Summer School 2025 - Deposit
Summer School 2025 - Deposit
This listing is for a deposit to secure your place and will be put toward the cost of class materials - you will still be required to pay the £20 cost for each class.
Join us and tutor Anita Williamson for our annual summer school, which this year is inspired by the Japanese traditional crafts of Sashiko and Boro. Discover the history and philosophy behind the crafts and consider how these ideas could inspire a sustainable approach in how we consume textiles and garments. Through the sessions we will learn and practice how to stitch Sashiko, draw and transfer patterns, explore what is Boro, and how we can be inspired to creative visible mending.
Traditional Sashiko is as a domestic stitching technique developed in rural Japan, involving repetitive small stitches. Boro was created through the results of Sashiko and the layering and patching of cloth (often rags) to create garments of strength and warmth which often were passed down from one generation to another.
There will be 4 classes starting on the 3rd July 2025, held at the School on Thursday evenings from 5-8pm. These will cost £20 per week, plus a one-off payment of £5 for materials and equipment: this includes fabrics, threads, sashiko needles and marking tools. Teas, coffees and snacks are also provided. Lights and magnifiers are available to use, but it is recommended that you bring your own scissors.
Week 1:
An introduction to traditional styles of mending and the Japanese crafts of Sashiko and Boro. You will be encouraged to consider the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi and how we can use this as a tool in our stitch practice.
Getting started: we will identify and discuss the basic equipment, materials and threads needed. We will explore the practical steps involved in creating sashiko designs, how to start and finish the work, create sashiko stitches, how make a hatamusubi (loom or weavers knot). Then working on pre-marked fabric we will create practice pieces, stitching a design or motif. Using one of our practice pieces we will make a small mat with traditional corner tassels.
Week 2:
A further exploration of techniques covering how to prepare fabrics, drawing geometric patterns using grids, transferring designs to fabric, understanding the stitching sequence, working with motifs, stitching.
Week 3:
We will consider traditional and contemporary mending techniques alongside the issues of the current fashion system, reflecting on our own experiences and sharing why it is important to extend the life of our clothes and textiles. You will be encouraged to take part in the mending movement and using inspiration from sashiko to create a visible mending sample.
You are also welcome to bring along a piece of (woven) clothing or textile that needs repair, and as a group we can discuss how you might approach the mend.
Week 4:
Come along to learn about Anita’s mending project of an heirloom kilt for the College of Master Kilt Tailors, and to consider the importance of heritage items. You will be able to see and discuss the development of the project as well as the stitch sampling process.
Working on a piece of wool tartan, you will use your skills to create a unique sashiko inspired tartan stitch sample.
