Make and Mend: Sashiko-Inspired Embroidery Projects to Customize and Repair Textiles and Decorate Your Home

by Jessica Marquez

An exquisite, full-color guide to sashiko, a simple Japanese stitching technique that uses stunning patterns to decorate or repair clothing, accessories, and home textiles. Requiring no special equipment other than a sewing needle and thread, Make and Mend introduces the incredibly simple technique of sashiko--a striking hand-sewing method using a running stitch to form pleasing geometric patterns. Sashiko is traditionally used to mend and repair clothing and textiles, but it can just as easily be used to create beautiful, decorative projects for the home. With fifteen projects applying a modern, on-trend aesthetic to this ancient craft, Make and Mend shows readers how to apply sashiko stitching to a variety of craft projects, such as repairing torn jeans, mending a ripped hem, and making decorative pillows, napkins, a tablecloth, and a totebag. Touching on the concepts of beauty in minimalism and resourceful simplicity, as well as a fascination with Japan and Japanese design, this easy and accessible book appeals to both the seasoned maker and total beginner.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Sewing, Art, How To, Reference

160 pages, Hardcover

Published August 21, 2018

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among all these embroidery books I've read this past week I liked it more.
Well written and with complete structure explained and had patterns.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie "Alabama" Chanin featured this book in her journal entry from 18 October 2018. The book brings you back to the basics that I learned when I first started with embroidery work at 7-years old. That is, working with a grid to produce symmetrical designs.

The sashiko stitch evolved from Japan during the early Edo period (1615–1868) producing the folk style of boro mending in order to extend the life of clothing and household items. The idea of visible mending is part of the mindfulness movement of using our resources wisely instead of filling up the landfill with our fast fashion.

Marquez provides you with sufficient information and ideas to customize textiles or mend your favorite items for longer use. The pattern collection in the back section of the book provides sampler photographs followed in the next section by individual descriptions of the pattern and a diagram with stitch order in various colors.

Marquez's book complements the Sashiko Style sewing machine embroidery files that I have from PFAFF. I already made a sewing tool holder using the sashiko style stitches for embellishment. Next on my list is a repair of denim jeans at the knee.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

So incredibly good. The materials section gives specific recommendations for products, not just generic descriptions. I wasn’t particularly interested in making new items but I did love the Boro -inspired Tote made of denim scraps, some of which had been mended with Sashiko.

My primary interest was the Mend section. Some of the explanations are incomplete and/or don’t match illustrations. What I like about this book is that she illustrates some really lovely patterns and does the best job I’ve seen of explaining how to get those patterns into the fabric for use.

I also loved the needle weaving to repair holes.

Website of author www.miniaturerhino.com

Book at Irving Public Library

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, informative and helpful book on doing sashiko (an economical Japanese embroidery style) and using sashiko elements to decorate and repair fabric items. I browsed this and plan to come back to it when I have a sashiko project. The only thing it seems to be missing is the order in which to do sashiko stitching (something I learned at a sashiko workshop, but which differs from design to design) I browsed this and plan to come back to it when I have a sashiko project.

[Red · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Make + Mend" is a lovely introduction to Shashiko embroidery, which IS different from the beginning embroidery projects you might find elsewhere. It doesn't require much beyond the running stitches (a very basic beginner element) and the ability to count your stitches, but it does draw in other subjects that may be beyond a 'beginner' level. Things such as: monitoring the tension of the thread--which is a specific type of thread, not your standard US embroidery), creating and transferring patterns, multiple types of needles, hemming, Appliqué techniques, etc.

Pages 1-29 are the introduction to the subject
Pages 30-85 have to do with creating Shashiko inspired projects
Pages 86-127 are mending projects
Pages 128-149 are common patterns for both decoration and darning
Page 150: Acknowledgements
Page 151: Resources (supplies, stencils, fabric)
Page 152: Natural dyes & dried herbs
Page 153: Further reading

[Alyssa W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up at the library and read it in a sitting. Sashiko has always been interesting to me, and I really liked how this book went over all the basics. I've been casually sewing all my life and learned a few good tips and tricks! The projects were basic, but the standard instructions were really good. This book could easily be given to someone that has very little experience in sewing.

My only problem was that there were several parts where the instructions for something was a block of text with no pictures, making it hard to understand the steps to some of the skills. This was especially bad in the last section with the actual Sashiko patterns.

Overall opinion: Great little book to browse from a library, with lots of instructions and pattern ideas, but like many crafting/sewing books, not worth buying to keep.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Jessica Marquez. I took her embroidery class on Craftsy a few years ago. This book was informative, helpful, well-written and gave me lots of options and inspiration for Sashiko. I now have some great ideas and I was able to practice some of the patterns successfully. The needle weaving section was a nice touch.

