How to Do Sashiko Stitching: Easy, Beautiful Visible Mending

Learn how to do sashiko stitching to create visible mending with beautiful geometric patterns.

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It’s bedtime. I take off my little boy’s trousers, and let out a big, frustrated sigh.

This is the third pair of trousers he’s worn through in as many weeks!

I chuck them into a box under our bed, where there are broken zips, worn out elbows and those slightly embarrassing crotch tears that always seem to come at exactly the wrong time.

With four children in the house, I need to be able to mend things quickly, and I want it to be fun for a spot of afternoon stitching.

This is exactly why I love sashiko so much.

Super beautiful, surprisingly fun and so simple you can do it with a toddler on your knee.

Come with me today as I teach you this special Japanese mending method.

Close-up of a pair of dark blue jeans with visible white Japanese sashiko stitching repairs on both knees, forming cross patterns. The jeans are laid flat on a light-colored surface.

What is Sashiko?

Sashiko is a Japanese stitching style that was originally used by working class people as a means to mend used clothing and household items. Sashiko literally means little stabs, referring to the repeated, even stitches.

Worked with white thread, a long needle and a simple running stitch, sashiko is a fun option when you want your mending to be decorative as well as functional.

Typically the little white stitches are used to create geometric designs, but the beauty of sashiko embroidery is that you can make it as simple or as intricate as you like.

Sashiko is now sometimes used purely as an embroidery technique (without the mending aspect) and you can buy or make sashiko samplers to give this a go. But I still love honouring the origin of sashiko and using it for mending.

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The Rules of Sashiko Stitching (And Why It’s OK to Break Them!)

Sashiko is a historic form of hand embroidery, so there are some ‘rules’ to the technique that are important to recognise. Having said that, I also think that creativity is a beautiful thing, so you can take these methods and put your own spin on them!

Sashiko Needle and Thread

Traditionally, Japanese sashiko stitching is done using a special sashiko needle and thread. Sashiko needles are very long and have a larger eye than other needles. The thread is traditionally white cotton thread, that is highly durable.

Having tried these, I think it’s worth investing a small amount in the right materials, as it gives you the best result.

I bought my sashiko needle and thread from here, but there are lots of places that sell similar.

However, if you’re not too bothered about perfection, then a long embroidery needle and embroidery floss (use all 6 strands) will work just fine.

You can also buy special sashiko thimbles if you’d like to use the traditional method of holding the needle.

A white plate holds sewing tools, including a pair of scissors, safety pins, sashiko thread, and a thimble. Nearby, denim fabric pieces are ready to be mended.

Sashiko stitching order and size

The most important thing for creating sashiko’s beautiful lines of stitches is to keep your stitches the same size.

Usually, sashiko is worked by creating all the horizontal lines and then adding the vertical and diagonal lines after that. It’s a good idea to mark your design in washable ink or chalk before you start sewing to help with this.

Wherever your lines cross over, for example when creating star shapes, leave the centre of the design over (that is, don’t cross your sashiko stitches). You can see some sashiko patterns here for inspiration.

How to Mend Clothing Using Japanese Sashiko Stitching

Supplies

You will need:

Item with a hole in
Fabric scraps
Fabric scissors
Pins or safety pins
Sashiko needle or long embroidery needle
Sashiko thread or embroidery threads
Thimble
Taylor’s chalk or erasable pen (optional)

Close-up of a sewing machine in action, overlocking the edge of a patch of blue fabric. The needle and presser foot are visible, along with the metal plate marked with measurement lines.

Close-up of a dark blue fabric patch with two sashiko needle poised on top, beside gold-colored scissors on a light-colored surface.

Step 1: Cut out your patch

Cut a patch of fabric that covers the hole and a few centimetres around the edge.

To stop the edges of the patch fraying, overlock the edges, use a zigzag stitch or cut the edges with pinking shears.

A pair of blue jeans, inside out, with dark blue Sashiko patches pinned onto the legs lies on a cream-colored surface.

Step 2: Pin the Patch Inside the Garment

Pin the patch to the reverse of the garment, through both layers of fabric, centred over the hole. I started off using pins, but safety pins work slightly better as they’re less likely to move. Flip the garment right side out again.

At this point, you may want to mark a rectangle or lines with erasable pen or chalk, to indicate where you’re planning to sew, but this isn’t essential.

