Time to Catch Up!

Time To Catch Up

Wow! I knew I hadn't blogged for a while but even I was shocked to see it's been almost TWO YEARS!

So a Catch Up is called for me thinks 🤔 

I haven't been busy. In fact for about Six Months I didn't pick up a Needle or Hook.

But I'm back in the saddle and Stitching again  Yay!

So I thought today I would step back into Blogging slowly.  I'm going to post some pictures of my Stitchings without too much explanation just to get things rolling again, and give you all a taste of what's been occurring.

Above Humphrey The Giraffe Appliquéd onto A Piece of Welsh Wool Blanket 

My Little Welsh Sheep. Appliquéd onto wool fabric from an Old Welsh Wool Blanket

 

Crochet - Beach Walk Blanket

Pattern by Marion Mitchel

Me and My Wool Felted Crochet Bag

Quick Serger Bag

Native Indian Bear

Outline Stitching 

Hope you have enjoyed seeing some of my Stitching. 

I'll give you more info on some of these pics in future posts. 

But I wonder...

Which of my projects appeals to you most?

Would you like to hear more about a specific one?

And

Have you made anything similar?

Until Next Time, Yours in Stitching 

Joy

P.S.  My posts on Boro work seem very popular.

So here is a link to My Posts on Boro Work

Boro Stitching - Needles & Threads

Following on from my Boro Bag Post .  I want to talk a little today about Needles, Threads and Fabric for Boro Stitching.

Basically to get the best results (and the most stress free Stitching experience) you need to use the best combination of needle and thread for the fabrics you are using.

Because, if you use a needle that is too small or big for you fabric and chosen thread your gonna hit problems, and at the very least your work is going to fight you. Basically not so much fun as frustration. So it pays to use the right tools for the job.

There are numerous types of Needles and Threads to use when sewing, which basically depend on the fabrics you are stitching and the effect you want to achieve. I could write a blog post on each one. But today I just want to focus a little on Needles, Threads and Fabrics for more traditional Boro Work.

You'll probably be pleased to know that Boro is traditionally worked with thicker threads and bigger needles! It's one of the reasons I love Boro, it's not fiddly and delicate it's simple and bold. And this simple bold work creates (in my humble opinion) a visual feast for the eyes.

Visible Mending. That's quite new wording for me. I have always thought of such work as patching, you know, cutting a patch of fabric to cover a hole, rip or tear and simply stitching it onto said fabric, usually clothing, and stitched to blend in. I'm  thinking boys trouser knees and pockets! But nowadays invisible Mending has been eclipsed by Visible Mending. You may think Visible Mending is a relatively new kid on the block, making a point of seeing the Mending. But no, the Japanise have been 'Visible Mending' for ever........ for more information on Boro

Traditional Boro fabrics are a slightly heavier weight and a more open weave than the Patchwork and Quilting fabrics many of us use. And that slightly heavier weight means thicker threads and Needles are ideal.

Fabric

For Sashiko and Boro it's best to use as Medium Weight Woven fabric with quite an open weave. The needles and Threads you will be using are quite thick to match the fabric weight. If you try and use a tight weave fabric the needle and thread will have difficulty penatrating it. It won't be easy to work and won't look right either. So save yourself the frustration and choose suitable fabrics. Check out the fabrics in the Susan Brisco link at the bottom of this post..

Threads.

Firstly, there is the obvious choice, the thread that the Japanese would use for Boro.  And this thread is called Sashico Thread. It is becoming more readily available, usually through specialist stores though. And more colours too (used to be mainly cream or indigo). Obviously it's the ideal choice. But you can create Boro Work with lots of other thicker threads. Remember the stitching is meant to be seen. Embroidery threads can work well, and of course they are easily available and come in a plethora of colours. If I'm using a six stranded thread I use either two or three strands for Boro. Pearle Cotton can work well also, I quite like Pearle Cotton no. 8.

I've stitched out a sample piece for you to see the effect of a few different threads. There are others you might like to try. I'm just showing a few to give you an idea of what you can use. I've included a Hand Quilting Thread so you can see for yourself that it really isn't thick enough to create a bold stitch on Sashiko weight fabrics.

Needles. 

Ideally with Sashiko Thread you would use a Sashiko Needle. They general come in two lengths. Use whichever you feel more comfortable using. You may well start and stay with the shorter needle. Or you may progress onto the longer one as you learn to put more Stitches on you needle. I've also used a Chenille Needle (no. 16 for me) as they are fairly widely available in shops.

The Sashiko Stitch itself is basically what I think of as a running stitch. Learn more about  Sashiko History, point 6 of this link explains clearly the difference between Sashiko and Boro I think.      Read a part of this link quote below.

Boro can be best defined as the mindful Japanese art of mending textiles, while Sashiko is a form of sustainable embroidery.

