After our sewing courses, I just had to tell you about our sashiko courses!
At C'est du Joly, sashiko is not a passing fad; we have been investing ourselves in this creative art for several years, offering supplies to practice it in the most authentic and accurate way possible, without distorting this centuries-old art.
I also wanted to write this little article because I see plenty of sashiko workshops "flourishing" across Brussels and Belgium. I am delighted to see this traditional art valued and brought back into style, but I am also saddened to see people with almost no knowledge starting to sell courses/workshops on the subject, passing on many mistakes simply out of ignorance and pursuit of profit; and that really is a shame!
So, I wanted to share our vision of sashiko with you, as well as what you will be able to learn by joining our courses.
So, ready to find out more about our courses?
This way!
A little bit of history
I love embroidery... I think everybody knows that 😂.
Embroidery has been one of my creative hobbies since I was 5 years old.
Back then, I had an accident at kindergarten. As a result, I wasn't allowed to look at screens or do any physical activities... How do you keep a lively 5-year-old child quiet when she can't read yet and can't watch TV? Well, by colouring and embroidering!
So I learned cross-stitch on large formats with "big" holes using rounded-tip needles, and I loved spending hours sitting in the armchair with my thick wool threads and pre-printed canvases. A Mickey Mouse, a butterfly, a little cat, a puppy, a pony... dozens of embroideries took shape under my childhood fingers.
Then, I moved on to counted cross-stitch with more complex patterns... and I trained in classic embroidery with older ladies who had learned in Catholic schools from the nuns. In their day, women embroidered their trousseaus, and they took the time to teach us this art. I am still truly grateful to them.
In the 90s, my mum discovered sashiko (through patchwork and quilting) and started embroidering this technique. At the time, it wasn't trendy at all. It was difficult to find supplies... but never mind, we always managed. We trained, we found patterns...
In the mid-2000s, I discovered Japan, and it became the country of my heart. These 20 years travelling through the Land of the Rising Sun taught me so much, such as finding perfection in imperfection, becoming aware of time passing and savouring every moment, perfecting one's art to the point of becoming a living national treasure... Japan has had a great influence on me, and the sashiko that accompanied me during these years was completely shaped by this search for tradition, meditation, and precision in gesture...
When I felt ready to pass on what I had learned and to share this art that brought me so much peace, I announced our very first sashiko course!
The bedspread my mum embroidered for my 40th birthday
The key principles of our sashiko courses
Just like in sewing, we want to welcome you into a workshop where you will find expertise and kindness.
We offer more than just a fun activity; it is a genuine moment of pleasant knowledge-sharing where sashiko embroidery is placed in its geographical and historical context.
For me, it is essential that you leave the course having gained the necessary knowledge to understand what you are doing and why you are doing it that way, while mastering the correct techniques.
After that, it is up to you to practice and sometimes twist, cross, combine different techniques and create your very own creative world!
On the plane
In a coffee shop in Japan
Our sashiko programme
1. Introduction to sashiko
You dream of trying Japanese sashiko embroidery... but you've never dared to start, or you tried but aren't happy with the result? Then the introductory sashiko embroidery course is made for you!
You will learn to make your first sashiko stitches, allowing you to create infinitely.
You will also receive all the supplies for this course: Toile, needle, and thread, which you will take home with you.
No prerequisites are required for this course; we start with the basics so you acquire the right habits and methods from your very first sashiko stitches.
This course is suitable for teenagers aged 12 and up.
During this 2.5-hour session, you will learn:
- the geographical and historical context of sashiko
- which materials are used in sashiko embroidery (threads, needle, fabric...)
- how to start and finish your work neatly
- how to embroider the stitches correctly
- how to create your first pattern
- how to finish your project
Together, we will complete a project that you will take home with you.
The course includes: 2.5 hours of embroidery guided by an experienced teacher All the supplies required for the workshop, which you will take home afterwards
2. I create my own sashiko pattern
You have taken the introductory sashiko course, or you learned sashiko embroidery on your own.
You want to create your own patterns, but you don't dare take the plunge? You want to customise your clothes, but you don't know where to start?
Then the Level 2 sashiko course is made for you!
You will learn:
- which tools to use to transfer sashiko embroidery patterns
- the traditional methods used to transfer patterns
- how to create two traditional Japanese motifs: the Asanoha pattern and the Shippou pattern.
After this course, you will be able to transfer any sashiko pattern onto fabric.
The only prerequisite for this course is knowing the basics of sashiko.
My Agathe jumpsuit from Cha Coud, decorated with patterns designed specifically for this project.
My Japanese apron with pockets decorated with sashiko patterns created for the occasion
3. Boro Techniques
You have taken the introductory sashiko course and the pattern creation course, or you learned sashiko embroidery on your own, and you want to repair your clothes and accessories using boro techniques?
You want to customise your clothes, but you don't know where to start? Then the Level 3 sashiko course is made for you!
You will learn how to apply boro mending techniques.
The only prerequisite for this course is knowing the basics of sashiko: how to embroider and draw the patterns.
4. Coming soon... Stitch variations and decorative stitches for mending
I can't wait to prepare this for you for the new season 😊
How to register?
There are two ways to sign up:
- either in one of our two shops, where you can also ask any questions you may have before registering and discover our workshops.
- or directly via our website
Where are the courses held?
Our courses take place 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 😊, although my colleagues are training and might join team sashiko soon.
So, would you like to learn or perfect your sashiko skills?
Join us!
