The other day I practiced straight stitch – running stitch – sashiko. Holding a long needle and a palm thimble is a bit of a challenge. Yesterday I decided to try to draft a round pattern to practice stitching in curved lines. I used my pre-washed denim, a circular lotion tin, and a yellow chalk marking pencil I use in sewing. The big problem is that the fabric is very soft from washing – the sizing is gone – and I wonder if I should use unwashed denim or perhaps add a starch to make the fabric stiffer and easier to draw upon for design. When I was drawing the circles, the fabric slid around and some of the circles got squished up. You can see my sampler below!
Sashiko actually stitches up a lot more quickly than I thought it would. My stitches vary a lot, and that is something to work on, and I think how I hold the needle and thread in my right hand and manipulate the fabric with the left will help even things up. You learn as you go, for sure!
Below is the backside of my sampler.
One thing I do enjoy while working on sashiko is listening to audiobooks. It is a great way to sit outdoors, have some coffee, stitch and listen. Even better on a beautiful summer day!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 