Sometimes day-to-day life seems so hectic that we ignore the need to SLOW DOWN and take some time out to REPLENISH and SOOTHE our bodies and minds. Embroidery is the perfect way to UNWIND. It is good to have a small piece on the go, to pick up and spend a few quiet moments on when days seem impossibly rushed. Author of The Mindful Maker Clare Youngs has always been fascinated by the art of Japanese sashiko stitching. Sashiko was originally used to reinforce and repair clothing in ancient Japan but it is used as a purely decorative stitch too, with many beautiful and intricate patterns formed from the positioning of small straight stitches. This design is called Hitomezashi Sashiko, where the pattern emerges from lines of single stitches placed on a grid.
YOU WILL NEED (FOR 1 COASTER)
Two squares of fabric (this tutorial uses linen), each 7 x 7 in
Ruler
Set square
Air- or heat-erasable pen
Six-stranded embroidery floss (thread)
Needle (look for special sashiko needles, which are longer than the average needle. If using a regular needle, picked the longest you have)
Stitch guide (download here) (50% of actual size, enlarge by 200%)
Sewing machine
1. Using a setsquare and ruler, draw a grid on one of the squares of fabric, using an air- or heat-erasable pen. Start the grid ½ in. (1 cm) from the top edge and ½ in. (1 cm) in from the side edge. Space the lines ¼ in. (5 mm) apart. If you draw 24 lines across vertically and horizontally you should have a square grid with a border around it.
2. Thread a needle with two strands from a length of embroidery floss (thread) and tie a knot at the end. Starting in the top right corner, take the needle down from the front to the back just in the border. Working from right to left, come up at the top corner of the grid. This is your starting point: make a row of running stitches along the line using the grid as a measure and making one stitch per square. Make a few stitches at a time, gathering the fabric on the needle and then pulling the thread through. This will help you to get an even line of stitches.
3. When you get to the end, bring the needle out in the border, turn the fabric round, and go back along the second row in the same way, matching the stitches. Always leave a loose loop of thread at the top (don’t pull it tight when you stitch the row), as this will stop the stitches from getting tight and not lying flat. If you need to re-thread your needle with new thread it is best to do this at the end of the line, so that you can finish off in the border and start a new line.
4. On the third line start the row by going down from the front to the back and then up again, so that the first stitch of that row is on the back. Continue along the line. If you follow the stitch guide it all becomes very clear as you start stitching.
5. The fourth line repeats line three— these four lines make up the pattern. Working in groups of two lines, alternate the stitch position every two lines to continue to the end. Now you repeat the whole thing for the vertical lines. Starting in the top right corner, make your first stitch by going down from the front to the back. Continue stitching as you did on the horizontal lines and you will soon see the pattern emerging.
6. When you have finished the stitching, place the back and front pieces with right sides together and pin in position. Sew a line of machine stitches around the grid—I always make the seam one square in. Leave a gap of about 2¾ in. (7 cm) along one edge.
7. Trim back the seam allowance all around to about ⅓in. (8 mm). Turn the coaster the right way out, fold in the raw edges at the gap, and sew closed with small stitches. Press the coaster. If you used a heat-erasable pen the lines will magically disappear. If you used an air-erasable pen, the lines will fade away.
This project is from The Mindful Maker by Clare Youngs. To get more fab blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox - be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.