Exploring Sashiko and Needle Weaving

Textile Art on Clothing

I met someone who only washes his jeans once every 6 months.
My initial reaction was negative but then he told me that he has 10 pairs that are worn once a week and rotated with each wear. After each wear, they are air-dried and sunned before being hung on a rack.
On top of this regime, he only washes his jeans ...... BY HAND!
He does this to ensure the indigo colour and the weave of the denim is not lost.
Apparently, this is a well-known technique shared amongst vintage jean lovers!
Here are my jeans ..... lost its colour COMPLETELY and the seams are tatty, but I LOVE it. I decided to explore the use of sashiko and needle weaving to reinforce the fabric and give it a new look. Besides, this would provide an opportunity to experiment with a new technique for my textile art.

What is Sashiko 刺し子 and Needle Weaving ?

刺し子 is a Japanese form of folk embroidery that has been passed from one generation to the next. It literally means little stabs, and they are basically running stitches. The key thing to remember is that you move the fabric onto the needle and not the other way around. This enables you to have consistent stitches of equal distances apart, and it prevents you from getting the thread entangled.

Needle weaving is a form of handweaving except that you are using needle instead of shuttle. If you're not sure how to weave on textiles, check out my video. 

Sashiko and weaving takes a lot of patience, but the benefits of a meditative and repetitive stitch are known - we call it stitch meditation.

What Do You Need?
I used an embroidery needle, 8 ply embroidery thread and a thimble. 
You could use an embroidery hoop to assist with the repair.

What Do You Do?
Define the area that needs repairing. 
For the weave repair I added scrap t-shirt patches.

Sashiko and needle weaving

Sashiko Away!!

For the sashiko, I didn't tie any knots; I just went forwards and backwards (like a sewing machine) with a running stitch in the beginning before continuing with the sashiko. 

You can go crazy with sashiko stitches, or if you would like to be more organised, draw out your design first!

Sashiko and needle weaving