Sashiko patterns: asanoha, seigaiha and hitomezashi

Sashiko is Japanese running-stitch embroidery that began as a way to mend and strengthen cloth. People stitch it on coasters, cushions and visible mends. These nine guides draw three traditional patterns: asanoha, seigaiha and hitomezashi. Each comes as even dashed lines, a single tracing line, or white dashes on indigo.

• a coaster
• a cushion front
• a visible mend on denim
• a tea towel edge

Frequently asked questions

Can I trace these onto fabric?

Yes. The tracing guide is one continuous line with tick marks for the repeat. The dashed style shows the stitches directly.

What is hitomezashi?

A sashiko pattern in which single stitches on a grid meet to form the design.

Is the white on indigo a different pattern?

No. It is the same dashed style in white on indigo, as on classic indigo cloth.

About toile

This page is a showcase and a starting point: nine samples already rendered, three readings of the pack crossed with three styles, each shown at the size and ratio it was made for. Take any of them further on the wall with a few words, or ask for all nine again under your own direction; a sign-in keeps what you make, and it is free while Toile is new. The recipe behind each sample — the subject, the style, the palette, the framing — travels with the image rather than staying private to the render: it is in the alt text of every sample and in the page's own structured data, so a search engine reads the same handles a person would.