Sashiko Embroidery - Beeston Library - Adult Learning

Discover the calming rhythm and timeless beauty of Sashiko, the traditional Japanese art of decorative reinforcement stitching. In this hands-on course, you’ll explore Sashiko’s heritage roots, learn core techniques, and create your own stitched piece to take home.

Perfect for beginners, slow stitch enthusiasts, visible‑mending fans, and anyone who enjoys mindful making.

This course will focus on wellbeing and how this can support your mental health in the workplace, looking at how creative activities can also lead to creating your own business.

This practical, beginner-friendly workshop introduces you to the essential techniques, cultural context, and creative possibilities of traditional Japanese Sashiko stitching. Across the sessions, you will develop both technical skills and an understanding of how slow, mindful craft can support wellbeing and personal development.

Will will cover:

• Brief history and cultural significance of Sashiko

• Its origins in repair, reinforcement, and sustainability

• Contemporary uses in visible mending and textile design Introduction to Sashiko

• Preparing fabric for stitching

• How to mark and align traditional geometric patterns

• Stitching a small item such as a coaster, patch, or panel

• Following a traditional motif and completing a full design

Materials List – Sashiko Embroidery

Essential Tools & Equipment

• Sashiko needles (long, sharp, with large eye) – 1–2 per learner

• Sashiko thread (20–30m skeins; white or coloured cotton)

• Thread snips or small embroidery scissors

• Thimble (traditional palm thimble or metal ring thimble)

• Fabric marking tools (some will be available to be used in classroom)

Fabric

• Indigo or dark cotton (approx. 25–30cm square per learner)

• Alternative: calico, linen, or cotton‑linen blend

• Pre‑cut squares for coasters/patches (10–12cm)

• Optional: denim scraps for visible mending

Funding and Fees

If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to take the course for free.
If money is stopping you from enrolling, please visit our funding page to see what help is available.

Living in England

To book and join one of our courses, you must live in England permanently and either:

• Live outside the devolved areas listed below, or

Live inside the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) area (Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire).

You cannot enrol if you live in these devolved areas:

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

• North East Combined Authority

• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

• Tees Valley Combined Authority

• West Midlands Combined Authority

• West of England Combined Authority

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Hull and East Yorkshire

• Greater Lincolnshire

• Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority

• Cornwall Council

• Lancashire Combined County Authority

• Buckinghamshire Council

Residency Requirements (Additional Information)

If you live in the UK on a visa, we’ll need evidence of your visa to confirm funding. You can upload this when applying, and you’ll need to complete a short questionnaire.

Some exceptions include:

• Your visa must last until after your course ends.

• Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for at least 6 months while their claim is being processed.

• You are supported by your local authority under Section 23C or 23CA of the Children Act 1989, or under the Care Act 2014.

Anyone who does not meet the funding criteria would need to pay full course fees.