Another new sashiko bag kit and coasters kit

"Tai" is another bag kit I'm launching at the Autumn Quilt Festival at Malvern next weekend.

"Tai" is the Japanese word for sea bream, but it also sounds like the word for "great", so the image of tai is used a lot as a traditional lucky motif. My sashiko version is based on this early 20th century double ikat kasuri panel, which would have been used as part of a futon cover or other household textile. I've made the abstract bamboo behind the fish a bit more realistic and interpreted the striped warp effect by stitching on striped tsumugi cotton. Although I like the sashiko most on the blue stripes, there will be some other colours available - and some different blue stripes too.

The maple leaf coasters are an old favourite of mine that were due for a revival. The original version of this kit was brought out by Euro Japan Links in 2001, but has been discontinued as the fabric range was no longer available. I've stitched them again on my Japanese plain craft cotton (a narrow width fabric similar to the old cottons used for work clothes), on yellow ochre, sage green, rust, warm brown and burgundy. This time the coasters use a shaded Olympus sashiko thread throughout - the originals had plain green for the leaf veins.
And, if I can get it made in time, there's a curved Log Cabin panel made from yukata cottons too!