Sashiko Embroidery - High Pavement Learning Centre - 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.

We 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

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:

• Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

• Greater London

• Greater Manchester

• Liverpool City Region

• Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland

• Tees Valley

• West of England

• West Midlands

• West Yorkshire

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.