I think people fail to realize that mending wasn't, originally, an art. It was utilitarian repair of items that were used in the living of one's life. One simply didn't spend weeks or months decorating repairs. When someone says "this is how you treat two lines that are crossing" or "this is the wrong way to sew the point where two lines cross", they're not talking about sashiko. Sashiko - LIKE an art - was unique to the individual as they created their own methods and techniques and discovered what worked and what didn't - what would last and what would not. It's beautiful because there's so much life and something of a family's stories in it. It has nothing to do with perfection. Perfection may be a part of an individual's preference but that has nothing to do with sashiko. Nor with art. Both are unique to the individual. Some individuals want to only express perfection - and that is fine. But it isn't sashiko.
Thank you for your comment. You indeed got my point. I am glad that I am somewhat communicating in this society where people just listen to only what they want to listen. To be honest, I am tired of fighting back to those who want to be someone by expressing themselves. I would like to keep sharing the wisdom because there are people like you, who can deeply consider who we are (were). With your permission, could I please refer this comment (copy and paste somewhere on my SNS) to share my happiness? Anything can be called "Sashiko" - yet, I do not want to twist the stories.
"If someone is freezing, you might want to stitch faster". ha ha, so true! Sometimes we forget that certain skills or techniques developed for practical reasons, and while there is beauty in our modern world of slowing down and focusing on a project, we always have to keep in mind the history of the craft itself. I had never heard of sashiko until today when a friend mentioned she was trying it out. Looks beautiful, will be trying to learn this as I continue my sewing journey. Thank you for the brief history lesson.
hi loved how you explained about sashiko... Also in India the village women in the north-western and western states do same type of running stitch called 'kantha' stitch. its beautifully done on throws, quilts, garments to reinforce and beautify the garment. Amazing how same type of traditional works from different continents have different names and looks!!
Yes, I am a big fan of Kantha. It is very similar in its way, and so interesting to see the similar hand-stitching occured almost simultaneously. Sashiko has its significance from Japanese culture, and so does Kantha from Indian Culture. Much respect.
America has a similar tradition called candlewicking. People traveling west, far away from cities, didn't have embroidery threads, but they did have long spools of wick for making dipped candles. It was a very strong fiber, so it was also used for strengthening and stabilizing fabric (especially blankets, quilts, pillows, and practical items where fabric was attached to cotton batting) through embroidery - though the embroidery itself often mimicked the more 'fashionable' styles, out East.
"If someone is freezing you have to stitch faster" haha! Yes of course! - additionally I would imagine speed is important if you have to tend to children and all of the other domestic needs. 💕 I am enjoying your videos so much! Thank you for sharing the cultural history of this sewing technique. Your work is beautiful!
You’re a lovely person to listen to! Please don’t apologise for not being able to pronounce words - I’m in awe of your mastery of the English language and I LOVE your thinking about sashiko being about the reason for the stitches rather than the perfection of them. Thanks for your videos!
Thank you so much for this video, Atsushi. Sashiko blends perfectly into the modern culture of recycling, which I love. But I am nearly eighty years old, and grew up in Europe, when the art of mending was both necessary and valued, and, as in Japan, the life of clothes and textiles had to be extended as long as possible. I greatly appreciate the Japanese tradition of respecting and emphasizing the esthetic of mending. Warm wishes from Israel.
Listening to you brings back so many fond memories of living in Okinawa for five years. I LOVE that you are sharing the history of Sashiko, that alone gives us a purpose in practicing the stitches. You did a GREAT job on video! So impressive to do this in English, I can’t imagine doing a video in Japanese. Thank you!!!!
I first saw this stitches on my husband bedding 30+ yrs ago. His mother is Japanese and I always admire how tattered and beautiful it looks at the same time. I appreciate you sharing this beautiful art with us. Thank you very much!
Thank you for this video, it makes a lot of sense. I think it's very common for craftspeople and needleworkers today to focus on rules and perfection, because today it is usually done purely for beauty or amusement: but for most of human history it was an everyday, practical piece of work that needed to be done. I think there is a parallel in the history of European patchwork, and how it has evolved into modern American quilting. For hundreds of years quilts and garments were made and repaired with small pieces of "scrap" fabric, because people needed to keep warm and fabric was expensive. It wasn't carefully planned out as a work of art, people used what they could get hold of; and the finished piece wasn't displayed on a wall, it was used every day to keep families warm and clothed. Nowadays people do not NEED patchwork quilts to stay warm, so they can take time to work out geometrically perfect and colour-balanced designs, and produce things like American quilters do. It is still "patchwork" in a way, it is still taking inspiration from tradition, but it is almost a different art form. It is a slow, precise, planned work instead of a practical resource-saving technique. Both are beautiful, but perhaps in different ways. Modern American quilters would probably find old European quilts to be ugly, imprecise and badly planned, but they were made with different aims. I find they have more spirit, memories and humanity in them than a mathematically perfect design.
