For this sashiko sampler I tried a couple of things. First of all I used two different thread colors, still sewing onto the soft, washed denim. I laid out a 7×7 grid and then just followed the grid lines using the white thread. Then I looked at the stitching and thought a second color would be fun to add, to see what it would like more than anything else, as well as to try to design a design of my own. I don’t really like the results of my own design and it makes me think about what kind of designs work well in sashiko.
When working threads, they need to be secured at beginning and end. I tried knots – meh. Loosely woven fabric lets the knots through a bit easily. Weaving threads in and out is messy but might work okay. I have even thought of using a bit of fray-check but have not tried it out yet. Back stitching over threads at the beginning and the end seems to produce the best results, but getting the needle into the right places to replicate the preceding stitches takes a bit of work – practice will most likely help. The softness of my denim is also a challenge in doing this.
So, a couple of thoughts. I read that many people do sashiko stitching on the reverse side of the fabric. This is something to try, to see how well it looks. As well, I want to starch my next bit of denim to see if that helps. For my next project, I will try both and report the results!
More of the northern coast along the Pacific Ocean. Here, Cannon Beach in Oregon, possibly one of the most dramatic beaches I have ever seen. Sea stacks, tide pools, sand, mist and fog. When the fog lifts and the sky brightens, there is a glare that cannot be explained. It’s not a summer day brightness as we have in SoCal, but a brightness that is cold but not like on a snowy day. There is a lot of moisture in the air, from sea and fog, and perhaps that is what magnifies the light to such a degree.
If you look closely, you will see some of my ink bled into the paint. I used my iron gall in, not my waterproof micron pens, and a stub nib to draw. From there, I wet the sky, dropped in colors, and then let things dry to dampness. I wanted to create soft edges for the mist in the distance which blurs and softens edges. The rocks themselves were painted wet-in-wet initially, and then other colors applied to either dry or damp paper. The sand and the rivulets were painted in the same manner. In the end, I drew again with my iron gall ink to add texture or detail.
Keeping this sketchbook is so much fun! I have room to paint as the sheets are big, the paper is strong so I can use both sides, and I can paint with a lot of water should I wish. It is proving to be one of the best decisions I have made of late!
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!
Several years ago Josh and I spent a few weeks traveling around the Olympic Peninsula in the state of Washington. It was such an amazing place! In particular I loved the Hoh Rain Forest and the beaches – vast, wide, wild.
The thing that amazes me about the northern Pacific beaches, ones in Oregon and Washington – as well as into Canada – are the sea stacks. They are tall rocks, worn away by wind and wave, but they are not barren. Pine trees grow on them – some have more, some have less. I think it would be a wonderful thing to live on one, in a warm cave (with running water and few other things!), to be at one with the sounds of the world . . .
More pen and color. This time I tried to have a more delicate touch with color. I inked in most of the drawing with a fine Micron pen, added color – mostly cool – and then drew more lines and dots with a thicker pen to outline and add textures. The sky was done after wetting the paper and dropping in color.
Awhile ago I decided to try my hand at sashiko, a traditional Japanese embroidery used for both practical and artistic reasons. Originally it was used to quilt layers of cloth together, old clothes to make new ones. Patches were pieced onto already patched clothing. Today it is hard to imagine that clothing had to last generations, but this art form was for practical reasons. The artistry of it – the creation of patterns – shows the fact that, despite hardship and poverty, the need to express and create, to add beauty to the world, exists at many levels.
Today, we don’t patch clothes like that, to make them last for ages. We don’t need to for the most part. Instead, we call it “visible mending” and use it to enhance our clothes or show off our skills. It is a tradition that is now becoming a fabric art, much as quilting. However, these stitches are made by hand (although Babylock does have a machine which mimics hand sewn sashiko) and add character to jeans or old denim, or are used as a way to enhance something, such a purse or towel or whatever.
I bought sashiko thread, needles, a palm thimble specific for sashiko, and from there watched a few videos. I have some denim that I am cutting up to practice on. My stitches are uneven and I am trying to find a rhythm first in creating a running stitch. It is far harder than you think. So, first, the rhythm and comfort with the stitches.
Above is my first attempt. I just drew straight lines by hand, but later got out my pica stick and used it. Loops are left so that the fabric does not pucker as the rows are stitched, and as each row is done, I attempted to straighten and flatten out the fabric – a running stitch is great for gathering!
Above is my second attempt. More running stitches, but I tried different ways to begin and end rows. The loops prove to be important is not getting puckers – I got rid of a few with a hot iron, but you can see at the bottom a pucker across the left side.
Securing stitches is important. I tried different ways – many involve stitching over other stitches. I am still exploring that element – I want to figure things out on my own!
Above is the reverse of each of these samplers. The one on the left is the first; the one on the right is the second. The second one is neater as i carefully used a Chaco chalk pen to mark lines as I moved along.
Currently I intend to stick to straight lines and figure out how to connect them in different ways to make patterns. Tradition holds many patterns to be explored – many straight, geometric, circular, a combination of both, and many can become pictorial if you desire. Not all are done in a running stitch is my guess as I have seen some designs with completely solid lines of thread – backstitch or a running stitch then redone in between and in the reverse direction with another running stitch?
Ink, Yarn & Beer 