Sashiko Kit - Mini Tote Bag

I made this cute little sashiko bag using a kit that my brother and sister-in-law gave me last Christmas. I had never done this kind of embroidery before but it was a pleasant activity. I'd say fun, but come on. 

The kit comes with thread and pre-printed fabric with dashed lines showing you where to stitch. (I found a kit online here.) You can choose to make either a mini tote or a half-apron. I already have a lot of aprons that I never use so I chose to make the tote. 

The instructions included in the kit are pretty sparse so I did some online research and ended up using this site for guidance. I didn't use a long sashiko needle, just a regular embroidery needle. It probably goes a little faster when using the proper tools.

I was actually surprised by how small the finished size of the tote is and how much of the printed fabric is not actually embroidered. So, because I didn't want to let any fabric go to waste, I ended up cutting my bag a little taller than the measurements. I also used stash fabric for the lining. Now, I have enough left over to make a second bag.

The bag is embroidered on two sides and large enough to hold a couple of small books and a few sundries. After cutting out the material, I zig-zagged the edges of the panels that needed to be embroidered so that I wouldn't have to deal with frayed fabric while stitching. With all the handling of embroidery, I figured fraying would ensue quickly.

It was a pretty easy bag to put together although not quick. The embroidery took a number of hours. Let's not count how many and just say that I watched a lot of tv while making this bag. Putting the bag together took a much less time than the embroidery. I have not washed the fabric yet even though the pre-printed stitching is supposed to wash off. I simply used the pre printed side as the wrong side of the fabric. So now you can't see it.

As I mentioned before, the instructions are minimal. I would not recommend doing the kit if you are new to sewing. Or, at least have an experienced person nearby that can help you out.

I love the look of the white stitching on the navy fabric. It's so simple and beautiful. Eventually, I'll get around to making the second bag but for now I'm going to try my hand at making some new projects. Have you ever done sashiko stitching?