Sashiko embroidery class yesterday was great, not because I learned a stitch––sashiko is as simple as I'd expected, not much to learn––but because, as I'd hoped, I talked to the other students, getting recommendations about things like podcasts to listen to while stitching, and how to dye with black walnuts.
So, my question to you is,
During class, I started to do the sashiko, a decorative mending stitch (the name means little stabs), on my pants' leg hem, which was coming undone:
It's hard to make the stitches even and evenly spaced, but when I look at vintage sashiko, which was just how everyday people in Japan mended their clothes, it's not going for that anyway.
In fact, the uneven handwork appeals to me more than evenly stitched pieces.
It shows the human hands, like an upright bass echoes in a way that makes you sense the wood.
via kimonoboy
So, my question to you is,
Can you recommend any podcasts?
During class, I started to do the sashiko, a decorative mending stitch (the name means little stabs), on my pants' leg hem, which was coming undone:
It's hard to make the stitches even and evenly spaced, but when I look at vintage sashiko, which was just how everyday people in Japan mended their clothes, it's not going for that anyway.
In fact, the uneven handwork appeals to me more than evenly stitched pieces.
It shows the human hands, like an upright bass echoes in a way that makes you sense the wood.
via kimonoboy
Imagine italics for the titles: The Allusionist, Criminal, 99% Invisible, Rough Translation, To the Best of Our Knowledge, A Way with Words.
ReplyDeleteHow odd: I've been perusing my files on boro, from the Japenese expression, 'boro boro, meaning tattered rags, over the weekend to refresh my interest in the clothing of the peasants from several hundred years ago, in which sashiko stitches held together the ragged remains of hemp cloth. The peasants couldn't afford the cotton (let alone silks or other finer fabrics) so made do with scraps of fabrics given to them from the upper-classes.
ReplyDeleteI have some seriously worn jeans I want to patch, using sashiko, in order to make a farmer's field jacket for winter. I can't afford a new coat, but remembering such a jacket I had made 30-35 years ago (still have most of it and will incorporate it in the jeans piece), I pulled up my old files.
How interesting to find that you are doing the same. I would like to find a sashiko thimble...or, I could make one, I guess, from a tattered pair of goatskin garden gloves I just haven't been able to throw away. I'll trade you a thimble for a sashiko needle, if you like.
MICHAEL: Thanks, I thought you would have some--I am adding them to my list. (The stitchers named some but not all of these.)
ReplyDeleteCROW: Cool, we are on the same track---like with rice pudding!
I would LOVE it if you'd post photos of your jacket in progress---or email me?
The teacher of the sashiko class said that sewing layers of cloth together creates air pockets, which work as insulation, making clothes warmer.
I actually don't like the teacher-provided leather sashiko thimble that fits in your palm, to push the needle against ---I'll send it to you.
I push the end of the needle against the table or the arm of a chair instead of my palm. When I did that in class, a memory arose of doing that when I was a kid, sewing stuffed animals!
(I only have the one needle though.)
CROW: The thimble is in the mail. (It came free with the class, so I'm happy to pass it along to a sister peasant! :)
ReplyDeleteFresca:
ReplyDeleteI'm on the prowl for the metal sashiko thimble and will get one for you, too.
Couldn't find sashiko needles, but found a couple of substitutes, plus some DMC yarn, size 5 perle cotton to try. If I survive my attempts with the needles and yarn, then I'll look for the real stuff later. Had a good time searching for things today, daydreaming about how to make the coat.
I appreciate your gentle reminder about the rice pudding. I will try to finish that before Halloween and send it on.
Hey, Crow---
ReplyDeleteAh, shoot, you wanted a metal sashiko thimble...
Well, maybe the leather sashiko thimble I mailed will prove useful---it's just the same as the metal ones, you know? but a little bendier, of course:
I liked how it curved in my palm (at the base of the finger).
But I don't like the sashiko thimbles, so please don't bother getting me one. (Thanks, though!)
I like the sashiko thread---it sounds like you know your stuff, (this is all new to me), so you already know it's not mercerized like our cotton, it's more like string! I like its matte look.
I hear there's a place across town that sells sashiko supplies--I may go on a field trip--will get you a needle if I do. (Of course it's all online too, but I like going to a place.)
I have an American friend who lives in Japan--she comes here twice a year--alas, she just came--but I will ask her to look for some thread to bring next time she comes, if that would be a fun outing for her. (Not sure it'd be cheaper there---I'll check it out.)
I am thinking about baking some rice pudding with your recipe--'tis the season!
--Fresca