We know that they existed. However, as the people in Tokiyama buried their pieces, many Japanese tried to “hide” the fact so that they thought they wouldn’t pass down the poverty to their precious children.
Tokiyama Sashiko gave us a hint of understanding the difficulty of discovering the Sashiko history. People felt ashamed of having the Boro and heavily pactched Sashiko Jackets. This great opportunity with Tokiyama Sashiko opened up the possibility to learn more about Sashiko.
We will visit them again, ask questions, and try to pass “Sashiko” down to the next generation together, without burying them in the ground.
Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya is not only a name for Keiko’s business but it also represents a group of hand-craft artists who are good friends of Keiko. “.Co” indicates “Community” when we named it together. A group of Sashiko artists, Sashiko directors, Japanese Tailors, and other artisans continue creating beautiful Sashiko Jackets and other Sashiko arts, slowly but surely.
Keiko is the leader, and they share the same artisan mind-set
They are truly artisans. And these types of artisans share the same mindset, “Completeness/integrity to their job.” If they do not satisfy their job, they do not want to release it to the public. They do not receive the money until they truly feel that they performed their job and met expectation.
Keiko is the leader of the group, and Keiko is the significant one with this mindset.
Look at this Jacket. It is a beautiful piece, and for me, it is ready to go on the Sales page. However, Keiko thinks that she has to fix things before I can introduce it on Sashi.Co Website. Therefore she doesn’t give me the sizing and pricing. She takes photos to get reactions from me, friends and other customers. However, she isn’t ready for selling this yet.
We have a lot of Jackets like that.
When she makes a Jacket, she imagines who would wear. So the sizing is not suitable for Keiko all the time. This is a bit bigger Jacket for the larger person than Keiko’s sizing. Although the jacket looks fantastic, it will be introduced after she completed her job.d
One of a kind Sashiko Jackets available for you
It takes a long time to complete one Jackets. We introduced a lot of Sashiko Jackets in 2015 because she worked a lot between the end of 2013 to throughout 2014. After we started Sashiko project, she needs to do other works to make sales, the process of making new Sashiko jackets get a bit slower.
Many Jackets moves off-line when she have an exhibition or a pop-up store. If you found your favorite Jacket online, please contact us. I will be happy to translate all the e-mails to Keiko, so Keiko can adjust the jacket as you wish without changing the concept and design.
In Sashiko stitching, it is very important to learn how to transfer the pattern on the fabric. I repeatedly mention it because the well-transferred pattern on the fabric will result in a good Sashiko stitching. In the process of transferring, using the mylar paper is a key point to avoid mistakes.
Here are the video and the article of how to transfer the pattern.
To be honest, we didn’t know about the mylar paper until 2013. We used to transfer the pattern by using thin Cellophane sheet (Poly sheet). We had to discard the cello sheet everytime we used and it was difficult to use them. We kept doing it because we had a professional for the process of drawing and transferring the pattern on Sashiko fabric. She was an artist in that field. It was challenging to transfer pattern accurately even for a person who has a bit of experience, like me.
When we decided to share the process and technique of Sashiko, we thought of this troublesome process. We wanted people to learn how to prepare the fabric by themselves. However, the materials and process would be so challenging that some of them may be disappointed by the low quality. We even once decided to Not to provide the D.I.Y Set because of the issue.
Then, we found this mylar paper
Then, we found this mylar paper. A supreme quality and good thickness make the transferring process so easy. We are now comfortable to share the process so everyone can enjoy the preparation. It is fun to do Sashiko stitching with your own favorite design.
The Size: 16.5″ x 11.75″
It is even printable with a laser printer (Not an ink-jet printer). Enjoy the preparing process, and Enjoy Sashiko even more.
Sashiko Dish Towel with using Sarashi Cotton Fabric is one of the most popular items in Sashiko stitching. There are many kinds of dish towels with Sashiko. If you are interested, google the keyword of “Sashiko Fukin“ and execute the online research. You will find many beautiful dish towels with Sashiko. Many books with Sashiko Dish Towels are published in Japanese as well.
Why Dish Towel with Sashiko stitching?
In past, Sarashi Cotton Fabric was relatively easy to get. The Japanese layered the Sarashi fabric and made dish towels for their everyday needs. It was an era people couldn’t waste anything. Of course, there were no paper towels. They tried to strengthen the fabric so they can use the towels repeatedly. They used the towel to wipe the dishes after rinsing. When the towel gets a bit dirty, they used it for wiping the table and other furniture. When the towel started torn or looks filthy, they used the towel to clean the floor. After these process, when the towel looks completely dirty, then they used it for cleaning toilets. I believe it is another form of Boro (if we can find the filthy dirty dish towel after they cleaned their toilet.)
