Sashiko embroidery class

Finished sashiko embroidery

In September, 2009, I joined three other artists - one all the way from Maine - in a beginning sashiko class, taught by Miho Takeuchi, at the New England Quilt Museum. Like many under-funded cultural institutions, the Museum's programmatic needs don't fit well within its space, a former bank building. Classes are held at a table set up at the shop, but somehow the mercantile setting - we were on display as we stitched - was fine, and at least it was easy to buy supplies.

Miho is a very good teacher and her website is: http://www.designbyaika.com/

Sashiko is a very old Japanese technique, derived from a thrifty habit of quilting farmers' jackets for added warmth.

For this beginning class we used:

Pre-printed pattern on sashiko cloth, a loosely woven, plain weave material
A fat quarter of plain weave fabric of our choice, loosely woven

Sashiko thread, a low-twist, low sheen multi-ply filament;
plies are not separated when used
Sashiko needles, similar to crewel embroidery needles

Waxed carbon paper, such as Chacopy, made by Clover
Blunt edged tracing wheel, also available from Clover
Sheet protectors
Lightweight flower pins

General sewing supplies: thimble, scissors, pencil, notebook

Sashiko supplies

Miho showed us how to handle the skein of thread to prevent tangling, and after cutting an 18" or so length we began. Sashiko is an exercise in linear program, as one seeks to stitch all the lines of the pattern with a minimum of back-tracking, start-and-stops, and wasted thread. The technique is a simple running stitch with two or three stitches loaded on the needle at once before the thread is pulled through.

Stitching diagram

First lines - horizontals, straight diagonals, then moving diagonals

Miho doesn't knot the thread on the reverse side - she weaves a short tail back into a few stitches to secure. I learned not to do this back-stitching until I was finished, but instead to just leave the length of thread unsecured. This allowed me to use the dangling thread to pick up any partial motifs.

Below are sequential images of the project

All finished except for the frame around the pattern
Image at top of blog show completed pattern

Back of work showing back stitching at beginnings and ends, and carried threads
Care is taken to prevent puckering

No hoop is used, so it's important to maintain a loose tension on the thread. Whenever I had to carry the thread on the back, I was careful to make the carry very loose. For a good result visually, Miho pointed out that we should pay special attention to the stitch length in any area where many stitching lines intersect - such as at the circles at the center of the "stars" in the pattern above.

After we had a good start on the pre-printed pattern, which I finished at home, Miho also showed us how to transfer patterns to unprinted cloth. Miho slips a pattern inside a sheet protector, places the waxed carbon paper face down onto cloth and then transfers the pattern with firm back and forth strokes using the tracing wheel. The wheel indents the pattern onto the sheet protector, making it easy to track progress.

Tools for pattern transfer:
paper pattern, sheet protector, carbon paper and tracing wheel,
all placed on solid blue fabric

Flat flower pins don't get in the way of the ruler when marking straight-aways
You can't see the carbon paper but it's under the sheet protector

Of course, the indented sheet protectors can be reused; just transfer the design in some systematic manner, or mark each finished line in some way.

Some traditional patterns

My wave pattern, transferred, and in progress

Reverse of wave pattern, showing the carried thread

For the class I brought some Robert Kaufman Kona cotton, but I wouldn't recommend this material. It's too tightly woven, so the thick sashiko thread is restricted as it goes through the snug weave, and doesn't relax as flat as it does with the sashiko fabric.

The Japanese fabric available at the New England Quilt Museum is gorgeous, distributed by a company called Olympus and is vegetal dyed. This may account for its price - $27/ yard. According to Purl Soho, Kaufman's Essex fabric, a linen/cotton blend, works very well for sashiko and Purl sells this fabric for $9.00/yard, http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/fabricdetail/3539

Of course, when you transfer your own pattern, you don't have the perfect stitch layout all marked for you, as on the pre-printed fabric. After completing the pre-printed design however- and there is something soothingly meditative about this work- you develop almost a muscle memory for the stitch.

Menswear Quilts, New England Quilt Museum

This image is from the exhibit publicity postcard.
Portrait necktie quilt, anonymous maker, private collection.

Quilt made from suiting and other wools; the heaviness of the fabric makes quilting difficult so the quilt is tied through at intervals with gray yarn.