Thank you for this, I have enjoyed learning about the origins of Sashiko and I will visit your website. This reminds me of my childhood when my grandmother would unravel old jumpers that had become too worn and then after washing and drying the yarn would reuse the wool to knit another jumper. The short ends would be saved and when enough was collected, she made them into small hooked rugs for us children to sit on the floor. It seems that there are some traditions that are universal!
Thank you for the comment!. There isn't much "Sashiko History" documents left, but I will keep sharing what I was taught throughout my life. Let me know if you have any requests!
thank you so much for this video and for foregrounding that sashiko is a utilitarian practice of appreciation and care. there is so much beauty and power in that. i am so grateful to have found your channel.
I don't think I can express excately what I have taken from this video but thankyou for humbling sashiko by telling us it's roots it's beginign how it protected and sustained people. And so with time it evolves along with the people who used it to flourish.
Thank you for your presentation. I have had the privilege to live in Japan for three years. I appreciate the Sashiko stitching - it is a beautiful practice created through need to strengthen fabric. The world will learn the importance and historical significance of Sashiko from your teaching. You are our sensei. Thank you! 😊
Hi, thank you for this quick and easy to understand history. I came upon sashiko quite by accident when I purchased some long needles with my new Japanese scissors. I was curious and looked it up and found you! I scrolled through many videos and chose yours as my first introduction! I have a terribly torn and tattered, simple quilt that I am trying to repair for my daughter and the tears are so shredded i wasn't sure how to beautify it, but this will do perfectly!
Thank you so much, Atsushi, for your very informative video. It is very interesting to learn from you that sashiko was originally used to enable the Japanese people’s clothes to last longer. This is something we need to more of today, instead of throwing away our clothes. I look forward to watching more of your videos.
I have just discovered this art and am fascinated by it. I am just learning the patterns and how to do this. Truly love this. I am going to decorate a jean jacket for my first project. I love it for mending too.
I thoroughly enjoyed & am grateful for your video & the intention behind it. Your English is impressive! I actually preferred that you were not super polished with music & video transitions & popup windows. It felt honest & meaningful, as opposed to slick & commercial & exhausting. I’ve just learned about sashiko & love it as much as I do some other Japanese arts & culture, from tea to poetry. A vintage clothing seller in Ojai, CA (US American man & Japanese woman) sold me a flannel shirt with decorative shashiko stitching, not in beautiful patterns but in odd spots with blue or white thread, very irregular & homemade. I think what I love so much about it is that it carries a lot of time, love, attention & intention. I can feel its energy. And I wear it everyday! Looking forward to more material from you. If you ever wish to run a video by me for English language tweaks, I’m happy to do that. I was an ESL teacher for a time, but I don’t think you need to change anything to be understood. Thanks again!
I think you're a natural at making videos. And what you said at the beginning about using 'sashiko' as a search term to see what comes up? - that's exactly how I found you, both your website and this channel. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, your culture, your skills and practices. And thank you for sharing your opinions. It seems to me that you've come to them by adding your wisdom to all your other mentioned traits and that makes for very good opinions. I think I won't need to do much more searches with 'sashiko' as the keyword. I have found what I was looking for.
What a delightful introduction to sashiko. Thank you. You are also charming to watch and listen to and I look forward to seeing you again. A real pleasure to watch. ❤❤❤
thank you, i too am stitching while listening. i have been doing running stitch since i was a small child, and it has always been in a lot of my work as an aesthetic choice. .. who knew there was just a beautiful history behind it. thank you soo much.
This was a great video! Very clear and informative. Your English is fantastic. Please keep making these videos, I love learning the history and methods as you describe them.
Thanks for your tutorial. Do not apologise for your English. You speak very clearly and we'll. I love how you switched your camera to show the slow stitch example. It was so close and gave a good impression of what it should look like. Thank you 🙏🏻
Thank you for telling the origin history. Glad to have discovered the channel. In my culture lots of machine embroidery. I can see that the hand sashiko skills if introduced could challenge machine embroidery. Sashiko is beautiful .🙏
Today is the first day I discover about sashiko. And I think you did a great job explaining! I love your opinion where sashiko doesn't have an exact rule in it. It made it more universal. Whether its to mend or to decorate, it is all part of sashiko, and it made me feel so warm. I can finally bought those pretty clothes on thrift stores that has some holes in it and mend it with sashiko. Thank you for sharing!
I am so happy to have found your video! It is often forgotten that most forms of craft work were developed to produce or repair, not as an art form. So many books are written paying down rules instead of explaining purpose and usefulness. I want to learn a little about traditional Japanese sewing crafts because my half Japanese grandchild's mother does not sew, but I think he should be exposed to the crafts of both cultures of his ancestors.
