If you’ve been wanting to try sashiko but all those perfectly spaced little stitches have made you slightly nervous, Simple Sashiko by Susie Johns looks like a very friendly place to begin.
Rather than being a huge dictionary of sashiko patterns, this book is built around 20 useful projects, which I really like. You learn the technique and actually turn your stitching into something rather than ending up with another beautifully embroidered square sitting in the craft cupboard waiting for a purpose.
Projects include a tea towel, cushion cover, table mats, pot holder, covered buttons, a knot bag and a traditional furoshiki wrapping cloth, which is a lovely reusable alternative to paper gift wrap.
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Why I Like This Sashiko Book for Beginners
Sashiko is based around running stitch, so you don’t need to learn dozens of complicated embroidery stitches before you can get started.
The book begins with the tools, materials and basic techniques you need, and the projects then give you plenty of opportunity to practise those simple stitches while building up the geometric patterns.
If you’re completely new to the technique, start with our beginner’s guide to sashiko embroidery for a quick introduction to how this traditional Japanese stitching style works.
Looking through the preview pages of Simple Sashiko, I particularly like that the projects aren’t all variations of the same indigo square. There are practical homewares, bags and smaller projects, along with both traditional geometric designs and more decorative motifs.
The pot holder is a particularly achievable first project, while the cushion and table textiles give you somewhere to show off your stitching once you become a little more confident.
We also have a sashiko embroidered cushion tutorial if cushions are where you’d like to start.
Sashiko That Actually Gets Used
One of the things I have always liked about sashiko is its practical history.
It wasn’t originally about creating perfect decorative embroidery to hang on a wall. Sashiko was used to reinforce, repair and extend the life of fabric, and that idea of making textiles last feels particularly relevant again now.
It’s also a brilliant technique for using fabric scraps and giving older clothes and household textiles another life.
If that side of sashiko appeals to you, we’ve also featured a sashiko denim scrap bag tutorial which combines the stitching technique with recycled denim.
My Take
I think Simple Sashiko would be a lovely first sashiko book, particularly for someone who enjoys slow stitching, visible mending, Japanese embroidery or practical handmade homewares.
The projects look modern and achievable without losing the traditional character that makes sashiko so appealing.
And because the basic technique needs relatively little equipment, this is also one of those crafts you can pick up without buying an entire cupboard full of supplies first.
Although I’m sure we’ll all manage to buy another cupboard full of fabric eventually anyway.
Simple Sashiko: 20 Projects to Create & Inspire is written by Susie Johns and published by GMC Publications. It is due for release on September 15, 2026, with a listed RRP of $26.99.
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