There a nice array of patterns to try, great resources, and the Further Reading section includes some of my favorites. There is also a great download area on Jessica's website. I tried working some on denim which is a little tougher to penetrate that I expected. I wish the print would have lined up more with the photos which could have been larger but that may just be my preference and eyesight. I borrowed this book from the library but it rates consideration for my personal library.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When most people think of embroidery they think of their grandmothers doilies and table runners, or blankets of colorful thread pictures. This book goes beyond that. It’s about a specific style of embroidery that use geometric patterns to not only create art, but mend everyday use items like jeans, jackets, etc. The author heavily goes through making your own patterns, how they are drawn, and the easiest way to complete each pattern. As someone who has embroidered since childhood, I Liked seeing these new techniques and the unique patterns that seem fresh and new while being classic and useful.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This inspired some great sashiko mending projects. To note: repairing denim is a bit harder than it looks on the page - denim is so thick that making intricate designs was near impossible for me. But regardless, this is a great book and great style for anyone looking to add some art to their mending.

[Books on Asia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction to Japanese sashiko stitches and what you can do, make and design with them. The emphasis is on repurposing clothing and using materials or material scraps to create unique designs with sachiko stitching such as placemats, coasters, jeans and bags.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a source of inspiration for both creating new projects and for mending favorite clothing, mainly jeans. The focus is on decreasing waste and environmental footprint by using scrap or recycled fabric. This book opened my eyes to new sources of fabric, such as my own old clothing or thrift stores. I liked the stylish and functional project ideas, particularly the tote bag made from recycled denim and decorated with sashiko stitching. I also really liked the ideas for cute mending and decoration of damaged or ripped jeans. The mending is visible and probably not suitable for work, at least for me, but perfect for extending the life of favorite jeans on the weekend. This book is a nice companion to Mending Matters if you are interested in more reading on the subject.

[May-Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow, i love this technique so much! other than some light hand sewing, i felt out of my depth with the custom supplies and approach. but if i didn't have an energetic kid underfoot, sashiko could be something i dive into headfirst.

the book itself is beautiful. i found some of the instructions confusing, since a couple pieces would be shown demonstrating the same technique - i wish instead she'd stick with one piece so it's not confusing and then somewhere have a gallery of different examples of the work. i definitely wanted to see more use of all the techniques and more, more work (going to instagram to find all of that now!) this book serves as a how-to guide, so if you're expecting lots of history or an overview of sashiko, you might find another book to illustrate that.

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good how-to for mending using the sashiko technique. It’s a compact book so the pictures are somewhat small but they are attractive, and illustrate the concepts well. I already knew a tiny bit about sashiko before reading this book so things made sense, but there is a nice info section explaining the tradition, so I think even if you’ve never done sashiko before this book will still be useful, and a pretty good intro to the practice.

[Threading Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the designs and ideas to start with this kind of thread art (or mending)! Beautifully photographed to show off her style, color inspiration and creative vision! I found some of the construction for the projects a little hard to follow but as I have made clutches and totes before I am sure I can get those done 😁

[Sharon Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japanese quilting style

Clear directions with diagrams. Good explanation of this type of needlework. This is totally new to me, but I think I will enjoy doing a small starter project with this little guide book. If you like handcrafts and quilting, you will probably like this book.

[Karly Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the simplicity of sashiko. There are a lot of resources out there including tons of free ones on the internet. I think this is a really good reference/inspiration book and one to have if you are exploring this art form. Great photos. I particularly like the scarf, the hemming ideas, and of course, mending!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to learn how to incorporate sashiko stitches into new makes and mends. I have never done sashiko beyond a running stitch though and I found it a little hard to follow along with photos of the e-book version. As a visual learner, I need to watch someone else doing it then refer back to this book for some project ideas and templates. Great tips and supply ideas.

[G 3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of this book. As with many of these, I am going into it knowing more than the average reader about the subject and have to stop that clouding my judgement. I just don't think it would be how I would format this book, but hopefully I will use it for some great mending projects.

[Viviane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels a bit like cheating to mark as read a tutorial book without having actually done any of the projects, but first thing I learned is that I don't have the correct materials for mending lol

The explanations are easy to understand, although some feel incomplete. Very grateful for the list of patterns at the end.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed this from the library, but it is a resource I want to have on hand for reference. Clear instructions and easy to follow patterns, I will certainly use the ideas here to embellish future projects.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely instruction book on making and mending our own clothes and fabric items. I love the attitude regarding *the way we relate to our clothing and belongings*. I'll be using the instructions and patterns as I progress in my visible mending adventures.

[Myrna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice explanation of sashiko techniques and traditional stitches. I particularly like the traditional aspect of mending and recycling that sashiko has. The book includes some lovely patterns for repairs as well as new objects. Beautiful photography, too!

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for the person I want to be and not for the person I am. But I’ll def use the techniques to stitch up the crotch/thigh holes in my jeans because replacing jeans is a dystopian wasteland anyway.

[Jan Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a lot of great ideas for a framing project from the sashiko embroidery techniques in here. Also great for mending projects. I usually pass on craft-type books. This one excels. Highly recommend.

[Laney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well put together and practical book for mending and sashiko style embroidery. It also has excellent illustrations for stitch types along with step by steps for various types of projects. Highly recommend if you like sashiko and need a bit of inspiration.

[Stephanie Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a small book but I like the ideas for mending especially the woven pattern

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

keep your textiles going

[Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for someone wanting to try their hand at visible repairs or making new items using sashiko-type techniques. There is a nice range of projects to work on and techniques to try.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had known about this technique 50 years ago during my hippie days!

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good starter guide to repairing with Sashiko. Stitch motif reference included.