NB - The Naska panels do not have stitching guides, although this one is easy to to stitch. I have added some stitching tips to each listing plus the diagram from the manufacturer's website.
These traditional Japanese sashiko hanafukin panels from Naska are printed with wash out markings on absorbent sarashi cotton, and have a plain section which is traditionally the back of the hanafukin cloth (although you can make them up in other ways of course). All the Naska designs are the same size, so they can be combined as panels in larger projects.
The beautiful 'sayagata' (saya brocade pattern) is an ancient pattern, found on woven silks that travelled to Japan along the Silk Route from the Middle East almost 1500 years ago, and used as a decorative design on many other materials and objects that were preseved from the mid eighth century in the Shōsōin Imperial Repository at Nara, a vast storehouse of items hat were used in the lifetime of Emperor Shōmu. It is considered a very 'high class' pattern by my Japanese sashiko stitching friends, and is woven into damask silk for formal furisode kimono to this day. A little tricky to mark in sashiko from scratch, it is an easy pattern to stitch, because you just follow the lines to make the pattern.
Please note that the mid indigo blue these panels are printed on is a slightly lighter shade than the Olympus and QH Textiles sashiko sampler hanafukin indigo blue colour that I sell.
'Hana fukin' with literally means 'flower cloth' and these panels are slightly rectangular, at 35 x 38cm. They are printed in white on indigo blue narrow width traditional sarashi cloth (an easy to stitch traditional Japanese cotton cloth). Each panel is supplied in one piece with a plain area the same size attached, because (traditionally) they are designed to be stitched through both layers and the edges turned in to make a little cloth, but you can stitch the printed layer separately for making up into other items if you wish.
My thread estimate for this panel is 40m, if used singly. Double this for doubled sashiko thread. Of course, there is scope for playing with several different thread colours and coordinating some beautiful effects.
Sarashi cloth is quite lightweight compared with other sashiko fabrics, but is very easy to stitch, super absorbent and wears well. It is one of the fabrics traditionally used for kimono underwear!
Fabric size approx. 13 3/4 x 15in (35 x 38cm) - finished size (as a hanafukin, with approx. 1/2in (1.3cm) turned in all round), approx. 12 3/4in x 14in ( 32.5 x 35.5cm).
Marks wash out.
Designed and made by Naito Shoji Co., Japan.
100% cotton.
