I wear hikeshi-banten, Japanese “fireman jackets”. They’re dope, and the heaviest coat I get to wear as a vegan clothier. I have an antique jacket that is beginning to show it’s age, frays and cuts here and there.
The other day we stopped into Paloma, a small textiles and goods shop in SF. It’s super cute! But also @susan got some great knowledge from the the proprietor.
Sashiko thread and needles are relatively large sewing supplies, as they are meant to be the visible styles on fabric, rather than mending “quietly”. And the cloth in the jackets are perfect for them. The reason it came up were the beautiful banten on sale with sashiko stitching, each piece now quirky as well as beautiful, and the proprietor did it emself.
Pro-tip: buy an expensive and tiny sample of sashiko thread to take to a local crafts store and compare to something affordable.
As for the needles, they can be readily ordered online, but I’ve always wanted a reason to visit that Japanese tools and machining shop on San Pablo in Berkeley, so now I do! 