Sashiko originated about 400 years ago as a means of keeping warm and preserving clothing. In rural, northern Japan, winters were harsh and many people were extremely poor. They relied on producing their own clothing from hemp (cotton was prohibitively expensive for everyday garments) and were restricted from wearing certain colours, so used indigo dye as it was easily grown and was thought to protect against insects. 

​Putting two or more layers of cloth together and sewing with running stitch creates small pockets of air in the clothing, which trap warmth. Many beautiful, geometric patterns were stitched in undyed thread to create the classic 'cream on blue' look we associate with sashiko today. As well as being beautiful, this was also very practical as women would often stitch sashiko on dark evenings and the contrast meant they could see what they were doing! 

This is our version of Sashiko.