A hands-on workshop to introduce people to the possibilities of using algorithmic design to generate stitch patterns, based on Japanese Sashiko techniques. This method of stitching inspires people to care and value their clothes and can be performed as part of a clothes repair practice. It is valued for its unique ability to reinforce damaged areas on garments by adding visible, decorative elements.
I encouraged participants to draw their design first on graph paper to freely explore their creative ideas and communicate stitching designs. It supported them to explore and visualise patterns and refine them before committing to stitch. The process of externalising ideas can help them to anticipate the outcome and experiment with scale, tessellation and stitch angles, spacing and lengths.
Additionally, the drawing techniques can be used as design inspiration that assists participants to choose patterns that can be adapted for clothes repair projects. Drawings has the benefit of providing a way to save and catalog pattern variations for future use.
The workshop was an opportunity to experience the relationship between a drawn line as a stitch as we moved from one domain to another. We realised that different coloured pencils could indicate stitch order and direction, which would support participants to clearly see which lines to sew first. The correspondence between line and stitch can be disrupted by the rhythm of stitching, the dimensions and orientation of the cloth and body as we position stitches to construct the overall pattern effect.
The Algo Repair Pattern Creator was developed to extend the possibilities of working with Sashiko stitching. Based on the fundamentals of one-stitch sashiko, it demonstrates Interactive Sashiko Rice Stitch and enables drawing mode for free pattern creation.
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I brought a range of textile samples to the workshop as an opportunity for participants to discover different approaches to pattern types, thread variations and colour blending. Using our tactile perception when handling textile samples can prompt new discoveries and inspire ideas for our own personal design journey. A sample can be viewed as a sustainable story, a demonstration of skill, agency and creativity.
Credit: Photos: Laura Merrill, CC/BY