Thank you so much for this introduction to and history of Sashiko. A friend of mine from Japan showed some photos of her own Sashiko mending work, and it has inspired me to want to try to mend some things that way, but I haven't tried it yet. It was very helpful to hear your perspectives and opinions about this. By the way, to me your English seems very good, and I had no trouble at all understanding you.
So enjoyed you visit to my craft room. I really like learning the history of stitches from all over the world. Thanks for sharing …I hope to follow you as you show how to stitch.
I applaud your bravery to work in video in your second language. I look forward to watching and reading more of your authentic Japanese wisdom on sashiko. I am definitely going to try it. It actually looks very meditative. Although its origins were very practical.
Hi from Ireland. This is my first time watching Sashiko stitching in RU-vid. I love sewing by hand & machine, and I keep pins of sewing techniques at Pinterest.
what a lovely, encouraging, and informative video! Thank You! And, can I just say, how marvelous to be able to sit in Germany and watch a video made in Japan and understand everything that is said, simply because we have a lingua franka that we speak and understand well enough.
Please continue to tell stories your English is perfect and your energy is infectious thank you for sharing your talent and culture with the world … 💙from Newfoundland Canada 🇨🇦🙏🏼
Thank you for these videos! I'm currently writing a Bachelor Degree thesis about zero waste, and one of the chapter is about Sashiko. I didn't know where to start from and you're really helping, understanding both the culture and the techniques. Thank you again!!!
Hope you did well on your thesis. But you dont have to look far for examples of zero waste, quilts were made for the same reason. The use of old clothes and scraps of fabric, patched together to make a blanket. Its just recently that boro and quilting became trendy, made with new fabric and turned into an art form.
Thank you so much! I appreciate all the work and care you put into sharing this in English! Visible mending has been a passion of mine for some time. And it's interesting that independent of knowing this technique, I adopted that same faster method to my running stitch. I called batch stitching in my head. I made all kinds of patterns using it, including a couple forms of Celtic knotwork that look very similar to some of the Sashiko patterns I've seen. Those patterns are called 'step' & 'key'. My personal method was to, make a single line using 2 layers running "batch" stitches. The first defined the design and second would fill in the spaces between the first's stitches, so it looked like I had done back stitches which take a lot longer. My mom would laugh at my "cheating". She used back stitches most often because of how secure that is. I hate back stitches because it's very difficult, if not impossible, to back up to fix a mistake. It's a very time consuming stitch to sew and doubly so to fix mistakes. Running stitches are fast and mistakes are much easier to fix. I found the second layer also helped mask imperfections while adding a bit of extra strength. Not as much as backstitching, but certainly sufficient enough that I never traded it for my mom's insistence of backstitching everything. I cannot wait to learn more about Sashiko! (Random other thing that popped in my head while watching this video was Kintsugi. Another Japanese technique of visible repairs, but for pottery using gold.)
Thank you for sharing. I love your attitude and ethos on stitching. My attitude to MY sewing is, "The end justifies the means". I look forward to learning Sashiko.
Please do not think your video was not great it absolutely is and this level of English is very high and understandable. Thank you for uploading I will watch more of your content and maybe check out your website unless it is all in Japanese my reading of Katakana is at best basic.
thank you, you were, are clear, to understand,I did understand every word, I had no idea what Sashiko stitching was, I watch a lady do it, talk about it, my mind went, thats amazing , and maybe i could do that, as it was a long running stitch, so looked for word, so here i am , i want know more, this work is beautfull, the lines that go in pattems , wow thank you, and i look forward in seeing more of your work as well , as any talks you givev, thank , From New Zealand , Southland , see , from a wee , wee place , way over the sea , you came to me , a wee , wee place , in this day can age , we are no different , but two souls, loveing the same thing, maybe , because of this wee stitching, we can find a away to bring the world together, than , pulling us all apart, God Bless
Love everything you said! The story of Sashiko is cool…don’t worry I am French…your English is good! I am very anxious to start my journey with Sashiko. Thank you very much 👍
I love to watch you and listen to you. I think you do a wonderful job of illustrating your art. I do sashiko but not fast like you or fancy stitches as you can see if you check my stitching. Why I even bought the sashiko thimble but instead , don't l laugh now, I put bandages at the end of my fingers to help push. But anyhow love all your videos and listen I can only speak one language and not even the best on that. Hahaha and you do two language's.. Keep those videos coming as I love to watch your instructions. THANKS, DEBBIE
I find your information and instruction fascinating as far as the culture and community for the sake of survival, I completely connect with that, appreciate your efforts to impart this knowledge to the world, it makes it for me a much more fascinating hobby to undertake and to learn another country’s history, thank you .
Just found your RU-vid channel. I am very happy with the information in this first video and excited to see your other ones. You have a very engaging personality.