In the process of shifting purpose for Sarashi towel, Sashiko always stayed there. Sashiko not only repair the fabric but it also strengthens the fabric.
Sarashi fabric absorbs water very efficiently. It is easy to clean. Therefore, the Japanese used the fabric for daily needs with Sashiko stitching.
Good practice fabric for simple running stitches and overlay stitching
In modern society, the needs for using a towel so many times repeatedly declined. Paper towels are so easy to use. (although we use the Sashiko Dish Towel in our days.) In our experience of producing Sashiko products, we realized that Sarashi fabric is very easy to stitch, soft to hold and loosen enough t0 practice the overlay stitching.
Sashiko with Dish Clothes is a form of culture because of reasons.
When you want to experience Sashiko in the traditional way, considering to make dish towel is a good option to enjoy Sashiko more.
We prepare the sample set to make Sashiko Dish Towel
I wanted to make it simple. I just wanted you to try the quality of Sarashi fabric and the fun of stitching.
We prepare a set of
A dish towel size of Sarashi Fabric (the edge trimmed for less trouble)
A small skein of Sashiko thread
A Sashiko needle
No need to follow our Sashiko techniques to use a unique Sashiko thimble or worried about making overlay stitching. If you could just enjoy the stitching and get interested in Sashiko, that is our pleasure.
The set is available on this website as well as our Etsy Store.
The word of Sashiko starts getting popular in 2000’s slowly but surely. I enjoyed Sashiko workshop in the Netherlands in 2012. I had many customers from Australia. Many people from Hawaii with Japanese heritage visited us throughout the years. However, Sashiko is still minor field. Many people wonder how to start it. Although it is simple to start Sashiko and it doesn’t require you to purchase a lot of expensive tools and/or materials, I thought it would be nice to prepare the “Sashiko Starter Set” for those who want to start Sashiko today. I hope this set will motivate Sashiko market to grow bigger.
Sashiko Starter Set | Everything you need to start Sashiko
In order to learn what Sashiko is and how we practice Sashiko stitching, please refer to the overview article about Sashiko.
In this Set, you will have everything you would need to start Sashiko stitching, besides a ballpoint pen or a tracing wheel. A cheap ballpoint pen from a dollar store (preferably with red ink) would be fine. If you would need a threader, please get it by yourself. Also, some project may require the interface. The interface is not included.
The set include;
Indigo Dyed Fabric | Cotton 100% / 24.5″ x 11″
Cotton Poplin Fabric (for back fabric usgae) / 24.5″ x 11″
Imagine what you want to make with Sashiko. It’s the start.
After you get the Sashiko Starter Set, it is up to what you make. We will keep updating the website and video tutorials for stimulation and inspiration for your Sashiko. Imagine what you want to do with Sashiko. It is the start of your enjoyable journey with Sashiko.
Every time I host a Sashiko workshop in NYC, I hear the word of BORO.
The word of “BORO” became famous in these 15 years or so. People in the art industry discovered the beauty of Japanese vintage fabric, especially those were used and repaired repeatedly. As a Japanese who grew up with a lot of textile in the traditional Sashiko family, I remember the trend with BORO was somewhat surprising.
In Japanese, the word Boro (襤褸）means;
A piece of useless fabric after using repeatedly
Torn cloth with holes and patches. Squalid garment. (Usually, the negative image with the word of Boro)
The Japanese sometimes call it Ranru with the same Japanese written character. Ranru means a garment with many damages, tears, and patches.
The contemporary BORO culture spotlight not only the ordinary Japanese definition as old garments but also the vintage fabrics with many patches and repairs. Many Boro pieces are found in forms of Kimono, Noragi (Japanese style outer Jacket), Futon (Japanese style blanket), Shikimono (Japanese style rug) and so on. They look dirty comparing to the new fabric, but the color created by hundreds of years of time and the combination of patches with repairing are beautiful. BORO sometimes looks like an abstract painting.
At Random Beauty?
Some people say that Boro is a product of at random chance. The people found out the beauty in Boros in the 21 century. It was lucky for the textile culture of Japan that the BORO was discovered. The unique culture of Japan, such as Mottainai (regret concerning waste) contributed to the process of creating Boros.
