I hope you had a Good Year of 2022, and wish you Happy New Year of 2023. We (as Upcycle Stitches) will not be taking days off for these days. I will be either stitching, or planning(preparing) what to stitch next. 2022 was a challenging year for me with many…
Tag: Kofu
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Some of my Sashiko Artisans taught me how “difficult” it is to cut the fabric. F
Some of my Sashiko Artisans taught me how “difficult” it is to cut the fabric. For them, they said, cutting the fabric is the same as cutting our flesh (an analogy that we have to be serious & careful in cutting the fabric). I respect that, and somewhere, I follow…
@SashikoStory
Regardless of my fear(pain) in Cultural Appropriation in Sashiko, I am happy to
Regardless of my fear(pain) in Cultural Appropriation in Sashiko, I am happy to see many people get to know what Sashiko is. Although some information may be filtered/twisted, those who respect the origin will eventually reach the stories. After all, what I would like to do is to pass down…
@SashikoStory
It is an honor to have several opportunities to talk in public this Spring both
It is an honor to have several opportunities to talk in public this Spring both lectures & interviews. To be honest, I used to feel uncomfortable having an “interview” or a request to share my thoughts. Before Sashiko became this popular, they expected me to say something specific they wanted…
@SashikoStory
It is unfortunate that there aren’t many “(Art) Catalogue” for Sashiko pieces pu
It is unfortunate that there aren’t many “(Art) Catalogue” for Sashiko pieces published (in English) with proper description. Well, as always, there are reasons why “No so many Catalogue”. Sashiko is still on-going craftsmanship (although it is about to distinguish). One famous (Sashiko) book with great photos & description would…
@SashikoStory
I had an audio interview with a bright future journalist. She found my stories i
I had an audio interview with a bright future journalist. She found my stories interesting in which I thought it wasn’t so extraordinary. If the ordinary for Japanese people can be the extraordinary (in a positive way) to the world, then what I do can contribute to the better. In…
@UpcycleStitches
Sorting through a box of Japanese vintage fabric that Keiko collected for a spec
Sorting through a box of Japanese vintage fabric that Keiko collected for a special project. The Japanese vintage fabric obtained its value in the last 10 years. It used to be not so expensive… now it is extremely difficult to find a good vintage fabric (Good vintage fabric equals a…
@UpcycleStitches
School in remote for 5 years old is very challenging… well, it is very time-taki
School in remote for 5 years old is very challenging… well, it is very time-taking. I haven’t been able to work even 1/10 of what I plan. However, little by little, I will list whatever I can offer for you. The winter is coming, and I gotta do what I…
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There aren’t “specific techniques” to make (To-Be-) Boro, but there are millions
There aren’t “specific techniques” to make (To-Be-) Boro, but there are millions of ideas to make interesting To-Be-Boro pieces. The steps are very simple. (1) Fall in Love with a piece of Fabric → (2) Take Care of it (or Use it) → (3) Sashiko stitching (strengthening it or mend…
@UpcycleStitches
Slowly, but surely I am listing what we have created in the last 5 years for sal
Slowly, but surely I am listing what we have created in the last 5 years for sale. We try our best to follow the practice the Japanese would have done a few hundred years ago… Of course, all-hand stitched with Japanese vintage fabric, with a lot of caring & stitching….