Above is a picture of some of my own Sashiko Stitching (along with some Appliqued Japanese Motifs. Note how different the Sashiko Stitch looks when used to create shapes as apposed to the simple straight lines typical of Boro Stitching using Sashiko Stitching.

Read my Post on Boro Inspired Stitching

It could be said that Boro Work although  based on the Sashiko Stitch is a simpler form of Sashiko 

So there you have it. My thoughts on Boro threads & needles. 

I first learned Sashiko from a Workshop with Susan Brisco many years ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But once I discovered Boro Work, I fell in love with it's simplicity.  I think as someone who doesn't like lots of rules and regulations I find the freedom of Boro suits my need to be non conformist, while feeding my love of Sashiko or running stitch.

Want to buy some supplies? Or just checkout out what is available take a look a this link to the Susan Brisco Shop.

Are you enjoying my musings? Check out my Social Media Links

Japanese Boro Bag

 

Here is a link to the Japanese Boro Bag Tutorial I used to make my own Boro Bag below.

And read about Sashiko and Boro Work

This tutorial has lovely pics and some basic instructions. I'm just going to go into a little bit of detail on how I put this bag together for those of you who need a little more detail. So this post is not how to make the bag. The Japanese Boro Bag Tutorial link above does that. This post simply gives a little more detail of how I made the Boro Bag. So follow the link instructions. They may well be enough for you to make your own Boro Bag. If not, here are a few details of how I made mine.

Making tabs

I used my contrast fabric but later realised it would have been easier to use the webbing I bought for the strap. You will need two pieces approx 3" to attach the bag strap,  one approx 7" for the fob.and a slightly thinner piece about 9" for the fastening loop. The bag webbing I used was 25mm/1". To make the fastening loop I cut a 1" strip from my fabric approx 9" long.

See Pics below for:

Detail of where to stitch webbing for strap.

Fob placement and stitching to main bag.

Detail of Fastening Loop

Making a Lining

Once you have the outer bag including the base and stitched together, you need to make a lining for you bag.

Simply cut out a piece of your chosen lining fabric the same size as your outer bag.

Next stitch up the sides of you lining. This will leave you with a lining pouch that you simply drop into you main bag (once you have stitched up the sides of your main bag). Remember to shape the bottom of your lining in the same way as the outer bag.The lining needs to drop into your bag with the wrong side of the lining facing the wrong/inside of your bag.

Above is my bag lining. I chose to add a pocket. But you can skip this step if you like. Note, the lining will need to be turn thru so the raw edges are on the outside before you drop it inside your main bag.

Strap Tab placement for main Bag Fabric

Remember the tabs for the strap need to face into you bag as in the pic above.

I then pinned the front toggle in place and stitched around the top edge using a long stitch on my sewing machine to hold it all in place.  You could hand tack this if you prefer. You can also just see the little tabs ready for the strap on either side of the bag.

Top Binding

Measure around the top opening of you bag & make up a binding 3" longer using your contrast fabric. How I make my binding

Stitch the binding to the inside of your bag top. How I attach my bindings

I then hand stitched the binding to the front of my bag.

Next I attached the Fastening Loop.  Can you see where I have machine stitched it to the back of my Boro Bag

Here is a close up of the front of the Fastening Loop and the lovely button I used. It was a fabric covered button I had in my Button Box which I added some hand stitching to. I'm quite proud of that!!

That's about it. Hopefully by following the link at the top of the page and my tips you'll soon be the proud owner of your own Boro Bag. 

I also made a little video about Boro work. My Boro Inspired Video

Read my blog post on my thoughts for Boro Needles, Threads and Fabrics

More of My Hand Stitching Adventures

And of course check out my Social media Links

Boro Inspired Stitching

 Hello there my Stitching Friends. Today I want to share with you my latest Boro Inspired piece of work. 

I find this Traditional Japanese style of stitching wonderfully relaxing. It's based on need rather than decoration but still manages to produce a visually strong finished piece of work. 

I'm making my piece of Boro fabric into a Bag. But technically that's the wrong way around! Boro traditionally didn't start It's life as Boro. It slowly became Boro over years of daily use and mending.....

Boro is filled with lots of lovely Hand Stitching called Sashiko in thick thread often  contrasting the fabrics it covers. (Think basic running or quilting stitches.) This simple stitch intended to be functional also creates a fabulous visual impact.

Read my post on Boro Needles and Threads Here

The bag I'm making came from this  Boro Bag link

I've thoroughly enjoyed the project. So much so that I created a YouTube Video showing how I created this piece. You can click on This Link  to watch my YouTube video about making this piece of Boro.

I hope you enjoyed watching my Boro video.

Also I've made lots of helpful How To Stitching Videos. Check out my My YouTube Channel here

And I'm also

On other Social Media

So, what did you think of my Boro Video?

Are you tempted to give it a try?

Or, have you already made some Boro Work?

Let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Joy