When people ask me where to start with Sashiko, I often suggest one of these fukin (foo-keen) and tell them to pick a design they will actually finish. If you go for the super complex designs on your first try, it’s more likely you’ll get frustrated and shove it in a drawer, never to be…
Category: sashiko
Daruma Yokota Sashiko Thread
In the summer of 2019 I visited the Daruma Yokota thread dyeing factory in Kyoto, Japan. As our wholesale company, Orimono Imports, is a distributor for the brand and our retail shop, Kimonomomo has sold their thread for several years, I was hoping to learn more about the dyeing process and brainstorm some new ideas….
Kimonomomo Library List Part 2
Sashiko and Boro reference books – hard to find/out of print editions worth seeking out
Sashiko Rainbow Waves
My approach to stitching the traditional Seigaiha Wave design with variegated sashiko thread
May 18, 2013 (part 2) Japan
Itchiku Kubota Museum Wayside flowers = tsujigahana “I want my textiles to tell a story. I will discover new techniques.” – Ichiku Kubota Gold work on kimono “Ou” c. 2002 #17 in exhibit – At least four types of thread. Bricked and sometimes top outlined. Thin and thick bands, gold and silver. Kimono colors gold…
Indigo Sashiko Boro Leggings
These pants go by various names depending on where you look: Mataware また割り(splits), Momohiki 股引, Matahiki また引き. Essentially they are a type of trousers worn tight at the calf and baggy at the hip. Common in rural Japan until the early 20th century, these were worn by shop workers and farmers alike. These are different from Mompe…
Little House Japanese Sewing Thimbles
We stock several types of sewing thimbles from the Japanese brand Little House, and I use many of them myself. Which one(s) do you need? That depends on the type of sewing you do, how large or small your hands are, the length of your fingers, your mobility issues (if any), preference for vegan or…
Broken and Mended – patching sashiko hitomezashi
Examples of two different mending techniques
Big Blue Boro
Closeup view of one of Carol’s favorite antique Japanese indigo boro!
Sashiko and Double Gauze – the Ripple Effect
Sashiko doesn’t have to involve a lot of fancy stitches. Sometimes you can achieve delightful visual and tactile effects with a simple straight stitch. One of the easiest ways to do this is by using double gauze cotton fabrics. What is double gauze? It’s exactly what the name implies: two layers of cotton gauze fabric,…
Quilting with Sashiko
My mom was a hand quilter, which makes it logical that after watching her enjoy it for so many years, I’d come to appreciate handwork, too. The slow pace, the gentle and rhythmic stitching, and the fabulous texture of it all. There are some aspects of hand quilting I do not enjoy so much, especially…
Sashiko Thread – Which type should I use?
If you don’t live in Hawaii, California, Oregon, or Washington state it may be difficult to believe Sashiko has been in the US for decades. For those of us on the Pacific side of things, Sashiko has waxed and waned in popularity since the late 1970’s at least, with a big upswing in the 1980’s…
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 