After the sewing courses, I had to tell you about our sashiko courses!
At C'est du Joly, sashiko is not a passing trend because we have been investing in this creative art for several years and offer materials to carry it out in the most accurate and correct way so as not to distort this centuries-old art.
I also wanted to write this little article because I see many courses "springing up" in Brussels and Belgium about sashiko. I’m delighted to see this traditional art being valued and brought back into fashion, but I’m also saddened to see that some people who know almost nothing about it are starting to sell courses/workshops on this theme and pass on many mistakes out of ignorance, just for profit; and that’s really a shame!
So, I wanted to share with you our vision of sashiko but also what you can learn by coming to our courses.
So, ready to learn more about our courses?
This way!
A bit of history
I love embroidering... I think everyone knows that 😂.
Embroidery has been part of my creative hobbies since I was 5 years old.
At that time, I had an accident in kindergarten and the consequence was that I couldn’t look at screens and couldn’t do physical activities... How do you keep a lively 5-year-old child, who can’t read yet and can’t watch TV, "quiet"? Well, by coloring and embroidering!
So I learned cross stitch on large formats with "big" holes using blunt needles, and I loved spending hours sitting in the armchair with my thick wool threads and my pre-printed toiles. A Mickey, a butterfly, a little cat, a puppy, a pony... dozens of embroideries took shape under my child’s fingers.
Then, I continued with counted cross stitch, with more complex patterns... and I trained in classic embroidery with elderly ladies who had been taught in Catholic schools and by nuns. In their time, they embroidered their trousseau and they took the time to teach us this art. I am still very grateful to them.
In the 90s, my mom discovered sashiko (through patchwork and quilting) and began embroidering using this technique. At that time, it was not at all trendy yet. It was hard to find materials... but that didn’t stop us, we always found a way. We trained ourselves, we found patterns...
In the mid-2000s, I discovered Japan and it became my country of the heart. These 20 years traveling the Land of the Rising Sun taught me many things like perfection in imperfection, being aware of the passing time and savoring every moment, perfecting one’s art until becoming a living national treasure... Japan had a great influence on me and sashiko, which accompanied me during these years, was completely influenced by this search for tradition, meditation, precision in the gesture,...
When I felt ready to pass on what I had learned and also to share this art that did me so much good; I announced our first sashiko course!
The bedspread my mom embroidered for my 40th birthday
The main principles of sashiko courses
As in sewing, we want to welcome you to a workshop where you will find skills and kindness.
We offer more than an entertaining activity but a true pleasant moment of sharing knowledge where sashiko embroidery is contextualized geographically and historically.
For me, it is essential that you leave the course having received the necessary knowledge to understand what you are doing and why you do it that way while acquiring the right gestures.
After that, it’s up to you to practice and sometimes to divert, cross, combine different techniques and create your own creative universe!
On the plane
In a café in Japan
Our sashiko program
1. Sashiko initiation
Japanese sashiko embroidery makes you dream... and you have never dared to start or you tried but are not satisfied with the result? Then the sashiko embroidery initiation course is made for you!
You will learn to make your first sashiko stitches allowing you to create endlessly.
You will also receive all the supplies for this course: toile, needle, and thread which you will take home.
No prerequisites are necessary for this course, we start with the basics so that you develop the right reflexes and methods from the beginning in sashiko.
This course is accessible to teenagers from 12 years old.
During this 2h30 course session, you will learn:
- the geographical and historical context of sashiko
- what materials are used in sashiko embroidery (threads, needle, fabric...)
- to properly start and finish your work
- to correctly embroider the stitches
- to create your first pattern
- to finish your work
We will create a project together that you will take home.
The course includes: 2h30 of embroidery guided by an experienced teacher All the supplies needed for the workshop that you will take home with you
2. I create my sashiko pattern
You have taken the sashiko initiation or you have learned to embroider in sashiko on your own.
Do you want to create your own motifs but don’t dare to start? Do you want to customize your clothes but don’t know how to go about it?
Then the sashiko level 2 course is made for you!
You will learn:
- what materials to use to transfer motifs to embroider in sashiko
- traditional methods used to transfer motifs
- to create two traditional Japanese motifs: the asanoha motif and the shippou motif.
After this course, you will be able to transfer any sashiko motif onto a textile.
The only prerequisite for this course is to know the basics of sashiko.
My Agathe jumpsuit by Cha Coud decorated with motifs created specifically for this project.
My Japanese apron with pockets decorated with sashiko, motifs created for the occasion
3. Boro Techniques
You have taken the sashiko initiation and motif creation or you have learned to embroider in sashiko and want to repair your clothes and accessories with boro techniques?
Do you want to customize your clothes but don’t know how to start? Then the sashiko level 3 course is made for you!
You will learn how to perform repair techniques in boro.
The only prerequisite for this course is to know the basics of sashiko: how to embroider and draw.
4. Coming soon... Variations of stitches, decorative stitches for repair
I want to prepare this for you for the new term 😊
How to register?
There are two ways to register:
- or in one of our two shops where you can also ask all the necessary questions before registering and see our workshops.
- either via our website
Where are your courses held?
Our courses are held in our workshop at:
- Either in Ixelles: Avenue de la couronne, 357 1050 Ixelles
- Or in Woluwe Saint Lambert: Avenue Georges Henri, 328 1200 Woluwe Saint Lambert
Teacher
Currently, I am the only sashiko teacher 😊 even though my colleagues are training and may join the sashiko team.
So, are you interested in learning or improving your sashiko skills?
Join us!
The courses are available here.
And if you are looking for materials to make your sashiko embroidery it's right here.
Get your needles ready!
