Sashiko-stitched traditional clothing fell by the wayside when more modern forms of dress were adopted. However, it has since seen a revival to become a very popular pastime – and used in both cottage industry and high fashion, such as Louis Vuitton, Hiroyuki Horilata and Makiko Sekiguchi.

 

Fabric

Originally, hemp was spun and woven, and then dyed with indigo. As cotton became more readily available, it became more popular. Traditional fabric was hand-woven. Nowadays, it is best to use a loosely woven evenweave fabric – linen or cotton.

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Thread

Sashiko thread can be bought from various retail outlets. It is similar to perle thread – but it has a light twist, and is more matte. Traditionally a cream colour was used, although you can buy thread in any numbers of colours, now.

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Needle

There is a sashiko needle which is longer than usual, and sharp. Sashiko is stitched several stitches at a time, hence the length. The method of stitching is to push the needle through several stitches (called ‘Unshin’), keeping the fabric on the needle, and then gently pulling the thread through the fabric, smoothing it as you go. The process of smoothing the fabric with the thumb is called ‘Itokoki’.
There are various You Tube videos demonstrating this – and it is quite a sight to see the speed at which a master sashiko embroiderer can stitch!

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Patterns

Sashiko patterns often come from nature. Flowers, waves, and repeating patterns are often created out of curves, circles, lines, squares and triangles.
Some designs had symbolised meaning. For example, the beehive (kikko) represented good fortune.

At times designs were added to the neck/hem/sleeves of clothing to prevent evil spirits from entering the human body, giving protection.

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It is important to keep the running stitch even and regular – the idea is that each stitch looks like a grain of rice.

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Tips/Tricks or ‘Rules’

There are a number of ‘rules’ to help with your sashiko stitching:

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• Transfer the pattern/grid on your fabric – it will make it easier to stitch (various methods available)

• Make stiches regular and even (like a grain of rice)
  The basic rule of thumb is that stitches on top of the fabric are longer than those at the back

• Stitch several stitches at once, smoothing out the fabric as you go, to prevent puckering.

• Sew in a direction that avoids having too much ‘travel’ of thread on the back of the piece – to avoid puckering, leave a slight loop/some thread slack on the back when starting a new row.

• Sashiko stitches should never touch – be careful at corners and intersection.

• To start/finish you can either tie a knot and capture it inbetween the top/bottom layers, or go back on yourself to secure the thread.

• Work a long vertical or horizontal line to begin with.

 

For further reading, I can highly recommend Susan Briscoe’s ‘Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook’. She is considered a leading expert on the art of sashiko, in the West.
Sashiko, Kogin, Boro | Susan Briscoe Designs | United Kingdom