Pattern/Technique: Asanoha Hitomezashi class taught by SASHIKO.LAB
Materials: Stitched on navy essex (cotton linen blend) with white Aurifil 18wt cotton thread
Lessons: This class was fantastic! Kazue, the instructor, is based in Kyoto and offers a monthly class that covers different styles and patterns of sashiko stitching. In class I learned that the asanoha pattern resembles a hemp leaf (which is frequently stitched on baby clothing because hemp is strong and grows well) and this style of stitching where each side of the shape unit is done in a single stitch is called hitomezashi (the moyozashi stitching style uses a running stitch, and is a style of sashiko I’ve seen far more frequently online).
It was really cool to get to do the construction process for the design using a 5mm grid. (My only previous experience with sashiko was stitching on a pre-printed panel of fabric.) I ended up using one my white mechanical fabric pencils to draw the design, and it seemed to hold up well enough to get through the foundational stitches.
Stitching on the grid guide worked far better for me than my previous experience of stitching a pre-printed pattern on fabric (I was spending so much mental energy trying to get all my stitches to be the same length as the printed pattern and couldn’t get into any flow). With the grid approach, the stitches felt far less constrained, and I was able to start getting into a rhythm with the running stitch (Atshushi at sashikostory has discussed this at length) which was really exciting.
Kazue recommended pulling the thread a bit tighter than usual (vs. a moyozashi pattern) as loose threads can make the asanoha pattern look distorted. The added tension also gave the fabric a lovely slightly crinkled texture.
The asanoha pattern is definitely a challenge for a beginner to keep track of (particularly steps 5 & 6), but Kazue had a super helpful breakdown of those steps. A good way to check if the stitching order is correct in steps 5 & 6 is to look at the reverse of the fabric and see if a honeycomb shape is formed.
The reverse of the finished cloth featuring a honeycomb pattern
Progress picture of the first sets of vertical/horizontal stitches