Sashiko Mending Tutorials

Sashiko Mending Tutorials | Upcycle and Repurpose

This is a summary of Sashiko Mending Tutorials collaborating to Sashiko techniques that I occasionally practice on my Sashiko Mending projects.

[Last Edited on October 2018]

 

I have offered several “Sashiko Mending Workshop” in 2017. I believe it was a great success to share my ideas, insights, and techniques for Sashiko Mending. However, at the same time, I felt the difficulty of providing the generalized workshop with the theme of Sashiko Stitching. Sashiko Mending is more like the “independent study” rather than the learning and workshop opportunity. I provided the space, the swatches with Sashiko Stitching on, and on-going, face to face, hands-on workshop. I just wanted to have more time for each individual the more I offer the Sashiko Mending Workshop.

Therefore, I stop offering the Sashiko Mending Workshop. I may restart offering it again, but I will not offer it until the day I can be confident to myself that I programmed the workshop so comprehensive and organized as the “Sashiko Stitching Workshop (Core & Basic)” or “Sashiko Hitomezashi Workshop“.

 

One of the most challenging aspects of Sashiko Mending Workshop was that we, as the Japanese stitcher, do not understand what the participants in the US expect us to teach in the workshop. It seems that we practice a lot of techniques without realizing that they are special. Some of the ordinary techniques I do not even try to teach is sometimes the things what the students want to have.

 

Therefore, I do offer the Private Sashiko Mending Workshop by adjusting myself to the student’s expectation.

 

Please contact me to set up the private workshop after reading this summary of Sashiko Mending Tutorials. You may find the answer you need without having a private session with me. Also, if you find any technique that I use yet has not explained in this blog, please let me know via comments or emails so I can cover them.

 

Summary of Sashiko Mending Tutorials

 

Main 2 approaches to the mending

The goal of Sashiko Mending is to prolong the life of your favorite garment by covering the holes and making the fabric stronger by doing Sashiko stitching. I usually start with thinking that which approach would be the best for the mending project.

  1. Patch it over the hole or torn part, and hide the damage.
  2. Patch it from the back side and show the damage yet protecting it

 

It is, of course, possible to do Sashiko stitching without patching the fabric. However, with considering the original goal of Sashiko stitching of prolonging the life of the garment, I prefer to have the swatch to patch on, either from the front or the back of the garment. The patch is necessary when the garment is too damaged or the hole is relatively big. I enjoy Sashiko stitching without the patch when the garment is still strong (lightly used) so the fabric itself can be strong by performing the Sashiko Stitching.

 

Preparation | Sashiko Fabric

I usually prepare the swatch with Sashiko stitching before the mending. Here are 2 reasons why I do not use the plain fabric for the Sashiko mending.

  1. To make a piece of swatch more strong and durable: There is a reason the garment get damaged significantly or even a hole. The place you need to mend is the place where a lot of stress (friction, stretch, and external tension) happens. We can foresee that it will get damaged a lot. Therefore, making the swatch strong before the mending is a very logical process.
  2. Simply, the stitched Sashiko fabric is beautiful. Although the primary goal of Sashiko Mending is not decoration, it is always good to have the beautiful swatch either on the top of the hole or showing a part of stitching from the back.

 

Mending

I usually follow these steps for the Sashiko Mending. A simplified list of Sashiko Mending Tutorials.

  1. Trim the edge of the prepared swatch, if necessary or as you wish.
  2. Position and fix the swatch on the garment by using pins or clips
  3. perform Basting
  4. Stitching
    1. Simple Running Sashiko Stitch
    2. Matsuri Nui | blind stitching
    3. Kono-Ji-Toji | Invisible Stitch
    4. And many more

*The part (4) is probably well-known as Sashiko Mending. We simply use the hand-sewing techniques to perform Sashiko Mending. I will try to explain each stitching method on Youtube Channel, one by one. Preparing the fabric is deeply related to Sashiko. Also patching the fabric with the simple running stitch or using Hitomezashi is also associated Sashiko.

I believe Sashiko Mending is not only about learning the technique but also understanding and feeling the concept of how the Japanese people enjoyed the mending itself. It is my goal to create the Sashiko Mending tutorials with technique and the mindset (culture) behind it.

 

 

Messages throughout Sashiko Mending Tutorials.

 

Sashiko is getting popular with other keywords such as “Slow Fashion” or “Slow Stitches.” Yes, it is slow in comparison to purchasing the mass-produced cloth from the store. However, by introducing the Sashiko Mending Tutorials, I would like to share that the Japanese didn’t intend to make it “Slow”. Sashiko is an ordinary stitching culture by the ordinary Japanese people in ordinary days.

 

So here is my message.

Care about Speed. Think of the result. Keep mending because the part you mend will be stronger and the are around get weaker.

 

Let’s see if our descendants find it valuable as we do for Boro.

 

 

Appendix for Sashiko Mending Tutorials

 

For those who would like to try some swatch of Japanese Denim and Indigo Fabric for Sashiko stitching, we have a set o 3 Japanese denim and 1 Indigo fabric precut for the mending & fabric preparation.

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.