Sashiko Tea Towel Workshop with mai ide – Registration Full

Registration for this event is full! Sashiko Tea Towel Workshop with mai ide Saturday, October 31st, 10am – 2pm Japanese American Museum of Oregon 411 NW Flanders St., Portland, OR 97209 Cost: $100 for Friends of JAMO / $130 for general public Sashiko, with its “repair what matters” ethos, offered a different way of understanding value long before the modern sustainability movement. This traditional Japanese stitching practice transforms mending into both craft and philosophy, celebrating resourcefulness, durability, and deep respect for materials. In this four-hour, hands-on workshop with Portland-based visual artist mai ide, participants will learn several different classic Sashiko patterns and explore the art of invisible repair while creating their own individual cotton tea towel, or fukin. Along the way, we’ll look at what this centuries‑old tradition reveals about Japanese life, consumption, resilience, and the power of repair in a throwaway world. What we will explore… 1) Learning the meaning of several different patterns 2) How to thread a needle 3) How to make a knot (two ways) and alternative way of making a knot 4) Tips for Sashiko stitches 5) How to prepare your fabric for Sashiko stitching 6) Sashiko thread and needles 7) Several techniques and tips Bring your own lunch & drink to the workshop Please bring your own snippers and other Sashiko tools if you have them *The workshop price includes tea towel, Sashiko thread, and Sashiko needle What is Sashiko? Sashiko (刺し子) is a traditional Japanese embroidery and stitching dating back to the Edo period (1615 – 1868). It was first developed among working-class people, farmers, and fishermen to mend their daily clothes and clothing. Through Sashiko, they could make garments stronger, more durable, and last longer. They kept mending in this way and passed techniques down from generation to generation. As such, Sashiko is one of the oldest traditional Japanese upcycling techniques. Artist mai ide…