The Beauty Of Sashiko Stitching

Buttons, threads, embroidery… beyond an intentional hole or some light distressing, there are so many beautiful ways to make your clothes truly your own.

Autumn is such a gorgeous time for fashion. The cool weather invites us to express ourselves through layers, colors, and best of all, texture. Go ahead, mix silk with velvet, linen with wool – this is the perfect time to experiment and have fun with the clothes on your back and in your closet. That’s what autumn is all about.

Today I’m sharing a simple, yet age-old method for repairing and adding texture to clothing: the sashiko stitch. Translated to “little stabs” in Japanese, this basic stitch (essentially a running stitch, also used in quilting) is easy to learn but surprisingly elegant in its simplicity. With just some embroidery thread, a little patience (ok, maybe a lot), and a few simple stitches, you can add pattern, line, and texture to your wardrobe.

Materials:

Embroidery thread

Scissors

Embroidery needle

Clothing

Tailor’s chalk (or white chalk)

Before you begin sewing, mark off the pattern that you intend to follow with the white chalk. This allows you to plan out multiple patterns and will ensure that your stitches stay straight. Because this stitching is delicate, it’s best to do this on a garment that you don’t mind hand washing.

Select the first color that you plan to work with, tie a knot in the end of the thread, and begin stitching. The sashiko stitch is a basic running stitch, also used in quilting – use this stitch to follow the patterns drawn with the chalk.

Repeat with the other colors of thread until you’ve completed your design.

Once you become comfortable with a running stitch, you can begin experimenting with other embroidery patterns and techniques. The sashiko stitch is a beautiful way to repair and revitalize torn or shredded clothing!