This sashiko stitching cotton fabric is made specifically for sashiko stitching by the Olympus company in Japan, who have been making sashiko threads and pre-printed sashiko fabrics and kits for many decades.
It is the fabric used by Susan Briscoe in her book Sashiko 365
There are two colours available. Very dark indigo blue/ black colour, and a middle indigo blue colour. Choose which one you prefer when ordering. Susan used the middle indigo blue colour in the book. The dark one is a blue so dark it looks black to some people and is the most valued of the indigo dyed blue colours because it is the hardest depth of colour to achieve. (This fabric is not vegetable indigo dyed and will not rub off on other fabrics)
The colour and slight texture in the woven surface give this fabric the feel and look of a traditional Takumi artisan-made cloth. The Olympus company is known for its high quality fabrics and for retaining the integrity of the traditional Japanese fabrics while at the same time using modern manufacturing processes to make them meet our modern expectations.
The dye in this fabric will not bleed or rub off on other fabrics, it is machine wash and dry, has no noticeable shrinkage when washed, and will wear well over time. It is thicker and has a firmer body than quilting fabrics, but is easy to hand stitch with the larger sashiko needles and thick sashiko threads.
Altogether, this is a high quality fabric and it is higher in price than other fabrics, but if you are making a project like the Sashiko 365 sampler quilt, or any project that you will be putting considerable time into, and you expect to enjoy for a long time, consider using it.
Ordering: Choose colour when placing your order.
Order by 1/2 meter, the fabric will be sent to you in one uncut length
This fabric is 44" wide. For every 19.5" in length you want put 1 unit in the order amount box. This means if you put 2 in the box you will be send 39" long (1 meter) and so on. The fabric will be sent to you in one uncut piece.
Other options for a special sashiko projects would be Azumino-momen or Sakizome-momen or Tsumugi-momen (Tsumugi is a lighter weight fabric). These are also made by Olympus and meet the same quality standards but will give you more colour options and are very beautiful! You can see them on this website, but in most cases if you need more than a meter or two, you will need to email me how much you need and expect a wait as I will then order for you from Japan.
susan@athreadednedneedle.com
