Yes, I have a new toy. Actually, it's a new sewing machine to add to my arsenal in the studio. It's called a Sashiko machine by Baby Lock. Sashiko is the Japanese term for hand quilting and it has been done in Japan for centuries. Only they used the hand stitches to layer fabrics on garments, rather than quilts for the bed. There are many traditional sashiko (quilting) designs to copy, but that's not why I got this machine.
It truly gives the look of hand quilting to whatever you are stitching on. Have you ever heard of a hand-picked zipper? In haute couture clothing, the seamstress will stitch tiny stitches on the outside of the fabric surrounding the zipper after it has been sewn into the garment. It's a beautiful treatment that is rarely seen today and is difficult to master the tiny, even stitches, and now it can be accomplished with the Sashiko machine. I love that the stitch length can be adjusted from very small to quite large, and the space between the stitches can also be adjusted as well, so the variations are almost endless.
Not to mention the quilts I can embellish with the look of hand quilting without the months of hand stitching, which is usually not practical. It's also a way to embellish clothing with the look of hand stitching as a decorative element. Ohhhhhh, the possibilities are almost endless!
Hopefully I will have some projects to show you in the near future utilizing this new technology.
Can't wait to play,
Deb
No comments:
Post a Comment