Yes. The Japanese had a unique culture of saving and appreciating not only the fabric but also everything around them. Speaking of Mottainai culture in fabric, a mother told a daughter that, if she has a large piece of fabric enough to wrap 3 soybeans, she should keep the piece so she will be able to repair the other fabric. In the process of economical growth in Japan, some Boros were thrown away because of its nature… it is literally a piece of filthy, useless, and fragile fabric. I agree that the Japanese didn’t introduce the artistic aspect in Boros. However, I do not think that the BORO is a product of at random chance or accidental art. They tried to be beautiful.
Boro is Designed fabric by ordinary farmers.
I think, and I know, that the process of creating Boro requires a lot of thinking and designing. If Japanese people only needed to mend the fabric, why didn’t they use mono-color thread and plain solid color fabric…? Using simple thread and one colored fabric throughout their life would have their family finance much easier. Instead, they designed the Boro to enjoy her/him more fashion in their limited resource.
The ordinary farmers in Japan tried to enjoy the fashion and arts within the capacity of what they can. This is human nature to dress their up. The fashion sense of Japanese people is the origin of Boros, I believe.
BORO as the result of Sashiko
The Japanese people created BORO by repeating the process of mending the fabric. I believe that we call the process of mending “Sashiko.” Sashiko is not only a form of hand-stitching but also the process of stitching with focusing on design and function simultaneously.
Many people are interested in Sashiko as a technique to make decorative stitching. Sashiko became more decorative stitching after the Japanese started enjoying enough amount of fabrics and threads. However, as a Sashiko artisan, I would like to introduce the beauty of mending, and the aspect of Sashiko which can make your garments more special.
My mother Keiko started the project called Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya to revive the old fabric to contemporary fashion/art by Sashiko. It is impossible to make “new BORO” in this century because the BORO requires the color fade-out with hundreds of years and repeated repairing the fabric. What Keiko focus now is to find the Boro (or Boro like, vintage, and antique fabric) and repair the BORO. We believe this is one of our responsibilities to pass down the culture to next generation as Sashiko artisans.
Learn Sashiko, share your Sashiko project, and let’s enjoy Boro-like fashion starting in 21st century.
We are a team to make Boro-to-be in the next Century.
One of my goal of this website is to make Sashiko open-source matter. I want as many people as possible to know what Sashiko is, enjoy the process of stitching, and feel satisfied by the result. We have some online tutorials and online store to start learning Sashiko.
The Sashiko doesn’t limit your project by rules or regulation. You can do whatever you want. My hobby is to mend jeans, and many people enjoyed my Sashiko mending workshop in NYC.
By the way, when I say I wear a garment with mending, people may think that I am against to the mass consumption society.
They may think I care the ecology more than the fashion. Some may think I am in need of… and saving money for food. It is wrong. Again, I believe it is human instinct to make us attractive throughout fashion, and the mending with cool fabric can be a good way to attract the others. I am proud of my ancestor, who cared the fashion no matter how in need they were.
I hope you can join our team to make “Boro to be” in the next century.
Although I don’t know if our descendants find it beautiful or not, as long as we enjoy the process of appreciating the fabric, I am pretty sure this trend will be another fashion culture in 2xxx.
What you need to join our team are simple of two mindsets.
Passion for the fashion and appreciation for the fabric.
In order to cook a tasty meal, you would need fresh & quality ingredients. Similarly, in order to complete a beautiful Sashiko project, the quality Sashiko thread is the key to succeeding. Not only the good Sashiko thread provide the better stitching result, but it reduces your stress while stitching. Sashiko requires a lot of time to invest. Less stress while stitching hugely contribute to the better result.
What kind of Sashiko thread should we choose?
The thread should be strong enough to strengthen the fabric. It should be thick enough to create beautiful stitches. It should be smooth so the thread wouldn’t damage the fabric. The tight twisting thread will reduce the richness of stitching. The loose twisting thread will tear apart while stitching and it will cause stress. Finding the balanced twist is one of the most important factors in finding the best thread. When you get cheap and poor quality Sashiko thread, the thread will fray easily and will be cut in actual stitching process.
Choosing the appropriate thread is one good journey many Sashiko artists encounter. We, as Sashiko artists, came to the conclusion to what is the best Sashiko Thread.
Sashiko Thread with our choice.