From television's Mad Men to the Star Trek prequel movie, the culture's lately been re-examining men, and their wardrobes, in the imagined past and the imagined future. For an authentic look at haberdashery textiles, check out Master Pieces: Haberdashery Textiles in Antique Quilts, on view at the New England Quilt Museum from September 24-November 15, 2009; more info can be found at http://www.nequiltmuseum.org/

Museum Director, Connie Colom Barlow, and lecturer/curator Laura Fisher.
In front is a menswear quilt Laura allowed us to touch and examine.
There are remnants of bright decorative embroidery at every seam.

I attended the opening lecture by guest curator and Board member Laura Fisher; she's coined the phrase "menswear quilt" and noted that these quilts are a hard sell, as she put it, because they're not like the "pretty" quilts we're so used to. Due to circumstances beyond her control, Ms. Fisher was unable to accompany her thoughtful text with a formal visual presentation. Ms. Fisher, reading from lectures notes, is obviously very knowledgable, but it was like going back in time to 19th century Harvard, when Professor Charles Eliot Norton, summoning up images only with his words, held forth on art history in a pre-Kodachrome, pre-Power Point era. Ms. Fisher does have an informative website: http://www.laurafisherquilts.com/

The quilts are cultural artifacts - made of military uniforms, ties, shirtings, suit fabric samples and even knit socks. Like the quilts of Gee's Bend, these items uniquely reflect a time and a place; a few rise to the level of work of art. As documents of contemporary textiles, however, the quilts are wonderful, as are the accompanying swatch books and advertisements shown in display cases. If you are interested in what men wore back in the day, check it out.

I think these fabrics would have been used for boy's clothing.
In addition to baseball, other fabrics featured dogs and toys.

Kyoto Day 5, Arashiyama Bamboo grove

Walking through the bamboo grove

My husband and I had the opportunity to spend five days in Kyoto in May, 2009. This blog post continues my attempt to share some of that journey. Unless noted, we took all the photos, which are just our snapshots, minimally processed.

Following our activities in Ohara, (see Kyoto Day 5, Ohara and indigo dyeing) Jay and I raced back to the hotel, dropped off the scarves we had dyed, and trotted down to the lobby, where I asked a nice desk associate to write in my journal book that we wished to be dropped off near the entrance to the Arashiyama Bamboo grove. She kindly called us a cab, and the black vehicle arrived, shiny and immaculate as always. By this time, we had learned not to touch the rear passenger door, as this door is automated and slides open by itself. We showed the driver, in his standard uniform and white gloves, the Japanese instructions. Well, it sort of worked - we got to Arashiyama, anyway, and were dropped off, not near the bamboo grove, but by the picturesque Togetsuo-kyo bridge. Close enough, and probably more convenient for the driver, or perhaps he wanted to ensure we saw this famous bridge.

We walked along the main street in this district, located to the southwest of Kyoto, past many shops selling items for Japanese visitors, to the main gate of the Tenryu-ji temple complex. Knowing that there was an entry to the bamboo grove at the north gate of the temple, and not sure if we could find this entrance from the street (again, not much Western language signage around) we chose to pay the admission fee for the temple, and strolled through the garden. We were on a mission, though, so onto the grove.

Cool and quiet in the shade

Walking through the grove is like being 2" and walking through tall grass. Jay reached over the railing a one point, and pushed one of the tall shoots. It oscillated, like a thick, plucked string, and one second later water droplets, from the leaves far above our heads, rained down. Bamboo dew.

Leaves, way up at the tops of the stalks

Strolling from one end of the grove to the other takes about fifteen to twenty minutes; be sure and complete your stroll by 4 pm if you want to ride the narrow gauge railroad, or Romantic Train, back to town. To get to the station, turn right upon exiting the bamboo grove. Surprisingly, there's little info on the Torokko train, as it is called on the Kyoto map, in the Lonely Planet guide.

Unfortunately, we saw the last train depart as we reached the end of the grove. We visited the station anyway, which was all closed up and with no easy-to-decipher information on scheduling. It was clear enough, though, that the train had stopped running for the day.

Missing the Romantic Train, or Torokko, was bit inconvenient, as the narrow gauge train takes you to Saga Arashiyama, the train station on the JR San-in Sangano Line, which will get you back to downtown Kyoto with the fewest number of transfers. The subway in Kyoto is wonderful but unlike the lines in Boston and New York, where all lines are under the umbrella of one authority, the Kyoto lines are administered by different entities, so it can be more confusing when you transfer from one line to another. For more info on transportation, some nice photos and a map diagram, see http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3912.html
So, we had rather a long walk back through the residential area of Arashiyama, to our train station, but it was worth it to have seen the bamboo. For dinner I introduced DH to the Kuchi-hachi grill restaurant, and then home to pack for our return to the States the next day.

