Denman Sashiko part 2

Here are photos of some of the beautiful work started on the Denman sashiko course. It is surprising how much can be squeezed into a two night course (i.e. just seven stitching sessions!) When we have the longer courses (three nights), much more can be started. Luckily it is not necessary for one sample to be finished before starting another, so it is possible to introduce quite a few different designs and stitch techniques in even a short course.

This time I arranged and photographed little groups of work individually, so I'll tag them with the first names of the stitchers - sashiko students, please tell me if I have mixed any of these up! They are all so nicely stitched, we should make sure you can take the credit for your individiual work. My comments are just to draw attention to particularly nice/interesting features of your work - not awarding grades :-) !

Jean emphasised the way shippou (seven treasures) is stitched by using red thread to emphasise the wave effect and drawing the pattern in the corner of the square, the way the pattern is often used on furoshiki wrapping cloths. She also used red for the final stitch detail in the kikkou (hexagon) hitomezashi (one stitch sashiko) design (top left).


Diana used ice blue sashiko thread to accent her hitomezashi sample, sticking to traditional blue and white for her other panels, which include fundou (scale weights/ingots, bottom left), kakinohanazashi (persimmon flower stitch, bottom right) and tachibana (Japanese orange blossom) as a kamon crest.


Diane used red thread to accent the same hitomezashi design and began a moon and cloud kamon crest (quite a challenging design, with all the curves in the cloud).


Ruby used colour effectively in her komezashi (rice stitch) sample (in progress, top right) and stitched shippou half and half with red and white.

Kate was probably our speediest stitcher, making two mini hitomezashi samplers exploring variations of komezashi with other cross based patterns and kakinohanazashi with related designs. Her asanoha (hemp leaf) sample (centre of small squares) uses a hand dyed perle thread throughout, in shades of gold.


Ruth also went for hitomezashi samplers, dividng up the cross based patterns diagonally on the square. These little mini samplers are a lovely way to record different stitch patterns together - so much information in a small space.


Joan's kakinohanazashi sample (left small square) frames the rows of flowers with single yamagata (mountain shape) zigzags. She also used red and white thread together, in her fundou sample.


I gave Joan the sketches I made in class for asanoha and ganzazashi (sea urchin stitch), because she will be doing a presentation to her WI to tell them about what she did on the course.


Now I'm back, there's so much to do, preparing for Saturday's demo & stewarding at Quiltfest in Llangollen. I will be at the Museum gallery all day.