Clothing: Zakka Style In Praise of the Running Stitch By Linda Lee

Transcription

1 Clothing: Zakka Style In Praise of the Running Stitch By Linda Lee 1

2 What is Zakka? Zakka is a fashion and design phenomenon that began in Japan and has spread around the world. The term refers to anything that improves your home, life and appearance. It has been described as the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane. The zakka boom touches on issues of self-expression and spirituality. 2

3 What is Zakka? Zakka can also be contemporary handicraft. But to qualify, a product must be attractive, sensitive, and have an underlying theme. For me, handicraft and handwork go hand-in-hand, so this presentation extolls the benefits and beauty of adding hand stitches to handmade items. Sashiko is also a form of decorative reinforcement stitching from Japan. Traditionally used to reinforce points of wear or to repair tears, this running stitch is often used for decorative purposes. The running stitch is a classic zakka look, too. 3

4 Influences It all started with a little stitching on a small bag for my Sew Easy Bags book. After learning some sashiko stitching techniques, I experimented on a piece of silk layered over cotton flannel and made a bag from the sample. I was hooked! Drawstring Pouch from The Sewing Workshop book, published by sixth&spring books, 2012, pages

5 Influences Then I ran into my friend, Paula McPhee from Virginia. She was wearing her Trio Top made in a Japanese linen print embellished with a few simple running stitches in off-white thread. It was just enough to highlight the printed design on the fabric and add a handmade quality to the garment. Trio Top and details by Paula McPhee 5

6 Influences I discovered Alabama Chanin and bought all of the books. Alex, my daughter, and I went to Florence, Alabama and studied with Natalie Chanin. We learned to sew traditional embroidery stitches on cotton jersey and how to embellish with beads and sequins. Alex learning to stitch by hand at Alabama Chanin. And we learned to construct garments completely by hand! 6

7 Influences I researched and read and collected books and images. And I snooped in Kathy Davis s closet. There are many books available about zakka. A hand embroidered Mexican shirt from Kathy s closet. Hand embroidered toile art fabric by Richard Saja. Discovered on Pinterest. Lots of hand stitches going on in Stitch magazine projects. 7

8 Gather Your Materials Fabrics Any fabric can be hand stitched, from silks and sheers to cotton jersey. Sometimes you have a lackluster finished garment that needs a little something to perk it up or make it more interesting. Add some fabric fragments and hand stitching to make it your own. Back Side Front Side 8

9 Gather Your Materials Threads Any thread works for hand stitching. Check out the myriad of fiber options and weights. Linen Thread Experiment and have fun! Pearl Cotton Sashiko Thread Wool Thread Button Craft Thread Cotton or Silk Embroidery Floss 50/50 Wool/Nylon Metallic Thread 9

10 Gather Your Materials Needles Hand sewing needles are very specific to the thread and the personal feel of the stitching. So try several out before making a decision. I was told that a professional hand stitcher used the same needle her whole life. I can t keep track of mine for 10 minutes! Essential! Needle Threader Embroidery Needles Sashiko Needles My favorite travel accessory is my leather case made by Merchant & Mills in London. Leather needle case Assorted Milliners and Sharps 10

11 The Essential Stitch Guide While a simple running stitch is my favorite, I haven t forgotten about the days in my youth when I loved to embroider hand towels and doll clothes. Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano is the encyclopedia of hand stitches. This all brings back memories of a quieter time. The best resource for hand embroidery stitches. 11

12 Projects Clothes Nancy Shriber created this artistic Ikina Jacket. Her beautiful lotus blossom motif is hand stitched, sashiko style, using cotton embroidery floss through silk doupioni and cotton flannel. Subtle and elegant. Ikina Jacket with pieced bands and sashiko stitched designs. 12

13 Projects Clothes I loved the fabrics used in this Peony Vest, but something was missing, and I never wore it. About an hour of hand stitching outlining the edges and repeating some of the motifs of the lining/facing fabric turned this garment into a new favorite. Peony Vest in linen lined with a cotton ikat fabric. Styled with the Zen Shirt. 13

14 Projects Clothes This Liberty Shirt was another relegated-tothe-basement garment. The white-on-white Japanese cotton fabric was interesting on the bolt, but it looked like a plain muslin garment from a distance. It needed a little fix-up. Liberty Shirt in Japanese cotton print. 14

15 Projects Clothes Scraps from other projects provided inspiration for some embellishments. As I pinned some small bits of fabrics to the shirt, I found that I could see it better when I hung it up and looked at it vertically rather than flat on a table. I gathered some fabric scraps, tore them into small shapes, and pinned them to the garment to see the effect. 15

16 Projects Clothes With a few well-placed fragments and some hand stitches in pearl cotton, the shirt has more character and impact. Now it s a special piece to wear. I got the hang of a running stitch by the time I got to this garment. Now I can sew more than one stitch at a time. 16

17 Projects Clothes So it was back to the Alabama Chanin experience. I love the stencil design and detail of this Alabama Chanin top, but the style of the top is not something that I would wear. So I thought about how I could adapt their signature technique into a garment that suits me more. 17 Anna s Garden Shell Top by Alabama Chanin.