Japanese thread manufacture, Coron Seishi, makes one of the best Sashiko threads in the market. The thread satisfies most of the requirements Sashiko artist thinks, and the result is very rewarding. Almost 100% of Sashiko products from Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya and Upcycle Stitches LLC use these Sashiko threads from Coron.
The thread consists 4 rich embroidery flosses, twisted in a unique way to keep the thickness for beautiful stitches, yet tightness to avoid separating the thread while stitching. This is the balance I mentioned above. Coron also put the thread in a series of special processes so thread becomes smooth and soft.
In our online store, we have 4 kinds of Sashiko thread available for sale. Two of them are from Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya (Colored and directed by Keiko / the thread is manufactured by Coron.) Two of them are from Coron manufactory (Colored synthetically and manufactured by Coron).
When Keiko Futatsuya started working on her own Sashiko projects, which were mainly “one-of-a-kind” Sashiko Jackets and bags, she faced to the big challenge of finding the exact color she wanted to use. She wanted to adjust the color to the fabric, especially those from the past, the Japanese vintage (antique) fabric. We had a good variety of colored Sashiko thread. However, she couldn’t compromise on what she wanted.
This is her journey of natural dye thread started.
Now, we have about 30 kinds of colors. Some were sold-out and will not be back in stock since the color was so unique (made by random conditions she can not recreate). She is getting better and better at creating Natural Dye Sashiko thread.
Blue is a very challenging color to dye. (by Logwood)
The process of dyeing the thread with Natural dye has a lot of stories. It is my hope to keep introducing her journey in this website.
Beautiful Indigo Blue and Kakishibu Gold are available in Sashiko Thread Collection, finally.
I hope you would have a chance to enjoy the beautiful color of Natural, hand-dye Sashiko thread.
Original Color (Exclusive) Sashiko Thread
In the process of Natural Dye and Hand Dye, Keiko only can create about 15 skeins. The production result is between 10 skeins to 20 skeins because of the skeins do not meet her standard. She realized it takes too long to dye the thread when she works on the big Sashiko project.
After talking to a color specialist and Coron, she succeeded to create these 2 colors thread. They are dyed by synthetic dyes like the other solid color thread. However, they have a warm/natural like color similar to our natural dye thread.
They are exclusive colors Keiko ordered. It is Sashi.Co original Sashiko thread.
Mono Color / Solid Color Sashiko Thread
Coron Seishi manufacture these beautiful Sashiko threads. “#10 – Original (unbleached) White” and “#12 – Bright (bleached) white” is the all-time popular item. We use A LOT of these threads in our Sashiko project. The smoothness, the thickness, and the strength of threads improve the stitching experience and color and cotton quality will result in great stitches.
There are 15 colors for solid mono color thread. Every color is available in our online store, etsy, and even on Amazon.
Variegated Color Sashiko Thread
Variegated Color threads are also very popular for those who enjoys the gradation of colors in their Sashiko projects. We have 5 color variations.
#201 – Prime color variation
#202 – Pastel color variation
#203 – Read to White gradation
#204 – Green to White gradation
#205 – Blue to White gradation
As a summary for your Sashiko experience
It is very critical to choose the appropriate Sashiko thread to your Sashiko project. As I mention repeatedly, Sashiko requires you to invest a lot of your time. I really want you to get rewarded by having the great Sashiko stitches and finished products. I believe sharing the beauty of Sashiko stitching and its fun process is the best way to introduce Sashiko to the world.
Sashiko (刺し子) is a form of needlework developed in Japan a couple of centuries ago.
We can find its history in several regions in Japan, where the Japanese had to experience the severe winter. Sashiko used to be a job for women to mend men’s garments over the winter. Both men and women worked as farmers over the summer. Men worked in the wood and women repaired the fabric over the winter. The routine still exist in some places. Our partner, Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya, slows down over summer because many Sashiko artisans work as famers primary.
As long as I know, there is neither the solid definition nor the answer to what Sashiko is. Each regions developed Sashiko in their unique way, and each style of them is very beautiful. My definition of Sashiko is that it is a process of mending the fabric to repair, strengthen and warmth the garment, which family member will wear and this is a really relaxing activity, although if you want to really relax you could visit this website for THCA to get the best products for this . Well, let me stop here. I am not writing a book about its history.
However, I believe it is one of my missions to explore what Sashiko is. The exploration will be a big one, so please follow the link if you are interested in understanding it. I am working on some reading materials.
Sashiko is a process, not a result. Needle movement with appreciation.
Sashiko Stitching / How to stitch
Sashiko transformed itself over the years and centuries.
