Although I’m meant to be using up my craft supplies this year, I couldn’t resist Box 8 of Hoop Club by Cotton Clara. It’s been a while since I stitched any sashiko, but I loved the sashiko panel I bought a few years ago, and was happy to do more.

Hoop Club by Cotton Clara

Hoop Club by Cotton Clara is a monthly embroidery box and you can subscribe at any time. I don’t need any craft kits but I couldn’t resist Box 8. Not only was it sashiko (not even requiring an embroidery hoop!) but the stitched panel was on mustard fabric, and reminded me of an Orla Kiely flower motif.

The mustard fabric was pre-printed with a gorgeous repeating flower pattern on one side. The kit included a pack of needles and white thread to make the panel into a cute table runner or cushion.

Sashiko table mat

Sashiko is a Japanese technique which is similar to a running stitch. It’s a really simple and therapeutic stitch and great for some mindful stitching.

You don’t tie a knot in the end of the thread which felt quite liberating. I quickly stitched the flowers, then went around the border.

The back looked a little messy but it didn’t take long to make sure the threads were nice and even. Then I was able to knot and trim the loose threads.

Then I flipped the panel back over to work on sandwiching the front and back pieces together. I pressed a small seam around each side and held it in place with my quilting clips. Then I was able to stitch through all four layers to finish it off. This step took the longest as it was hard to push the needle through all four layers.

The finished piece could be made into a table runner or cushion cover. It’s too small to make a table runner but I’ve been using it as a table mat since I made it and I love it.