see pattern on page 78).
EARLY 20TH-CENTURY POSTCARD, AUTHOR’S COLLECTION
GETTING STARTED
This section describes the tools, equipment and materials you will need for sashiko stitching. Beginning on page 22 are marking and stitching techniques, information on drawing patterns, using grids, transferring designs to fabric, starting to stitch and finishing off – everything you need to help you create beautiful sashiko easily, right from the start.
EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS
Stitching sashiko requires very few tools and materials. You will need a basic sewing and marking kit (see below) – inexpensive items you probably have in your sewing basket already. A quilting frame or hoop is not used in sashiko. Because sashiko needs little equipment, it can be stored in a bag, like one of the drawstring bags on page 48, so your sashiko things are always to hand, ready to be taken out at a moment’s notice.
Sewing and marking kit
Sashiko needles (various sizes)
Small embroidery scissors
Dressmaking scissors
Quilting pins
Thimble (optional)
Tacking (basting) thread
Sewing thread to match your fabrics
Sewing sharps
Pincushion or needle case
Iron
Marking tools (see right and page 19)
Ruler
Basic equipment
Marking tools You will need an assortment of these, including markers for dark and light fabrics, rulers and templates for marking curves. Marking tools are described in more detail on page 19 and using them on page 22.
Cutting mat and quilter’s ruler These are useful for precision marking. You might also prefer to cut out your fabrics with a rotary cutter.
Japanese embroidery scissors (pictured left) These are not essential, but make sewing sashiko feel very authentic!
Kakehari (pictured below) This is a sewing clamp sold as a ‘third hand’ or ‘sewing bird’. It is useful for keeping your work under tension when sewing straight lines.
Thimble Thimbles are optional: some stitchers like them, others do without. The traditional Japanese ‘ring’ thimble (pictured below) is worn on the second joint of the middle finger of the sewing hand with the eye end of a short needle resting against it. A ‘coin’ thimble, (pictured below) with a dimpled disk to push the needle, is used with longer needles.
Sewing machine Although old sashiko items were made completely by hand, a sewing machine with zigzag and straight stitches is useful for making up projects. Fabrics suitable for sashiko tend to fray, so zigzag the edges before you begin hand stitching. If you want to finish cushions with zips, you will need a zipper foot for the machine.
If a thread is suitable for sashiko it will have the kanji characters for sashiko printed on the product label, even if labels are not in English.
Thread
Ordinary fabric and needles were originally used for sashiko but the thread was specially spun. Modern sashiko thread has a looser twist than many embroidery threads and is made from long, staple cotton so it is very hardwearing and strong – don’t try breaking it with your fingers! Various brands are sold worldwide, in large skeins and several weights – fine, medium and thick – with colours and variegated effects as well as white, cream and indigo. The exact thickness and shade varies between manufacturers, so use the same brand throughout a project. If you cannot obtain real sashiko thread, cotton à broder makes a reasonable, if expensive, substitute. Cotton perlé does not look or behave like sashiko thread, although it can add interesting colour accents. Thread made for sashiko will give you the best results as a beginner and you can experiment to find other suitable threads later on, once you know what sashiko thread looks and feels like. See page 23 for using sashiko thread.
Some hand-dyed embroidery threads are suitable for sashiko.
Needles
Sashiko needles are very sharp and, compared with Western sewing needles, quite thick and rigid in relation to their length. Very long needles will help keep your stitching lines straight and speed up sewing, once you are used to them. If you hand quilt with ‘Betweens’ (special short quilting needles), you may find the smaller sashiko needles easier to manage at first, although the smallest are only suitable for fine sashiko thread. If sashiko needles are unavailable, try using embroidery crewels or larger darning needles instead.
Match your thread and fabric weight to a suitable sashiko needle (shown right). As a rule, thinner threads and smaller needles will work with slightly heavier fabrics but it will be difficult to stitch a thick sashiko thread with a large needle through finer fabrics. If sashiko feels like hard work, change to a finer thread and needle or to a fabric with a lower thread count.
Fine sashiko thread and tsumugi cotton fabric;
Medium sashiko thread and reproduction sashiko cotton;
Thick sashiko thread and prairie cloth (all shown slightly smaller than life size).
Fabrics
Most