We now mainly enjoy Sashiko as a decorative form of needlework. The simple stitching with the traditional combination, which is Indigo Dye Fabric and White thread, attract many people. We can find its unique stitchings in tablewares, clothes like jackets or shirts, handbags, and tapestries. I’ve had workshops for quilters, which they loved the taste of Sashiko.
There is no such a thing as “the rule”. You can do Sashiko on any kind of fabric with any color. However, there are efficient and beautiful ways to do stitching based on its history and accumurated wisdom. As a Sashiko artist from surviving traditional family in Japan, I will introduce the traditional and basics of Sashiko.
Tools and Materials to prepare in the beginning.
It is very easy to start. You do not need a huge investment to prepare what you need. Here is a list of things you would need to start. I wrote about the tools we use.
Tracing tools such as tracing paper or chalk pencil
*Each Link Above goes to our Online Store.
*Click here for little more information for each material.
Preparation
Preparation, either drawing the pattern on the fabric or transferring the pattern onto the fabric, is a very important process. Either way, please make sure that the patterns are strongly visible on the fabric. Once you start doing stitching, the pattern may fade off. In case, reinforce the line accordingly. Having a good pattern on the fabric is a key to accomplish the better result.
If you are using the transferring method from patterns printed on papers, please refer to another article of mine, how to transfer the pattern onto fabric. With online video tutorial, you will be able to grasp the process of transferring the pattern with appropriate tools. If you are drawing the pattern on the fabric with using rulers and pencil, refer to the article about how to draw the symentric patterns (coming soon).
After the pattern in nicely on your fabric, trim your fabric to appropriate size for your project. Let do actual stitching!
Stitching – How to use tools
Among several Sashiko methods, naminui method (Running Stitching) is one of my specialty. I will focus on Naminui on this introduction page. In order to perform Naminui, put the thimble as the picture below show. A round shape facing down, and the thimble is on the middle finger of your dominant hand. Try to practice hold the needle as the picture show. This is the basic and standard figure of how to hold the needle using the unique shaped round thimble.
Before stitching, after practicing the figure, do not forget to thread the needle. If you choose the appropriate needle, it shouldn’t be too difficult to thread through. Of course, you can use threader if you need support. Also, putting a hint of Vaseline on the tip of the thread may help the threading process.
Let’s start stitching
In my workshop, I always say;
“Hold the fabric and needle together with using your thumb and the tip of middle finger. The needle should be on your dominant hand. Then support the fabric with another hand. Move (push) the needle while making stitches”
Then I see confused faces in the classroom. Always.
It is pretty difficult to explain how to make Sashiko stitches in written contents. The standard form is shown in the photo below. I understand that you do not understand by looking at photos.
Since it is difficult to explain in written form, I uploaded several videos how to do Sashiko stitching. I am learning how to make videos, so it has a chance to re-upload the better videos. Check our Youtube channel for the update and more information.
Regular hand-sewing and stitching require a knot at the end of the thread to hold. However, we often avoid making the knots when we start stitching and end stitching. Instead, we make several “over-ray” stitches to hold the thread and fabric. The picture below shows a few stitches which as 2 colors, like pink and yellow, pink and light green. These are over-ray stitching and the Sashiko thread makes it possible to replace the knots. (I believe most of the(I believe most of the regular embroidery thread will not work as knots even if you make several over-ray stitches.)
The “knot-less” stitching makes fabric more smooth, and it is great techniques for projects you need to use both side of fabric. Here are some supporting links to over-ray stitching including an online video tutorial how to make over-ray stitching.
You may make as many stitches as you want as long as the needle let you do. Some artists makes as many as 30 stitches without smoothing the fabric. The unique method of Naminui and the way to hold the needle and thimble make it possible. When you work on the patterns with straight line (like the picture below) making many stitches will save you time and give you even stitches. When you work on the pattern with circles or curves, try to keep the stitches small and less stitches so you will make smooth and nice curve by stitches.
By the way, the picture above another picture showing the overlay stitching.
Here is a video showing the Naminui Stitching that I make.
Right or Wrong | Any regulation?
I personally believe there is no such a thing as “right” or “wrong” in Sashiko stitching. It isn’t structured tradition like other types of Japanese traditional culture such as “Sado / Tea ceremony” and “Ikebana/flower arrangement art.” After all, Sashiko was merely a stitching custom which the ordinary people practice daily basis. So, do not worry about doing right or wrong. Therefore, there isn’t any regulation. Just enjoy the process of stitching.
