Friday, January 3, 2014

sashiko love


Happy New Year!
I wish your 2014 will be a very happy, contented, brilliant, and peaceful year.

I just came back from our one-week winter holiday and now I'm full of energy and feel like starting something nice and new. The thing is, I have no clue of what I'd start, yet. Haha I think I'll see (if I find anything to start) by the end of 2014!

I hope you had a refreshing break during this time of the year too!

We spent our break in Kyushu, which is one of the southwesterly islands of Japan, to stay with my parents. My mother, who is kind and very gentle-natured, has been working on "sashiko" embroidery for years and she asked me if I could take some photographs of her sashiko makes during my stay. Of course I willingly became a photographer for her and for her makes! We had our photo session in a lovely small park nearby their house for her sashiko jackets. I'd share some of them here, because I remember that some of you were kindly interested in her sashiko and asked me if I could show the embroidery in better pictures on my old post. I hope you enjoy them. I'm happy if you find some inspirations from something probably unfamiliar and new to you too!

my mum, petite and clever, in love with sashiko.

If you would like to have a read about sashiko embroidery, I find it well written here;
http://www.quilt.com/FAQS/SashikoFAQ.html
and always there is wiki for anything interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashiko_stitching

*small photographs can be clicked to enlarge.





Most of the embroidered parts are done after cutting yet before sewing. What is amazing to me is, the embroideries that are overpassing seams are done after sewing to keep the continuous patterns beautifully.


My mum uses traditional coarse cotton fabrics and very thick threads. Those traditional plain fabrics are usually hand-woven and natural dyed (not by my mum though) and have charming charactor in itself even before sashiko applied. The garments as well as sashiko patterns are usually self drafted by her, and all seams are also sewn by hands. According to her, one sashiko garment can be finished quite quickly because all procedure is very simple, but she thinks a year for this kind of jacket from planning to finishing because it makes the stitches even and look more elaborated.






(by the way, I sewed the V-neck pullover and flowery skirt.)




Happy sewing to you!
xoxo

yoshimi

58 comments:

  1. Oh, my, your mum made some of the best embroidery works I've seen lately...
    I'm an agog sewist, I couldn't imagine myself sewing a jacket by hand for a yar!
    She's really a great woman, chapeau!
    PS: I'm more a v-neck pullover kind of sewist ;)
    MammaNene @ SergerPepper.com

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  2. Admirable! Now that's a labour of love!
    Happy new Year to you too!
    You look so much like Yoko Tsuno on that last picture (one of my favorite comics hero).

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    1. LOL! I see what you mean. I look like her in the last picture, I think so too...
      Thank you for your kind comment!

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  3. Wow! Those pieces are gorgeous!! Thank you for sharing with us!

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  4. Thanks so much for sharing. Those jackets are amazing!

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  5. This is artful! Gorgeous work and very inspiring. I might need to make a jacket this year.
    Stunning.

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  6. Goodness, your mum's embroidery is simply stunning. I can't even imagine spending a whole year on one item!

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  7. Your mum's handwork takes my breath away! Beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing.

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  8. so beautiful.. love how elaborate and yet simple the stitching patterns are.. wish i had the patience to try making something similar :)

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  9. You're mother is a lovely woman with a creative mind and talented hands. Her work is extraordinary. I have often wondered about Sashiko. Thank you for sharing the pictures and links. What a treasure these pictures are, especially the one of you and your mum!

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  10. Oh wow, these pieces are amazing! Your mom is an artist :) Thanks for sharing.

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  11. those are beautiful and what perfection in technique.

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  12. Stunning! I am a sashiko amateur, and so I can only aspire to something like your mother's skill! The traditional fabrics, natural colors, and designs are really beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
    ~Jen

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  13. Oh my your mother's work is gorgeous and so is she. What a treasure.

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  14. GORGEOUS. What fabulous work your mother does and how wonderful to have a shared love of handwork. Great pictures. Thanks.

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  15. Your mother is beautiful, as is her embroidery. The jackets are absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  16. Thank-you so much for showcasing your mom's beautiful and meticulous work. I'd like to leave a couple of links for your US readers that are interested in seeing Sashiko up close or learning how to do it.

    The Sri Threads Blog showcases examples of Japanese folk textiles. If you are visiting Brooklyn, NYC, you can even visit the gallery.
    http://threads.srithreads.com

    Momen in Torrance, CA (a Japanese suburb near Los Angeles), sells genuine Japanese fabrics and sashiko supplies at very good prices.
    They also run bilingual classes.
    http://www.momenplus.com

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    1. Thank you for your comment and also for the links! I now find that there are many sashiko fans all over the world, after writing this post. Wonderful.

