I attended the EcoTitchfield launch event held at the Community Centre on the 15th February.
One of the stalls that caught my attention was the Revive and Revolve stall run by Jo. She is a repair and alterations specialist focusing on circularity and her aim is to inspire others to sew, repair and reuse their textiles.
This morning Pat Fox and I attended a workshop run by Jo in Gosport. We had been asked if there was anything specific we would like to learn – Pat took a favourite wool wrap that had been attacked by moths and I took a sweater belonging to my husband with a hole in the elbow. I had every intention of learning how to mend this but was side tracked into learning a new skill – Sashiko.
This is a Japanese embroidery technique that I had heard about and had long wanted to learn how to do. Sashiko emerged during the Edo period (1603 – 1867) as a practical way to reinforce and strengthen clothing, particularly against the cold, using readily available white cotton thread on indigo-dyed fabric. Sashiko uses simple even running stitches, creating small pockets of air that provide insulation (rather like hand quilting). Sashiko is now appreciated for its decorative qualities and is used in a wide variety of projects, including clothing, quilts and home goods. It can also be used very effectively as an attractive way to repair textiles.
Jo supplied each of us with a small kit consisting of a couple of squares of denim and some embroidery thread. She had marked a grid out on a separate piece of fabric for us to practice on. It is incredibly relaxing to sit with a group of like-minded people in a quiet environment simply being creative. You need to concentrate on what you are doing so the session had a very “zen like quality” in that no other worries can intrude.
My attempt at Sashiko
Pat’s wonderful repair.
I grew up in East and West Africa where everyone had to make do and mend because of a lack of resources, nothing ever goes to waste and if there is a possibility that an item could be repaired then it is. This ethos has always appealed to me as I am of a generation where we grew up doing just that – we need to encourage and teach the young people of today not to waste but to repurpose and get satisfaction from doing so.
Jo is definitely very inspiring and dedicated to Mindful Mending.
Sarah Billson
