I’m a big fan of hand stitching, but I do own 7 or 8 sewing machines, most of them 50-100 years old and not capable of more than a straight stitch. I do frequently meet people who are happy with their sashiko machines but I’ve never used a sashiko machine myself. I can tell you that no, hand sashiko thread won’t work in your machine as it’s far too thick, but other than that, the machine is a mystery to me.
After watching this video I can understand the appeal of a machine that produces a stitch that resembles hand stitching, if only from the front, but I’m still going to stick with my handwork. It’s much more satisfying to me.
What’s your take on the sashiko machine? Would you, or do you use one? Tell me what you think.
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 
I had one. I sold it. It was so fussy. It worked, the stitch looked nice from the front, but the back was a solid line, just like a regular machine stitch. I decided that the time I spent fussing with the thread, sewing slowly, would be better spent just hand stitching something. I also could not figure out why quilters thought it was (maybe) the bee’s knees. Mine was too fussy to ever be able to stitch through a quilt sandwich. I also like the thicker sashiko thread vs. the thin cotton thread that I had to use in the machine.
The machine sounds horrible. Why bother with sashiko stitching if your not going to do it by hand, your missing the whole history, culture, and reason for learning the stitch.
Wish I was in your upcoming class.
My Sashiko machine is new to me so I am still struggling with it. I have a constant problem with the thread breaking. It will sew for about 24 inches and then breaks again. I have had some success with sample pieces, but with a quilt? Awful! It feels like the bobbin holds the thread too tightly…I really have to pull to make it come out of the bobbin. I checked the tension and the top and bottom stitches are not puckered. Any ideas?
Hi Kathy,
No ideas here as I’ve never used a sashiko machine, but maybe someone else can chime in?
Carol
I have one and I love it, granted it takes a bit of mastering, but after that it is plain sailing I have done quilt borders and echo stitching around appliqué.