Even stitches always give you the good result.
Although there isn’t any regulation, there are a few suggestons you may take into consideration. The first suggestion is about the length of one stitch. There is no standard for the length of Sashiko. No Sashiko tell you that you have to make, let’s say, 1mm length stitches throughout the project. Just try to keep the even stitches throughout your project. Even if you have relatively big stitches for the first line, you may want to keep the same length. Even stitches always give you the good result.
You will be able to adjust the length of stitching based on what your Sashiko project require. Jeans mending require the bigger stitches. A pillow with curve line will require small and precise stitches.
Question. Which is the best Sashiko stitching?
Look at the center of this Sashiko pattern, where 3 lines cross. Which point would be the best Sashiko, either A, B or C?
Some book may say that “A” is the “right” Sashiko and “B” and “C” are not “right” so if you have B and C, you should retry it. In my opinion, B and C are also good Sashiko. Why? Because every line keeps the same length throughout the pattern.
Let’s look at another picture.
This is the exact same pattern from above. Do you even find point A, B and C? Are they that significant when you look from distance? Sashiko tend to have many stitches on the fabric. So small “adjustment” is not necessary. If you have even stitches, the result will get better.
In fact, it is up to your preference after all.
I prefer the Sashiko with “even stitches without adjusting much.” Some people may prefer adjusting stitches with almost perfect pattern looking.The beauty of Sashiko is partically because of its inperfectionism, so I always teach my student to not to worry about the small detail. In stead of redoing the Sashiko, I will move on to another project so you can stitch more and more. Trust me. If you keep the even stitches with appropriate length for your project, the result will be great.
Sashiko Appendix
A series of my exploration to Sashiko history and definition.
I strongly recommend using “Sashiko thread” for the best results. Sashiko requires a series of think and unique stitches for better appearance as well as strengthing the fabric simultaneously. The regular embroidery floss may be a bit inappropriate for its purpose. You can find more information and articles about Sashiko thread we prefer in our website.
Cotton Fabric is always a good choice for Sashiko. We have used other types of fabric such as silk and linen. However, the cotton fabric will result in the beautiful stitches. Heavy fabric, such as hard denim, may be difficult for the beginners since it requires finger power to push the needle. Light fabric, such as cotton poplin, may require you some practice because of its thinness. The thin fabric is perfect material for stitching double layers. There are more information and articles about the fabric for Sashiko.
About preferable fabric for Sashiko stitching
Needle
Picking a good needle is a very important process.
For the better result, the needles should be long enough to hold several stitches. The needle I recommend, which is the one I use, has about 5 cm (2-inch) length. It is longer than usual hand sewing needle. I explain why you need this long needle in other articles and also in a youtube video. The needle should have a relatively big eye for thicker thread. At the last, the needle should be tough enough to stitch the several layers of fabric, and yet flexible enough to keep several stitches.
A thimble surprises many workshop participants. This round shape made from metal thimble are not common in other types of stitching. It requires a lot of practice to get used to making stitches with this thimble. One of my workshops focuses on how to use this thimble. Learning how to use the thimble will speed up your stitching and will give you the better result.
Any patterns would be great on Sashiko stitching. Japanese geometric patterns are the all-time favorite, but we also get inspiration from other stitching and embroidery culture. It is always a good idea to start with basic and fundamental. In order to learn Sashiko basic, I recommend using some of Japanese geometric patterns. They are available in our online store for download.
Traditional Geometric Patterns
Modified Geometric Patterns
Patterns for Sashiko? What is good and what is bad?
Tracing tools
At last, but not the least, getting the appropriate tools for tracing the pattern is another very important process. There are no needs to get some special tracing tools. Chalk pencil, a tracing wheel, safety pins, and so on from a local hobby store would be just fine. I learned that some supplies and tools are difficult to get in the United States, so here is a list of things we carry in our inventory.
Carbon Paper (Transfer Paper)
Mylar Paper (Poly Sheet)
For the tutorial how to transfer the pattern onto the fabric, please refer the other articles I wrote as well as the youtube video. I also sell the kit to practice how to transfer the pattern. You can use the Indigo Dye fabric for Sashiko after you practiced transferring pattern onto the fabric.
Pattern Practice Kit (Product Page in our Online Store)
Update 2019 Fall
Thank you very much for reading a long article. I wrote this article about 2 years ago (in 2017), and there are many updates since. One of the biggest update is the Online Sashiko Class.
