Helen6869

I am interested in learning to do the shashiko quilting. I would love to hear from those who do this stitching: How hard is it to do? Can a person with arthritis do it? I cannot hand quilt due to my fingers not working well but I thought I might be able to do this. How do you trace a pattern? What supplies do you need? Thanks in advance for all the info you might offer me. I love this board!

dakotamaid

Here is some info:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNuK04XrXI

http://www.shiboridragon.com/sashiko.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhbDAaASTtc

nativetexan

a friend in Japan sent me a kit to use but I've not done so yet. and I bought two from shiboridragon site. tea cosy and such. very nice. I like blue fabric with white stitches. my friend sent me white fabic with blue thread. different.

Helen6869

Do you have to use the blue and white? Anyone who has done this, also wondering if it would be easier that handqulting due to the size of the stitches. I love the handwork but can't do small stuff anymore. Thanks again!
The title should have said sashiko "is" the correct word. not awake good yet!

Stitchnripper

I watched the videos. My question is do you make the tops and then quilt? Or do you make a sandwich and then do the sashiko stitching? I guess I'm asking the same question as Helen6869. the lady in the second video said the needle is longer, stronger and more rigid than other needles.

nanna-up-north

Well, I bought a book on sashiko but haven't tried it yet. There is a quilt shop a ways from me that features sashiko and the owner there told me a lot about it when I was there. I'll pass along what she told me. I haven't read much about it on line so this is just what the shop owner said. The fabric used is a little heavier than quilting fabric but I think you could use 2 layers and that would work for a practice piece. The fabric reminds me of homespun. The thread she had was more like crewel yarn..... a heavy, thick yarn that will really show up when stitched. She said that using 3-4 strands of embroidery floss would be similar. The stitches are just running stitches but they are supposed to look like grains of rice laying in a row so the stitches on the top side of your work are longer (about the size of a grain of rice) and the spaces between them are short. Using a long needle allows more stitches to be loaded but I really think any needle would work. At least try any needle before going out and buying something special.

So, you could practice on a small piece and see how your hands feel without going out and paying lots of $ for a kit, etc. I bought some of the fabric because I really liked the density of it and I'm going to try it at some point..... when I get some of the things done that I've been working on.... you know how that goes.

KarenR

I watched the video- it looks like only one layer of fabric.
Sure did look pretty on the examples that were shown.

I thought when I opened the thread - that it was going to be about the machine with the similar name.

quiltin-nannie

I have done sashiko in the past. Much easier to do than quilting. It is done in a single layer of the sashiko fabric with sashiko thread, no hoop. The blocks are made individually and then joined together to form the top. I used a regular sewing needle, the longest in the pack of generic needles. My patterns have appliqued flowers on them also. I remember marking the material myself, but it's been so long ago, I don't remember how I did it. My sashiko projects are all UFO's!! If I remember, I'll dig them out and see if there is anything else I can remember, and post it. I really enjoyed doing it, but due to a new job, got away from it. Thought when I retired, I would start again, but have been retired three years and forgot all about it till I saw this post! LOL!

Petey

I have done sashiko - am doing some now. I have a novel approach to getting the design onto the front of the fabric. I copy what ever pattern I like onto freezer paper via the copier and iron the freezer paper onto the front of the fabric and then using my DSM stitch on the lines thru the freezer paper. Rip off the paper and sew the sashiko stitch right next to the the sewn lines - when done I rip out the DSM sewn lines. More work but not too much and you don't have to worry about the marking lines not washing out. Sashiko fabric is thicker or more dense cotton and I have found that the marking pens are hard to get out without leaving a residue. This method you can use any design you want and you don't have to be able to draw.

Candace

I've done Sashiko in the past and you'll have to see if your arthritis can tolerate it. I would think any time of hand sewing would cause problems depending on how severe it is.