Last year I stocked a single bolt of Wagara fabric. I wasn’t sure if it was worth the investment (they are pricey, even at wholesale!), but once I felt the fabric in my hands, I knew I’d made the right decision. Olympus, the Japanese company who makes all the sashiko supplies I carry in my…
Tag: how-to
Sashiko Patchwork Apron Pattern
If you’re looking for a fun little project you can make with recycled fabric, sashiko thread, and a little ingenuity, this Sashiko Patchwork Apron Pattern might tickle your fancy. I designed it for the Spring 2012 issue of Stitch and it’s now available for download. The pattern is $4.00, none of which comes to me,…
Book Review: The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook
Susan Briscoe is a familiar name to many sashiko stitchers here in the West, and rightfully so. The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook: Patterns, Projects and Inspirations (2005) is a book I would suggest anyone getting started with sashiko would benefit from having in their library. The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook starts the reader off with a colorful…
A little sashiko video selection
Poking around YouTube today, I found these videos featuring sashiko. Each one is only a few minutes long, and helpful if you are just starting out, or want to see how others hold needle, thread and cloth. Despite finding very particular directions in every Japanese and English how-to book on sashiko, I’ve found that each…
Stitch n’ Bitch
Now that I have a dedicated studio space, several sewing machines and a living room all to myself, I’ll be hosting a weekly Stitch n’ Bitch in the San Francisco East Bay area. If you’ve got an urge to get crafty on Tuesday evenings and would like to join in, RSVP and let me know…
It’s my birthday, and I’m in Stitch!
Pick up a copy of Quilting Arts Magazine’s special Fall 2010 issue of Stitch, turn to page 69, and there’s a new sashiko project in there from me! It’s a birthday present from me to you. Today I’m packing up orders that came in over the weekend, and updating the shop with new and vintage…
Book reviews: Japanese sashiko craft books
Japanese craft books, you gotta love ’em. The bright, clear photos presented in an easy to understand step by step format and abundant diagrams. Never mind if you can’t read Japanese, the visuals alone will get you through the process. Also known as “mooks,” a hybrid of magazine and book, these tend to be smallish…
An experiment in washing vintage indigo kasuri, part 2
(Continued from yesterday’s post, as promised) So how did it fare after the second wash? The blue background color is sharper and clearer, but the splash areas that were once light blue are now white. This does not diminish its attractiveness in my opinion, but I had been hoping to retain the light blue on…
An experiment in washing vintage indigo kasuri, part 1
Along with shibori and sashiko, I am a sucker for kasuri (絣). Popular in Japan since the Edo era, kasuri (or gasuri) is a double woven ikat, meaning the threads are dyed prior to weaving and the design is in both the warp and weft threads. Machine woven Bingo kasuri, which constitutes the bulk of…
Upcoming events
Northern California Bay Area stitchers, mark your calendars for March 1, 2010. I will be leading a textile talk and trunk show for the Valley Stitchers and Fiber Arts Guild in Pleasant Hill, CA, to be followed by a hands-on sashiko class. I will provide more details closer to the date. If you are not…
Olympus sashiko kits in motion part 2
Continuing on with the Olympus sashiko kit project from earlier this month, here are some updated pictures. So far I have completed the sashiko portion of the project. I still have plenty of thread left over! Next I will hem the edges to give it a more finished look. By following the pre-printed lines, my…
Olympus sashiko kits in motion
Many of you have requested I do a tutorial with the Olympus sashiko kits I carry in my shop, so a month ago I picked one out, chose some thread and picked out a needle… then things fell apart in my life and it was relegated to the I’ll-get-to-it-later pile. Last night as I was…
A love for both the common fiber and the extraordinary textile @KimonoMomo 