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  17. These garments are exquisite! Thank you for sharing them with us. Your mother is very talented and beautiful. As we say in Vermont, the apple didn't fall far from the tree, did it? (That means you and your mom share many similarities).
    Happy New Year!
    Helen

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    1. Aww you're so kind to say that! I really love her creations and I'd be so happy if I can say I got some talent from her.

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  18. Your mom's work is gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing the photos. They are an inspiration.

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  19. Beautiful, thanks for sharing!
    You can really tell how much care goes into them.

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  20. I am really impressed by her work. Never in a million years could I imagine that perfect work was made by hand. She is really talented and extremely patient. Beautiful, beautiful work!

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  21. Your mother is very talented, and I believe she must be very patient, too! Please tell her that her work is beautiful.

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  22. Wonderful! Thankyou for sharing.

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  23. Lovely; thank you and please thank your mother for sharing all this creativity!

    Ceci

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  24. Wow! That's really just so admirable. Thank your mother for sharing.

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  25. I am in awe of the beauty of your mother's work.

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  26. These are so beautiful! Your mom is a real artist. I can't even imagine working on a garment for a year

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  27. Yoshimi, your Mum's work is absolutely exquisite!! please pass on my compliments to her for her beautiful and perfect tiny stitches :) I would love to know more about this technique.
    Your sweater and skirt are very lovely and very becoming to you.

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  28. Oh I love that 1st photo of your mum :)
    You're not wrong, she is very clever indeed & also super patient I'm guessing! I did half a sashiko sampler last year & ran out of patience very quickly! I do admire any one who is calm enough for embroidery!
    Happy New Year to you! Looking forward to following along with your adventures again in 2014. Also, I have some exciting news to share but will email you when I have a few more details organised :D

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    1. I'm SO looking forward to your email, you know, Jenny!

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  29. Wow. Beautiful woman and beautiful work. So inspiring. Elle

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  30. Your mothers work is amazing and gorgeous quality. Her designs are stunning and skill are a wonderful tradition.

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  31. These are such beautiful jackets and the handwork is just amazing. Really exquisite items. Happy 2014!

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  32. Wow, thanks for sharing your Mother's gorgeous work. Sometimes the results are worth the time spent. I found sashiko this past year and this has inspired me to find ways to play with it this year.
    PS. Love your outfit too.

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  33. Your mother's work takes my breath away. Splendid! ~Teri

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  34. Just beautiful. Thank you for sharing

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  35. Incredible work! Happy New Year, Yoshimi!!!

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  36. Thanks for sharing this piece of your family life & your mum's beautiful work. To spend a year on one creation like that is wonderful - what patience& dedication!

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  37. Hi Yoshimi!
    I just found your blog: I'm very new to sewing and was looking for some inspiration and I ended up reading back to your very first post. I really love your beautiful clothes and I love how lovely and kind you are. You put a big smile on my face!
    Also, your mum is so adorable!!

    Sara

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  38. Yoshimi, now I know where you get your talent! Your mother's jackets are phenomenal...traditional yet modern looking, beautiful yet practical, simple yet full of well executed details up close. Amazing work! Aloha, Kay

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  39. Your mum's work is seriously amazing!

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  40. Wow! What amazing work! And so inspiring. Thanks for sharing this lovely art with us.

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  41. Your mom's jackets are truly astounding! Her work is so precise and beautiful.

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  42. Happy new year to you!
    And what a masterpiece! These embroideries are stunning! Huge talent!!

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  43. Wow, your mum is soo talented and patient. I could not begin to imagine waiting a year for my projects to come to fruition!

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  44. These pieces are incredible! How cool to get to do a photo shoot for your mom's wonderful work. You both look very happy!

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  45. Wow! Those are beautiful pieces. I love the picture of your mum on the bench and the one of you together. She has passed her talent to you!

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  46. So beautiful! And you and your mom are so cute in these photos!

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  47. This is absolutely fantastic, I'm speechless! I love the red with brown stitching.
    Is this the final version of your Josephine? :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for leaving your comment! The pullover I'm wearing in the last photo is Edelweiss from Tamanegi-kobo. This pattern is also super good! http://tmngkobo.onlinestores.jp/for-Knit-Fabrics-c-326/Edelweiss--V-neck-Sweater-p-8813.html/language/en

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  48. Thank you for sharing the pictures of your mothers beautiful Sashiko work!

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  49. I have only one word.......... Respect!!
    Christine

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  50. I am from the USA and went to Kyushu too for New Years! I visited family and had the best New Years ever. Thank you for posting the link to Sashiko. Your mother's work is beautiful and skilled. Her workmanship is admirable.

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  51. I want to apprentice with your mom! Amazing work. Mom's are teachers in so many ways. That whole "post" was like a mini-get-away. Thank you.

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Thank you for your comments!!