Ever wanted to be able to dye your own custom sashiko threads easily, without fuss and mess? Now you can!

Olympus have come up with this great dyeing system, which uses a 'dye pen' to literally colour in your sashiko threads. It could not be easier. This is the MEGA dye selection box for really expanding your dyeing range easily, with all 15 dyes, plus one sachet of dye fix*, and at a great discount (the individual dyes, when I start to stock them, and the dye fix sachets - which I am stocking along with the kits asap - will be around £7.00 each).

I've dyed sashiko threads with Procion dye (can be messy), Dylon machine dyes (in the microwave - also a bit messy, and with the potential to stain everything too), and indigo (incredibly messy and complicated). This new dye system is very easy - load up the dye pen, lay out your thread on some clingfilm, and off you go.

Please watch this video I've loaded up onto YouTube to see EXACTLY how it is done! Thanks to Takeshi san and the great team at Olympus for creating a version with English subtitles for me! The video is your free dyeing tutorial, so please refer to it whenever you want.

Contents of the MEGA dye selection box - 15 x 50ml dye sachets (the full range!), 1 x 50ml dye fix, plus instructions (Japanese for now, but we are working on English instructions - for now, please watch the tutorial). You will need to buy the dye pens, used to apply the dye, and the sashiko thread prepared for dyeing, separately. IMHO, you will need more dye fix to use up all 15 dye sachets than what is supplied in the kit. The exact amount of dye fix required is explained in the video.

The dye colours can be combined however you want to create many different effects. They can also be diluted. Olympus have made four suggestions above - vegetable, marine, flower shop, and candy shop - but I know you will have your own ideas to invent far more.

The dye pens can be reused, and I will be selling dyes separately soon. It is recommended that you don't mix up the colours that you use in each dye pen, because darker colours will stain the applicator, and could discolour subsequent lighter dyes. So don't use your yellow dye pen for blue, or blue for red etc. For the purest colour, keep one pen per dye. Once these dyes arrive, I will experiment with them and let you know what happens!

Dyes are non toxic, but please be sensible and keep them away from pets. Older children would be able to use these dyes with supervision. Please use your common sense!