The Art of Japanese Boro Stitching

by April Sproule

Workshop Duration: 6 hours of instruction, minimum.

Can be be extended to multiple days.

Skill Level: Basic hand stitching skills, suitable for all skill levels.

In 19th century Japan, textiles were a valued commodity. Japanese Boro Stitching originated then as a way for people to extend the life of their worn-out textiles by repurposing them into things like floor coverings, clothing, and bed coverings. The worn fabrics scraps were held together using small stitches known as Boro Stitching.

Japanese Boro, Mending in Mind workshop by April Sproule Those fabrics or scraps you’ve saved to use for “something special“ will be perfect for this project. Now is the perfect time to raid your stash and make something wonderful with those treasures. You will make a small scroll or wall hanging, approximately 9” x 18”.
You will be captivated by the Boro Stitching process as the beauty of your stitches and the feel of the texture magically begin to emerge on your cloth. Becoming immersed in the stitching, you’ll soon discover the calming effect of this lovely practice. All your stitching will be done by hand without an embroidery hoop.
This workshop is suitable for all skill levels.

We will cover:

- Color and design options
- Workflow and construction techniques for hand piecing with fabric and paper
- Finishing ideas for your scroll
- The amazing experience of Working in a Series

You will learn:

Hand embroidery without a hoop
A variety of mending and decorative stitches
Development of different patterns using basic stitches

Piece below: Fragments, Work in Progress

Fragment, work in progress by April Sproule

You will learn to combine paper and fabric to create a stunning piece of art. Here's one of my pieces from the Little Trees Series. At this stage, the background pieces are basted in place, and I am auditioning scraps to use in the foreground.

I throw little discarded or practice sample pieces into a pile and save them for future reference.

The image below is the Design Board for the Little Trees piece above. I love using old bits of discarded samples or other items to tell a story.

Collection of fabrics for Boro Stitching with April Sproule