This is a great video, you were every easy to understand! You did a wonderful job! Thank you for making the video in English, and for explaining sashiko, so well! I also love that you demonstrated how to do the stitching! You have a great week!😀
This video is very insightful. A tradition borne out of necessity. Now I understand why I have this much interest for this kind of stitching. I realised that i had been doing sashiko ever since i learned how to mend broken fabrics like hole in shirts, play clothes, ripped pillow cases etc..
Thanks for sharing sashiko's history. I'm from southamerica, and as a fashion design student I'm really into embroidery, but what I think I like most it's to make something meaningfull, that's why I really liked Sashiko, I hope to keep learning more about this, thank you so much for making this.
I read a recent post of yours on Instagram and was so heart-warmed by your writing I had to come visit you here. Keep sharing your culture. You show thst world the strength of taking care above saving time. We all need such a beautiful reminder.
I just found out about sashiko recently and looking up videos about it had surprisingly little info about the history/ origin of the technique so glad I found your video thank you
Great video and story! Thanks for sharing. I think we sometimes get too focused on what is "correct" and it stifles creativity. This video is encouraging because it frees us to think about what our purpose for doing the process is.
Great video! I am doing more and more mending at this time and while my sewing machine is great for some things, I find hand stitching repairs to be very satisfying. I spent days repairing holes in an old sweatshirt for my (step)son that is irreplaceable. He loves how it came out and will get more years of wear out of it now. Now I have several pairs of pants he has requested I mend and I believe method you are teaching will be what I use. Thank you very much!
I have been slow stitching for about a month now. Unfortunately for my eyesight is not what it used to be. My stitches are all over the the place in slow stitching art. But I am willing to see if i can improve on my stitch size and spacing of each stitch. I thank you for sharing your Japanese culture of this sewing technique and learning about the respect of such a beautiful culture. GOD bless you and your artistic ability.
Thank you for the comment. By learning the form of the Sashiko we practice, eyesight isn't so important to enjoy Sashiko Stitching. The eye sight won't affect the stitches results (evenness or accuracy). For that, it would be great if you could consider learning from us by taking In-Person or Online Class via upcyclestitches.com/. Thank you.
Started exploring Sashiko today and have found your video(s) to be the most informative so far. I love the history of Sashiko, Boro, and other forms of mending or reweaving fabrics that were a necessity and became decorative as time went by. Thank you for your efforts in teaching us. Just watching the first video showed me how hands and fingers work as a team, even better than can be explained in words. Watching your expertise taught me more in 10 minutes than 10 hours of struggling alone. You were my grandmother's knee so to speak. Had a good chuckle when you said ....slow stitching does not keep you clothed or warm in the winter, you needed those clothes yesterday. Have to say too that your mastery of the English language is excellent. I worked in an industry where I was occasionally dealing with non English speaking (and deaf) customers where pointing and pictures could be our only means of communication.
I found your your RU-vid channel today. I truly loved your statement of “no right or wrong”. In the quilting community, you hear nothing but negativity about someone’s hand stitching or just stitches in general. Negating the persons work because it’s not perfect. Some of my treasured hand crafted items are not perfect. I liken that to my Mama’s mending of our clothes as children. Mostly utilitarian but often made to look embellished. I love Sashiko for both of those reasons. As well as making a whole cloth Sashiko Kimono for poolside coverup. I am so looking forward to watching more on your RU-vid channel. MaryPaula
I loved this video, very informative, sashiko is something I admire but have yet to try it, though learning of its history like quilt making, hand knitting, crochet etc etc, makes it more interesting, wish me luck :)
Wonderful background--thank you so much for sharing. I am now discovering sashiko and enjoy relaxing and sewing as I am now a retired teacher. Beautiful story--strong people doing the best they can do with what they have. Bravo!
Very well explained! In my culture we also have similar embroidery like Shashiko, we call it kantha and in another region there is chikan, both are based on the running stitch technique, and both were born out of necessity, class, rural areas etc. Thank you for your informative video.
Yes, I am learning Kantha (little by little). Many similarities. It is so interesting that we (human) had a very similar hand-stitching culture almost simultaneously in completely different location. It is not about Sashiko or Kantha, it is Kantha and Sashiko and many more. I believe there are millions of similar culture in everywhere in the world.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am interested in improving my mending skills and I am came across sashikio as a practice that is both practical and beautiful. I appreciate from learning from a native Japanese person who works in sashiko. You did a wonderful job with this video.
Thank You very much for your explanation. Is very interesting to know from another countries by their crafts. I have enjoyed very much the history of sashiko. Greetings from Mexico City
This was so interesting and I will be watching more of your videos. I have admired Sashiko and Boro for a long time and am looking forward to learning more about these beautiful techniques and their history. Thank you