Looking back down the walk through the grove

SOWA street market, South End, Boston

Sunflowers for sale at SoWa market

"Skirt" of handbags for sale, SoWa Market

On a warm, sunny afternoon in late September, DH and I took ourselves to an outdoor bazaar in the South End. This is actually three markets, in locations along Harrison Ave. The largest outdoor section is at 540 Harrison Ave., and includes about forty juried vendors selling everything from macaroons to jewelry to dog apparel.

Lucky dog selecting new collar

Need a Peace on Earth serigraph?

Stuffed animal toys, for the modern child or child-at-heart

Spreadable fruit display, Deborah's kitchen

This army marches on its stomach, so we purchased some nice chocolate macaroons from Klara's Gourmet Cookies, www.klarasgourmetcookies.com, and jars of Wild Blues and Mango Sunshine jams from Deborah's Kitchen, www. deborahskitchen.com. I've had Deborah's products before, which I like as they are made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.

Check out the antiques market just to enjoy the soaring spaces of these old brick buildings

In the brick buildings behind these vendors there is an antique market; one of the more interesting vendors sells restored vintage radios.

A reminder of the days when radios where like pieces of furniture

Eye-catching shopper, amid flea market finds

A short walk brought us to 500 Harrison, with a small farmer's market and a few non-profits selling artisan-made items - including these beautiful necklaces of beads made by women in Uganda.

Beads made by Ugandan women, from recycled paper

Pumpkins and Hubbard squash, at produce section of market

To find out more about the market, including hours and days of operation, check out http://www.southendopenmarket.com.

NOTE WELL: the parking directions on the website, as of our visit, 9/21/09, are not correct. There is no public parking at 500 Harrison Ave. for market go-ers. A blue-jacketed parking attendant told us that there used to be public parking at this surface lot but not any more. The public garages can be accessed from Albany St., one block south of, and parallel to, Harrison Ave.

Bright banner marks the territory

Kyoto Day 5, Ohara and Indigo dyeing

My husband and I had the opportunity to spend five days in Kyoto in May, 2009. This blog post continues my attempt to share some of that journey. Unless noted, we took all the photos, which are just our snapshots, minimally processed.

Stone infant and small shrine, Sanzen-in temple

This was the best day overall. Right after breakfast, DH and I joined the Kyoto Kimono travellers, piled into two taxis and were whisked off to the farming town of Ohara, in the Kitayama Mountains, to the northeast of Kyoto. After just about twenty minutes we arrived. The total taxi fare was under $100, for the eight of us, so Nancy was smart to ignore the advice to take the bus, as the bus ride would have taken about an hour and cost about $6 each. While it's fun to take buses in different countries - you really get more of a feel for everyday life - we arrived refreshed, and had more time in Ohara, so it was worth it to take the taxis.

Shorin-in temple, in the rain

Brightly-colored combination map-aerial view, typical guide to temples
Alas, no leaflet or signage in English

In a light rain we walked past the main gate of the major attraction in Ohara, the Sanzen-in temple complex, to a wonderful little temple, Shorin-in. The Lonely Planet guide says "This temple is worth a look...to admire the thatched roof of the main hall." Well, this sells it a bit short - the roof is a wonderful, expansive structure, but the whole place is just a gem, nestled into the hillside, with beautiful carving, a bell, and a pond complete with frog serenading us in the rain. And we were the only people there, apart from the caretaker, an elderly woman who answered questions from Nobuku, the lovely Japanese-American woman in our group.

Nobuku-san, right, and caretaker, left, in front of Buddha

A better look at the Buddha

The caretaker noticed me photographing the roof brackets, which were masterfully carved and pierced, and told us, if I'm remembering correctly, that such work is called basket-style carving. The name suggests that the pierced carving allows light through, like the open weave of a basket.

Carved brackets, Shorin-in temple

We back-tracked to Sanzen-in, entered through the Goten-mon gate, and more or less wandered on our own, keeping one eye out for leader Nancy - the day was a nice combination of structure and freedom, as DH and I balanced the inevitable push-pull of following our interests with the dynamic and needs of the group.

School group posing in front of Goten-mon Gate, Sanzen-in temple

There is a handy leaflet in English and we followed the route for visitors through the Kyakuden (guest hall) and Shinden (main house), viewed various gardens, went around the Amida hall and past the garden statues.

