I’ve been making lots of extra samples lately… Last week I did some Sashiko stitching. Sashiko originated in Japan and was – put very simply – a method of mending and embellishing clothing… Clothing was very precious – fabrics were hand-woven and hand-dyed, often using indigo. So, worn out clothing wasn’t thrown out, but mended and darned with little running stitches, sometimes in elaborate geometric designs. For winter, layers of clothing were quilted together, creating warmer and stronger garments. I used the hand-stitched samples I made last week, which feature a traditional embroidered design, but also a sample worked on my sewing machine, which mimics the style of Sashiko work and I created a navy cotton jersey scarf, incorporating these samples.