18 Projects Clothes I decided to start small. So I opted to embellish some pockets first. Angie s Fall Small Flower Print stencil by Alabama Chanin. I had never cut a stencil or spray painted a stencil design on fabric before. I have a new appreciation for this technique, and I have a long way to go to get the perfection that I am looking for. But here is my first attempt. I cut out the stencil on pennant felt. I used acrylic spray paint to stencil the design onto organic cotton knit. 18

19 Projects Clothes Blue knit is placed over a piece of natural knit. I stitched around the stencil design using running stitches and button craft thread by Coats and Clark. The insides of the designs were then cut away to reveal the under layer of knit. I stitched the top edge of the pocket and then attached the pocket to the shirt using the same running stitches. Stencil design is stitched and cut away. Pocket is stitched to the shirt. 19

20 Projects Clothes I used the Hudson Top pattern as the base garment and left off the cowl collar. The same knit that was used as the pocket under layer is used as strips sewn to the wrong side of the garment edges. A neck binding option. The garment is generally constructed using a serger six seams, to be exact. Hudson Top without cowl. Pocket and hem detail. 20

21 Projects Clothes I soon realized that stenciling might be my thing, but I wanted to enjoy the stitching process and make it simple. The next project was a Helix Top using the embroidery floss to simply outline the diagonal seams and the neckline. Helix Top Neckline stitch detail. 21

22 Projects Clothes A raw-edged MixIt Shirt in organic cotton with tone-on-tone embroidery floss stitching. The garment is essentially sewn together by machine, but all of the edges are left raw and handstitched together. Edge detail. The pocket is an addition to the pattern. MixIt Shirt as a jacket. Pocket detail. 22

23 Projects Clothes Handstitching is the perfect travel activity. This Peony Vest has two layers of 100% organic knit, taupe and soft grey/blue, handstitched together in a 2"grid. Smaller sections are stitched in a 1" grid allowing for cutouts and sequin and bead embellishments. Lapel detail. Peony Vest 23 Cutout detail.

24 Projects Clothes Looks easy, and it is! Narrow strips of cotton jersey cut on the crossgrain are sewn in rows on this simple wrap skirt. Alabama Chanin wrap skirt. 24

25 Projects Clothes Let the fabric do the talking! A fairly ordinary stripe fabric is dressed up with the addition of buttons and embroidery stitches. If you don t like to match stripes, turn the direction of the fabric for different sections of the garment. Now Shirt by Karen Tornow. 25

26 Projects Clothes This is another great example of enhancing the weave of the fabric with the use of some colorful hand stitches. Another artistic piece by Karen Tornow. She used a combination of straight stitches in different directions and X stitches. Simple but looks more complex. 26

27 Projects Clothes Needle felting is so much fun! You can needle felt any fabric, not just wool roving. This punched design is enhanced by sewing simple running stitches in cotton floss outlining the design. Kathy Davis used scraps of silk doupioni to needle felt this whimsical design. 27

28 Projects Clothes Common materials such as rickrack, wool roving and cotton floss create this spectacular contemporary design on the Yvonne Porcella Jacket. The base fabric is wool crepe with wool gauze triangular inserts. Another artistic piece by Karen Tornow. 28

29 Projects Clothes Layers of wispy silk are stitched together in a series of parallel running stitches to make this stunning coat. Layered silk and stitched coat. 29

30 Projects Clothes In this yet-to-be-finished project, Adrianne Noe is stitching a very personal and meaningful adage in braille using French knots. The embellishment will be a vertical element on a sleeve. Braille in French knots on a sleeve. 30

31 Projects Clothes Susan Van Swearingen is preparing her pieces to make an art-to-wear vest. Two layers of striped knits are sewn together using the running stitch to follow the linear pattern. 31

32 Projects Clothes Just a few details can make all the difference. Stitch a pocket where there isn t one. Play up the snap closures with stitches that show. Outline a motif on an existing garment. 32

33 Projects Bags Just a few stitches and some seed beads add dimension to this tote bag. Stitching and bead detail. Tote by Alex Woodbury. A Stitch magazine project. 33

34 Projects Bags Sunday morning on the patio a quick little bag project to get the rhythm of the stitching. Wool and bamboo felt is a really soft non-woven material, and it s easy to stitch using cotton sashiko thread. 34

35 Projects Bags The more uneven the stitches, the better, according to Natalie Chanin. It s a chance to let go. 35 Alabama Chanin canvas tote.

36 Projects Pillows This is a pillow style that I have been playing around with for awhile. I like the idea of nicely finished pieces with some surprise unfinished elements included. My pillow from Sew Red. The proceeds from the sale of this book benefit the American Heart Association. 36

37 Projects Pillows Some leftover cotton from a shirt and a bit of stria silk are combined to make this more casual pillow. Pieces of shot cotton are torn and inserted into the seam and held together using long running stitches in four different colors of cotton embroidery floss. A quick pillow project using scraps and raw edges. 37

38 Projects Pillows This pillow started with a kit from Alabama Chanin. Pale yellow cotton jersey is layered over off-white knit. The design was first stenciled onto the top layer. The stencil was outlined using cotton embroidery floss, and then the insides of the stencil design were cut away. The embroidery stitch is the backstitch. 38

39 Projects Table Runner I couldn t bear to cut up my kimono silk pieces, so I left them as they were and hand stitched them to a hemp base, leaving the edges raw. Stitching detail. Asian table runner in my dining room. 39

40 Let s Not Forget Machine Work I just couldn t throw away all of those darling little knit shirts of my daughter s. Making this Urban T-shirt as a cardigan allowed me to use those shirts in a meaningful way something better than leaving them in a plastic tube in the basement! A variation using an assortment of striped knits. Urban T-shirt as a cardigan with raw-edged knit pieces machine sewn to the shirt. 40

41 Let s Not Forget Machine Work So you don t like to hand stitch...it s okay. Machine stitches, both decorative and utilitarian, can have the same hand crafted look, but are easier and faster to produce. Basic and utility stitches are the easiest stitches to sew. And they re cool, too! A Karen Tornow creation. Decorative stitching and couching on plain linen. Large triple zigzag stitches on a collar stand. 41

42 Let s Not Forget Machine Work It doesn t have to be perfect. Folded, crinkled, and raw-edged bits of fabric, placed in a random display, embellish this summer skirt. 42

43 Clothing: Zakka Style By Linda Lee 43