I missed almost all of the June meeting with Gilli Theokritoff at Scunthorpe Embroiderers’ Guild as I was working that day, but I did make it through the door in time to lay my hands on the kit for the afternoon project which was stitching samples of hitomezashi sashiko, which are more like all over patterns than big designs. I didn’t manage to start the kit until I went down to London to visit my eldest a fortnight ago but it was perfect to stitch on the train.
The difference with Gilli’s method is that she has a piece of interfacing already marked out with a regular pattern of dots ironed onto the back of the fabric. You work from the wrong side and don’t have any marks on the front to get rid of.
The first sample starts as jujizashi (cross stitch). I used a variegated sashiko thread in lovely shades of blue.
Then you add one set of diagonal lines.
And the second set gives you komezashi, or rice stitch.
The second sample was kikkozashi, or tortoise stitch. This starts with a foundation of yokogushi, which are staggered vertical rows. The horizontal rows are formed by weaving the thread under the opposite stitches to give an effect like the plates of a tortoise’s shell.
Finally I added some straight stitches in the middle of the ‘plates’.
They are going to become book covers, so I’ve laced them over some squares of greyboard.
And am probably going to line them with this gorgeous scrap of Japanese kimono fabric.
Just need to decide on fabric or paper pages.
Under A Topaz Sky 