Step 3: Thread the Needle and Secure your Thread

Thread your needle and knot the end of the thread.

Starting on the inside of the garment, in an area where the garment is still intact (i.e. not where the hole is!) bring the needle up through the patch and fabric to the right side, then tug the thread to bring the knot between the patch and the garment fabric. You’re ready to start stitching!

Step 4: Start Sashiko Stitching!

Bring the needle down and up through the fabric several times, until you have your needle loaded, then pull the needle through to create your stitches. Loading the needle like this is part of the tradition of sashiko and helps to create even stitches.

A close-up of blue denim jeans with a small tear being mended using Sashiko, the Japanese stitching technique. A needle with white thread weaves in and out around the tear, demonstrating the artful process of hand-stitching on a textured, light-colored surface.

Close-up of denim fabric showcasing the Sashiko technique with visible hand-stitching and a threaded needle. The parallel stitches run in a straight line above the small hole.

Step 5: Create your Design

Continue like this until your design is complete. Feel free to get as creative as you like!

Pinterest is a great resource for inspiration. Note, if you want to create crosses like I did, the best way is to create all the horizontal stitches first and then go back and create all the vertical stitches.

Step 6: Finishing off your Sashiko stitching

Once your design is complete, bring the needle to the back of the fabric and secure loose ends with a knot.

Then tell all your friends about how you’ve created something beautiful out of a piece of clothing destined for the bin!

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – sashiko is suitable for sewists of any skill level! The simple stitches are easy for beginners to create, so you’ll find it doable even if you’re not used to picking up a needle and thread.

Sashiko is a traditional Japanese stitching technique that uses simple running stitches to create geometric, often repeating patterns.

It began as a practical way to reinforce fabric, strengthen worn areas, and add decoration.

Embroidery, by contrast, is usually purely decorative and uses many different stitch types, textures, and colours.

Sashiko is more structured and rhythmic, whereas embroidery can be more free-form and expressive.

No – sashiko thread is thicker, softer, and has a matte, cotton texture that helps each stitch look bold and defined. It’s usually loosely twisted so the stitches sit slightly raised on the fabric.

Standard sewing thread is much finer, tightly twisted, and made for machine-sewn seams.

If you don’t have sashiko thread to hand, the closest thing that’s widely available is embroidery thread.

Sashiko is a hand-stitching technique, and the beauty of it comes from the slight irregularities and rhythm of hand-made stitches.

A sewing machine can mimic a running stitch, but it won’t produce the characteristic spacing or raised texture. There are specialised sashiko-style machines, but a regular domestic machine can’t replicate true sashiko stitching.

You don’t have to use a hoop. Traditionally sashiko is worked without one, because the fabric needs to stay fairly relaxed so the long running stitches can “flow” through it.

If your fabric is very soft or stretchy, you can use a hoop loosely, but most people find it easier to stitch without one.

Sashiko needles are longer than standard needles and have a larger eye to accommodate thicker thread. The extra length helps you load several stitches onto the needle at once, which is part of the technique.

You can use a long embroidery needle if needed, but true sashiko needles make the process smoother and more accurate.

Classic sashiko designs include repeating geometric motifs such as:

Asanoha (hemp leaf)
Seigaiha (overlapping waves)
Kōshi (simple grids)
Shippo (interlocking circles)
Yabane (arrow feathers)
Kaki no hana (persimmon flower)

These patterns are typically built from straight lines, curves, and repeated shapes that create a beautiful, structured effect.

Using a sashiko needle helps to keep your stitches even, as the length allows you to load multiple stitches at once, naturally guiding the spacing.

Work slowly, keep the fabric relaxed rather than taut, and use the resting hand beneath the fabric to feel the needle as it moves in and out—this helps maintain rhythm and stitch length. Over time your hands build a natural cadence, and the spacing becomes more even on its own.

If You Loved Sashiko, Try This

Now you’ve learnt the basics of sashiko, you might also like to try a different way of mending like darning, which you can learn all about here.

Or you can try my beginner-friendly mending course, which teaches you how to mend your clothes in under 20 minutes (really!). You can find that here.

You might also like smocking, another hand embroidery technique that’s simply beautiful!

Whatever you try, you’ll never need worry about another torn knee 🤍

How to Do Sashiko Stitching: Easy, Beautiful Visible Mending

What is Sashiko?

Mend Your Clothes in Minutes