Pocket garden at Sanzen-in

Garden, viewed from veranda

Detail, drip edge of temple structure
Pebbles prevent erosion as water drops off gutter-less roof

Umbrella-toting vistors circle Amida hall. For more images, including beautiful seasonal color: http://www.taleofgenji.org/sanzen-in.html

Up the steps, lined with bright red banners, to the orange-and-white Kannon-do, and the odd (to us) sight of the Sho-Kannon-zo, rows and rows of miniature bodhisattvas. These small figurines, resting in what DH, rather irreverently, described as Buddhist condos, were dedicated by people whose wishes have been fulfilled.

Banners along path, and statue of bodhisattva

Kannon-do, houses a golden figure of a bodhisattva
credited with the power to grant the wishes of visitors

Sho-Kannon-zo

We also stopped by a small pavilion where Nancy and Christine were sipping an herbal infusion with gold flecks, sold by two nice elderly ladies. We brought a packet of the tea to bring home, although I should also have asked for brewing directions. Well, there's always trial-and-error.

Back down the path

Statues of children, in the garden moss

We didn't have time to see everything in this large, historic complex, as we were due for lunch at a local restaurant. On our walk to the restaurant we passed a pickle merchant - Ohara is known for pickled products. The pickled cucumber on a stick was nice and crunchy and not too tart.

Pickle on a stick - delicious!

Ohara is also known for a tradition of women carrying bundles of firewood, and other items to sell, atop the head. There is still an annual festival with re-enactors: http://www.japan-photo.de/e-ohara.htm

Figure in traditional pose

We did indeed have a good time at the restaurant - delightful presentation of food - and spent a bit of time in the upstairs boutique.

DH in front of restaurant, main street, Ohara

Close-up of entry to restaurant
Noren, or door curtains, in the boro tradition -
using up scraps of cloth, often indigo
Boro literally means "tattered rags"

Long-suffering DH, in front of yummy lunch

We were really out in the country
Field of purple shiso, the leaf that is found under a serving of sushi

Then on to our dyeing workshop, at a small organic farm run by a man and his family, whose names all remain a mystery, as we simply called the artist Sensei, or teacher. Nancy is a bit casual with names of people and places or perhaps didn't want to overload us with info.

Fields at the organic farm, with misty hills

Postcard of farmhouse, with hand-dyed skeins

The farmhouse was wonderful, with its sweeping gable roof, and, as the workshop evidently grows its own dyestuffs, there were about 4 acres or so (I'm guessing here) of various dye plants, although I did see bags of imported cochineal too.

Herbs drying

Our Sensei

The interior was a mix of display, storage and work space; it's always a treat to visit a busy artist's work space.

Yarn and looms

We clustered around a low table in one room and were shown several types of white scarves or other items we could select to dye. DH chose a silk scarf, shot with gold thread, that we hoped daughter would like, and I selected a sheer window pane weave.

Pots of color

We donned aprons and boots, and moved into a covered area in front of the farmhouse where the dyevats were and, after a bit of an introduction by our sensei, began dipping our scarves into the vats, using lengths of pipe which looked like the same electrical metal tubing I use to hang my quilts. I was on a mission at that point, and followed Lynn to another indigo vat when the first one proved too weak.

Cher and helper dyeing scarf

This vat was in-ground, of undetermined depth - don't drop the scarf - but good and strong. DH used a weak rose madder dyebath, and after 40 minutes had a pale apricot colored scarf. I wasn't going home, though, without a deep, dark indigo pigment, darnit, and at that point would have pushed my grandmother out of the way to get depth of color. Single-mindedness rewarded, my scarf emerged a beautiful dark blue after being mordanted and then processed by one of the sensei's young female helpers.

Finished scarves, drying
My scarf is the dark blue one

We all hung our scarves up to dry, then the sensei's mother, who seemed like a very nice, practical kind of person, ironed them for us and another helper did the inevitable lovely packaging job the visitor receives with every purchase in Japan.

DH's scarf is the pale apricot one in the middle

The dyer does not have a website or even email, so this is another experience that requires a Japanese-speaking intermediary.

Nancy had arranged for more taxis to meet us after the activity, so we returned to Kyoto in style and good time, new accessories in hand. The sensei was quite effusive in his good-byes; maybe it was the gift of Crown Royal Nancy brought him.

Statue of tanuki, translated as raccoon-dog, welcomes diners to a restaurant
He knows how to have a good time