Sashiko Embroidered Kit and Mask
Descended from a line of sashiko artists, Atsushi Futatsuya founded Upcycle Stitches in the USA to share widely this Japanese embroidery art. It entails repurposing worn fragments of indigo-dyed cotton by stitching them together using white thread to create geometric designs. During the pandemic, Atsushi created sashiko face mask kits – with fabrics, needles, and thread – to share the calming benefits of needlework. He donated to the ROM the mask here, which he made and wore throughout 2020.
Atsushi Futatsuya of Upcycle Stitches, Japan and U.S.A.
2020
Designed in Japan and Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Made in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Cotton and thread; needles, cardboard pattern
Royal Ontario Museum
2021.25.6 (kit)
2021.41.1 (mask)
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Sushiko Futasuya demonstrating the sashiko technique (French).
© Royal Ontario Museum