How To Make The Sashiko Stitch

What is the Sashiko point? Here is a little practical guide to discover this Japanese embroidery stitch and learn how to use it to embellish your creations.

History

Sashiko is a very versatile decorative stitch as you will soon discover. It was born in Japan and between 1615 and 1868 it became one of the best known and most popular manual arts. It spread at first among the families of rural communities as a technique to give prestige to old clothes, bags and accessories worn out by time, later it became a refined needle decoration technique.

From the site bandanna-almanac here is an example of the stitch used to mend jeans:

Even the value of this type of embroidery has changed over time: the Sashiko, from a practical system of mending and repairing clothes, has become a real decorative embroidery also used to embellish the tunics of Buddhist monks, chasing signs and symbols of spirituality religious.
Very few original diagrams and drawings have survived to this day. THE Sashiko pattern which today are used as decoration for clothing or to embellish women’s or women’s accessories. home decor they are of modern construction, often developed by designers specialized in embroidery, open to exploring new aesthetic possibilities.

How it is done

The Sashiko point is a stitch to be done by hand. Some more advanced electronic sewing machines may have a decorative stitch that is close to that done by hand, but the effect of this type of embroidery has a particularity given precisely by those imperfections typical of work performed manually.

Another execution example taken from site Feeling stitchy:

In its execution there are precise rules to be respected. First of all the distance between two points must be half the length of the point itself. Sashiko is very similar to our basting stitch or running stitch, but with some exact rules of execution especially regarding the realization of some passages such as corners for example.
The point can be run on any type of fabric, using an embroidery needle of a size that is proportionate to the thickness of the fabric being worked on. Fabrics with a regular or loose weave such as cotton or linen are preferable to allow better embroidery performance.
Work preferably on plain-coloured fabrics or with minimalist patterns and geometric so as to be able to use Sashiko as a means to create new shapes and new aesthetic effects. The thread used is that for embroidery, predominantly monochromatic to emphasize the beauty of the design in the contrast of colors, but also the choice of a thicker thread can help to enhance the visual effect of the embroidery performed to embellish a dress, a curtain, a bag, a pillow or a clutch bag.

The shapes and geometries of Sashiko embroidery

Born as a form of mending for clothing and also considering the nature of the stitch itself, Sashiko is a decorative stitch used for give shape to symbols and geometric figures square or round.
The long lines of the dot chase, intertwine or overlap to create grids of diamonds, squares or rectangles, which in turn intersect or merge into new geometries, in an onslaught of parallel or curved lines. The regularity and schematization of the figures distinguishes Sashiko from other types of embroidery stitches.
The beauty of the decorations that can be created with this stitch is that you can choose to buy a pattern and to execute it, faithfully tracing it onto the fabric, or design your own, giving vent to the imagination and new visions. You can start from simple geometric figures and then develop more detailed and complex designs, without any limit to your imagination.

This Sashiko Pattern for example was created by me to embellish a blue canvas bag. If you like it you can print it and reproduce it for your creations.

Applications of the Sashiko stitch

The Sashiko point is extremely versatile. It can be used to embellish any type of clothing or accessory. You can opt for a sober decoration or create a network of complex and regular shapes, as can be seen from the following examples.
In some cases, the geometric print of a fabric can form the starting point for creating new geometric shapes and new color contrasts.