January Sashiko Mending Workshop

Join Repair PDX and learn to repair fabric using the traditional Japanese skill of Sashiko embroidered mending! Sashiko is a geometric embroidery technique which stabilizes and reinforces mends in fabric while adding beautiful embellishment.

A Little Sashiko History – During the Edo Period (1603 – 1867) in Japan, the ruling class, the Shoguns implemented a strict social hierarchy. Cloth was hard to come by and certain fabrics, colors and embroideries used in kimonos were not allowed for the working classes. They were forced to mend their clothes with indigo-dyed ‘boro’ or fabric scraps using ‘stitches no bigger than a grain of rice’ to secure the patches, extend the life of a garment and to add warmth and durability.

The word Sashiko translates into ‘little stab’. From a simple running stitch, the working classes created beautiful intricate patterns in traditional Japanese designs that had meaning and symbolism.

In this small hands-on workshop, our lovely instructor Angela will walk you through creating and adding a sashiko patch to an item of clothing or fabric with a tear or hole. She will talk about the history of Sashiko, what ways it is used today, and which mending situations are most suited to Sashiko use. You will choose the sashiko pattern stencil you wish to use and will go home with a skein of thread and a needle (and fabric if desired) to finish your project with and/or start others at home!

Items to bring, if you have them:

• Item(s) to mend:*

Participants can bring a couple mending items; you will likely only repair one but having a couple to choose from will be helpful. We recommend bringing items with a low thread-count weave (not knitted; not stretchy) with materials like cotton or linen so that you can sew through the weave, not through the threads of the fabric. We will also provide fabric for a practice repair if you do not have an item to mend.

• Reading Glasses, if you use them!
• Thread* – Sashiko thread is 100% twisted matte cotton, can’t be separated like embroidery thread and it comes in different thicknesses.
• Needles* – Sashiko needles are sharp, strong and won’t bend, and have a large eye. Use longer ones for straight lines and shorter ones for curves and changing directions.
• Thimbles* – Angela uses a thimble when she has many stitches on her needle at a time or when stitching though multiple layers of fabric. There are different types depending upon what you’re sewing and your preference.
• Scissors*

*Will also be provided by Repair PDX

The following techniques are covered in the workshop:

• Opening the skein & threading the needle

• Knots (quilters, spit knots, nicker knots), knotless and hiding the knots

• Stitches, spacing and loops

• Stitching order

• Methods for transferring the Design including: Tracing a stencil, Using tracing paper, Wash-away designs, Drawing with graph paper, and Lightbox use.

This course welcomes brand-new embroiders and those with experience. Class is capped at 8 participants.

Note on Sliding Scale Pricing:

Repair PDX seeks to both pay our instructors equitably and keep ticket prices accessible.

Not every event we run is independently solvent. We provide sliding scale, reduced tickets for volunteers, and other low cost opportunities because of our values. Thus, we rely on those with more financial support to pay the higher end of the sliding scale in order to offset the low-cost tickets. Thus, you will see a variety of ticket prices for the same event and we encourage you to pay what you can.

Proceeds from tickets go directly to paying our wonderful instructors, providing materials for the class, and continuing to host events and workshops like this one!

*If you are a volunteer wanting to join the class when there are no free tickets left, please email margo@repairpdx.org so we can open one up for you.