I told you in my article on sashiko embroidery "a moment for yourself" that I had brought back in my Japanese suitcases a sashiko panel. Well... I finally finished it!
I’m telling you about my embroidery experience.
For the little story
You know that our shop specializes in Japanese fabric (by the way we received some amazing new arrivals 😍) and that we work directly with Japan.
This summer, my husband and I finally went to meet our Japanese suppliers and producers. It’s not for lack of wanting to go earlier but covid didn’t help...
It was obviously fantastic to meet them and one of them gave me a panel to embroider in sashiko. I chose an autumn maple leaf motif thinking I would love to embroider it this fall back in Belgium.
I bought a range of thread in a haberdashery in Akita in Northern Japan to accompany my creation.
I promised myself to finish my panel before the arrival of the new fabrics we had ordered on site. I must say I’m proud of myself because mission accomplished!
Embroidering a panel
Panels are generally rectangles pre-drawn with geometric or more figurative sashiko motifs. You embroider them and then you can integrate them into other creations: cushions, bags, noren, bedspreads, blankets, clothing... basically anything is possible for those with a bit of creativity.
Embroidering a panel takes a bit more time than a small fabric square (hana-fukin) but it’s very satisfying!
Punctuating your evenings with little sashiko stitches is very soothing in itself.
It took me 3 months to embroider this panel at my own pace; I must say I am quite busy with my work as you know 😂.
And me, what am I going to do with this panel?
My mom gave me a sashiko bedspread (a marvel) for my birthday in February and I think I will make another one with my own embroidered squares. I find a sashiko cover simply splendid.
I think I will embroider one or two more panels to integrate into a larger work... we’ll see if I stick to this idea.
My supplies
To embroider my panel, I used:
- a good sashiko needle from the Japanese brand Olympus
- a good thread cutter
- Olympus brand sashiko threads
Sashiko threads are mandatory in sashiko embroidery because they allow the blocking of the threads. You will only achieve a satisfactory result with suitable threads, otherwise your embroidery may get damaged or simply come undone.
I chose a range of solid and gradient colored threads:
- the solid orange in 20m no. 22 for the maple leaves
- gradient no. 93 in 20m for the bellflowers
- the red/purple gradient in 20m no. 97 for the edges of the squares
- the 100m gradient no. 152 for the maple leaves and the small plumes
- the classic white for the birds
- a salmon lamé SL6 for the wheat ear ties
My embroidery experience
I really enjoyed embroidering this panel, choosing the colors gradually according to the patterns and the effect I wanted to give.
I often embroidered in the evenings after the sewing courses I give during the week. I also embroidered a bit on Sundays to relax... This last month I put a bit more pressure on myself because I wanted to finish it for the arrival of our Japanese fabrics. I set myself this challenge and I'm happy to have achieved it.
Would I start again?
YES, yes and three times yes! In fact, I'm already starting my new panel! Here we go again with the chromatic choice of threads. Since I'm making a cover, the different panels still have to match a bit 😂.
I chose an Olympus panel available in our shop. I can't wait to show you the next one.
And how about embroidering pretty panels? Or simply starting sashiko? We have all the necessary materials and we offer introductions to this lovely embroidery.
So, get your needles ready!
