We were honored to be a part of TextileX, (formerly known as Portland Textile Month), which is held each October. It is a month of events and exhibits on the art of textiles. On October 30th we did a virtual webinar on The Art of Sashiko Mending. (Video on the workshop is at the end of the page on the link). We had been exploring Sashiko which is a mending art that was created in Japan. It centers around 36 traditional patterns made with a running stitches done in a series of rows that are parallel or at angles to each other to create all over geometric patterns that are meant to become part of the fabric. Sashiko could also be used with fabric patches to mend a hole or tear. It was a way of up-cycling items we treasured and also another way to use some of the beautiful vintage kimono fabrics that we had sourced.
When we embarked on a journey to learn more about Sashiko, we created different projects using techniques that we had learned. It turned out not only to be a great way to repair items, but one to create new works of art. We were so inspired that we created Sashiko Mending Kits with three different sets of swatches for projects...Indigo Cotton, Red-Black colors in silk, and Orange-Green patterns in silk. It provides all the tools and fabric, (plus a basic instruction book), to get you started. We also found that using the fabric patterns as a “stencil” for the Sashiko stitching was an easy way to create a stitched pattern. Example - for the ornaments below the flowers on the very left are stitched using the blue patterned fabric...third from the left...as a stencil on the underside of the natural muslin.
The video shows these projects and more. We hope you will join us in learning more about Sashiko and creating your own works of art!
Here is a jean patch using the Indigo kit -
And a Kamon, (Samurai Family Crest), on the back of a jean jacket using the Orange-Green Silk Kit.
