FAB Sashiko Essentials by the Shibaguyz

Includes 6 large spools of Aurifil Cotton 12wt thread with 356 yds/325 m per spool

Colors Included

2024 – White

2740 – Dark Cobalt

2265 – Lobster Red

1240 – Very Dark Eggplant

1147 – Light Leaf Green

4657 – Tramanto a Zoagli (variegated)

Our FAB Sashiko Essentials thread collection for Aurifil is the perfect starter pack of colors to set you on the right path for your sashiko projects. We use these thread in our classes and our book and personal sashiko and handsewing projects. However, we’ve also used these same threads for hand quilting, embroidery, and even cross stitcha nd machine embroidery. We picked the colors for this collection specifically to work across a wide range of projects and fabrics whether you want your threads to stand out for sashiko or blend in more for shading in embroidery and quilting.

If you’ve never worked with Aurifil thread before in your hand sewing and sashiko, do yourself a favor and try this essentials collection. You’ll find out very quickly why we only work with Aurifil thread: smooth thread that doesn't easily tangle or snag. Aurifil thread produces virtually no lint or thread dust to clog up your machines. We were hooked from the first samples we used and are now Aurifil Ambassadors and designers.

From the Aurifil Website

Aurifil’s 100% Cotton 12wt thread is the heaviest weight thread we offer and is perfect for hand applique, hand embroidery, hand quilting, cross stitch, embellishment, handmade lace, machine applique, blanket stitch, machine embroidery (especially for designs that use a longer stitch length), machine art quilting, Sashiko, redwork, lower looper serging, and longarm quilting.

Uses

Hand applique, hand embroidery, hand quilting, cross stitch, embellishment and lace, machine applique, blanket stitch, buttonhole stitch, machine embroidery, machine art quilting, sashiko, redwork, lower looper serging, longarm quilting.

Needle Recommendations

·     Sashiko Needle (hand stitching)

·     100/16 or 90/14 Topstitch Needle (40wt in the bobbin)

·     4.5 Longarm Needle (28wt in the bobbin)

Tips

·     When using 12wt thread by machine, we recommend using a much thinner thread in the bobbin, like our 40wt.

·     When using in a Longarm machine, quilt slowly, using a longer stitch and silicone conditioner where necessary.

This new collection of 50wt thread is perfect for machine or hand sewing, and includes 10 small spools (164 yards, 150 meters) of glorious 100% long staple Egyptian cotton Aurifil thread.

Colors Included:

2692 - black

2024 - white

6711 - pewter

2260 - dark carmine red

5023 - medium green

5022 - mustard

2784 - dark navy

2770 - very light delft

4030 - plum

2395 - pumpkin spice (don’t judge us)

From the Aurifil Website

Aurifil’s 50wt thread is our most versatile and most popular Cotton thread. It is available in all 270 of our Cotton colors, and is wound on our iconic orange spool. The 50wt is strong and thin, and results in remarkably flat and crisp seams.

Uses

While it is wonderful for piecing, subtle quilting & topstitching, and English Paper Piecing it also works incredibly well for Needle Turn Applique, Bobbin and Machine Lace, Machine Applique (Straight Stitch, ZigZag, Blind Hem and Blanket Stitch,) Machine Embroidery, Dense Machine Quilting, Subtle Machine and Longarm Quilting, Basting, Whole Cloth and Micro Quilting, and Dense Background Designs.

Needle Recommendations

Perfect for: Needle Turn Applique, English Paper Piecing, Hand Piecing, Bobbin and Machine Lace, Machine Applique (Straight Stitch, Zig

Zag, Blind Hem and Blanket Stitch,) Machine Embroidery, Dense Machine Quilting, Subtle Machine and Longarm Quilting, Basting, Whole Cloth and Micro Quilting, Dense Background Designs 

Literally meaning "little stabs" or "little pierce", Sashiko is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery) from Japan. We added Sashiko stitching elements to a vest based on Japanese patching technique, Boro to complete this design.

Boro came to predominately signify clothing worn by the peasant farming classes in the Edo era of Japan who mended their garments with spare fabric scraps out of economic necessity. A boro garment would most likely be handed down over generations, eventually resembling a patchwork after decades of mending. Only in the modern era are we beginning to see the care and beauty of these textiles.

Sashiko Vest #1 is a long vest sewn using Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabric cotton cloth, then hand stitched in various Sashiko patterns using The Shibaguyz FAB Sashiko Essentials thread collection from Aurifil Thread.

Fabric: Body - Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabric in Indigo. 

Patches - Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabric from fat quarters in various colors.

Sashiko Stitching - Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby hand stitched Hitomezashi Sashiko patterns (where the pattern emerges from the alignment of single stitches made on a grid) then the garment pieces are machine sewn.

Pattern includes: 

Instructions for making the vest in Sizes Small through 5X and doing the sashiko stitching.

Fabric amounts for all sizes

Detailed schematics, stitching instructions for the vest and for the sashiko embellishments

SIZES 

Small (M, L, XL, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X) 

To Fit Measured Bust: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60)" / 81.3 (91.4, 101.6, 111.8, 121.9, 132.1, 142.2, 152.4)cm 

To Fit Finished Bust: 34 (38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62)" / 86.4 (96.5, 106.7, 116.8, 127.0, 137.2, 147.3, 157.5)cm 

SKILL LEVEL 

Intermediate 

MATERIALS 

Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabric 

2 YDs (3 YD for XL, 2X, 3X, 4X, and 5X) 

-Back Panel 

-Front Panels 

-Collar Panels 

-Sides Panels 

10 fat quarters in various colors for patches 

PLUS Two more fat quarters in the same color for the F Patch 1 (left and right) 

Sewing Machine 

Sashiko Notions 

Sashiko Thread 

Sashiko Needle and Thimble 

Sashiko Pattern Templates 

Not Required, but will make it easier 

Plastic grid 

Circular plastic grid 

Washable or heat removable White Marking Pen from Clover 

Washable Blue fabric marking pen(s) 

Serger/Overlock