Ōtsuchi Sashiko Workshop: Stitching Stories

Workshop

August 9, 2025

Come to stitch and share stories with members of Ōtsuchi Sashiko in this hybrid workshop!

Ōtsuchi Sashiko 大槌刺し子 is a craft collective which was formed in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011. The collective began as a recovery project to support women through sashiko, a centuries-old traditional needlepoint technique used to mend and bolster garments. The collective is now recognised for their fine decorative craft and distinct practice applying sashiko to a range of fashion labels and garments in highly successful collaborations. Despite their success, Ōtsuchi Sashiko remains focused on sharing stories and craft techniques from the perspective of their local community, on the far northeast coast of Iwate Prefecture.

In this workshop participants are invited to bring along an item of clothing, bag, hat or similar piece to be patched or decorated with sashiko needlework stitching. Items should be easy to stitch into (i.e. not too thick), preferably of a dark-ish blue colour like the traditional indigo-dyed (aizome) fabric, and with a story of personal significance you would like to share. While being led by members of Ōtsuchi Sashiko joining live online from Japan, we will stitch and chat together, reflecting on the power of relatively simple crafting techniques to support communities and build personal connections.

The workshop will also be joined by special guest facilitator, Australian artist Michelle Belgiorno, who has a long creative and personal connection to Japan, through painting and textile projects.

Please note that this workshop will be conducted in English and Japanese with the assistance of an interpreter. This workshop is suitable for participants aged 14 years and over.

Michelle Belgiorno

Michelle Belgiorno is a Sydney-based artist who works across various media including oil painting, sculpture and collaborative fabric-based installations. Michelle has been a practicing artist for 25 years. She holds a BA Fine Arts in Painting from the National Art School and a BA Honours in Japanese and a Master of Commerce. 

Michelle Belgiorno has exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions and been a finalist in many art competitions including the King’s Art Prize, Paddington Art Prize, Mosman Art Prize and the Portia Geach Portrait Prize. She has undertaken five overseas residencies, four in Japan, including at 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo. 

With a long-term interest in the culture of Japan, drawing on a fifty-year engagement with the language, people and aesthetics, her art practice moves between locally inspired landscape painting and Japanese-inspired exhibitions. A reoccurring theme of Belgiorno’s work is the exploration of cross-cultural exchange through art. Belgiorno believes art is a gentle but powerful way to build human connections and to open our minds to new perspectives.

Ōtsuchi Sashiko

Ōtsuchi Sashiko 大槌刺し子

Ōtsuchi Sashiko 大槌刺し子 is a craft collective created in May 2011, only months after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March that year. It was first established as a recovery project to support women through sashiko, a traditional needlepoint technique used to mend and bolster garments which developed into a decorative craft.

In 2021 the project transitioned into a self-sustaining brand, which remains committed to supporting its hometown, celebrating handmade craft, empowering makers, ongoing refinement of technique and fostering community connections. Comprising 15 makers, connected to a network of collaborators and clients in Japan and overseas, it has become a source of income, healing and pride, revitalising its community.

Examples of Sashiko

Ōtsuchi Sashiko

Ōtsuchi Sashiko

Photo by Docqment

About The Exhibition

Crafting Life: Stories from the Japanese Studio is an exhibition that explores Japanese craft from a fresh perspective. Showcasing three craft practices from different regions of Japan, this exhibition highlights the dynamism and resilience of artisans, who continually innovate to ensure the relevance of their craft practices in contemporary Japan, and beyond. On display are works by a ceramic artist from Karatsu (Yukiko Tsuchiya), a maki-e lacquerware company originally from Wajima, now based in Kanazawa (Hikoju Maki-e Co. Ltd.), and a sashiko needlework collective turned ‘brand’ from Ōtsuchi (Ōtsuchi Sashiko).

CLICK HERE for more information on the exhibition