KOBO Seattle | since 1995
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(Email us to get on the wait list for this class. We will contact you if space becomes available.)
Boro Sashiko
Instructor: Penny Cheuk-Low
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Kobo at Higo in Seattle's Japantown
The total cost of this workshop is $155 + tax
Limit 8 participants
Prerequisite: Basic/beginner sewing skills
This workshop is for people with general sewing experience, quilting, patchwork, and embroidery. Having sashiko experience is a plus, but not required!
Sashiko is a Japanese word meaning “little stabs” or running stitch. Originally this simple stitch was used as a practical technique to sew layers of fabric together for strength and warmth in rural areas of Northern Japan.
Boro means rag, scrap, or tattered clothes. Old clothes were mended by stitching pieces and layers of cloth together to extend the life of the clothes and to keep warm. The arrangement of patches of worn and torn fabric created a random sense of beauty.
Workshop Topics
A brief history about Sashiko & Boro
Fabric selections
Thread selections
Stitching techniques
Arranging fabric pieces, backing, pinning, basting/stabilizing before Sashiko
Participants will work on their Boro Sashiko piece for the rest of the workshop
The instructor will show how the Boro Sashiko piece can be finished
The Boro Sashiko instruction packet is included in the workshop fee and all the fabric pieces and a piece of 10'' x 12'' natural cotton backing fabric to make their project will be provided.
(Welcome Letter and supplies list sent after sign-up)
Workshop instructor:
Penny Cheuk-Low began her interest in Japanese culture when she went to Kyoto to study traditional Japanese fabric dyeing in 1976. She worked as a fabric designer and fabric dyer until 1990. Then, she devoted her time as a Montessori educator and trainer for 25 years.
During the covid pandemic, Penny returned to her passion of working with fabric, using the fabrics she had been collecting for years. She enjoys hand stitching and appliques. Her inspiration comes from her experiences in Japan. Penny’s works can be seen in Kobo Seattle.