Sashiko Hand-Stitching Basics Workshop

Sashiko Hand-Stitching Basics Workshop

Adult Workshop | Available

Adult all levels
8/10/2025 (one day)
1:00 PM-4:00 PM EDT on Sun
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$70.00
$63.00

Sashiko Hand-Stitching Basics Workshop

Adult Workshop | Available

Sashiko is a Japanese embroidery and mending practice which uses a simple running stitch to create bold and geometric patterns on textiles. This stitching practice has been used for centuries in Japan and continues as a contemporary skill to mend, patch, strengthen, quilt, and embellish garments or home goods for longevity and beauty. With focus on exploration of the craft, workshop participants will learn how to handle thread, layout a grid, draw patterns, employ a Sashiko needle, and use "small stabs" to stitch designs onto their mini-patch samplers. Sashiko patterns are inspired by nature, architecture, and culture. All skill levels are welcome. Everyone will work at their own pace. Choose from a variety of motifs that suit your design aesthetic and comfort level; tiny plus signs, woven tortoise, ocean waves, seven treasures to name a few. The stitched squares can later be transformed into purposeful, small goods such as a pocket, pin cushion, patch, sachet, or coaster. $40 materials fee payable to instructor for take-home Sashiko kit.

  • Each take-home kit contains:

    One pair of Sashiko needles, one skein of Sashiko thread, four fabric squares, tapestry needle threader, bees’ wax conditioner, circle templates, pre-gridded practice patch, pattern instruction guide, resources list. Plus, access to all the communal tools and materials.

Rachel Barclay

Rachel Barclay studied Textiles, Installation Sculpture, Printmaking, and Elementary Education in San Francisco and Long Beach, California. Throughout her journey as a creator, educator, and parent, she has focused on making functional sewn and embellished garments, home goods, and mixed media textile objects. Since studying Sashiko with Jessica Marquez of Miniature Rhino and Kazue Yoshikawa of Sashiko Lab, Rachel embraced the hand-work practice as an act of mindfulness, empowerment, beauty, and sustainability. Building on her background as an artist and educator, Rachel shares her joy of hand-stitching with adults and children, alike. Her teaching travels have taken her to studios, workshops, and retreats throughout the Northeast. Rachel stitches, mends, sews, reads teen fiction, forages for natural dye materials, and takes day trips to nearby cities for coffee and culture. She lives in Middlebury, Connecticut alongside her woodworking spouse, Michael Pekovich with their two young adult offspring nearby. Follow her creative process on Instagram @rachelharrietteb or peruse her website www.rachelharriette.com