Japanese Boro-Inspired Stitching

Supplies Students Need To Have

I. Supplies

A. Fabrics: scraps of muslin for practice

– 8” squares of fabric (2), in either a light or dark color so your stitching will show up.

– Linen, cotton, silk, wool, pieces of old clothing, linen napkins, etc.

– Think of a color scheme, or just have plenty of scraps on hand.

– Solids or small prints are great as you want to see the stitching, but you can always toss in a feature

print to provide inspiration for the rest of your piece. You might also want to consider bringing: small

pieces of special fabric or trim you want to include in your piece.

B. DMC Embroidery Floss, 6 strand, regular cotton: at least two colors that work with your color

scheme, different values work best. You can also use perle cotton, linen thread, yarn, or anything else

you want to experiment with.

– Regular sewing thread for appliqueing your fabric pieces down

C. Optional: Silk organza, to use as a stabilizer, ( 2 ) 10” squares.

– You can find the 42” white silk organza at Dharma Trading Company: www.dharmatrading.com

II. Tools

• Basic sewing kit that includes: Scissors, straight pins, regular hand sewing needles, thread for basting, and

beeswax for your thread.

• Embroidery needles: I use assorted packs that are sizes 5-10

• Fabric marking tools: white pencil, Frixion pen, or blue water erasable marker

• Small ruler, rotary cutter, and cutting mat

• An iron

• Sheet of fine grit sandpaper, or whatever you have on hand

Note: All stitching is done without an embroidery hoop, so you won’t need one!

Thread and Floss