Atsushi & Keiko Futatsuya

Hello, My name is Atsushi Futatsuya. I am a Sashiko artisan born in a Sashiko family, in Japan. Sashiko (刺し子）is a form of stitching developed in Japan many years ago. The original purpose of Sashiko was to strengthen the (thinned or poor) fabrics. They also practiced stitching to repair the worn-out fabric and patch-working the small swatches of fabrics. The Sashiko's core resides in a process of stitching.&nbsp; With my mother Keiko, also a Sashiko artisan with 30+ years of experience, we established a project (Sashi_Co) to share the Sashiko we have been practicing with appreciation and respect to the Japanese traditions.&nbsp; Our goals are simple: <ul><li>Make the Sashiko technique &amp; wisdom we practice available to anyone in the world.</li><li>Share the beauty of repurposing and upcycling.</li><li>Influence the world, even a bit, with sharing how Sashiko may better off our life.</li></ul> It is a big challenge for us to achieve these goals since the hand-made (especially textile) industry is difficult to make enough living expense, yet we would like to devote most of our time to make it happen.&nbsp; Then, our long-time supporters (friends) recommended this platform, Patreon.&nbsp; When we can focus on the actual Sashiko works, such as making&nbsp;<a href="https://sashiko.myportfolio.com/">the Sashiko (art) pieces</a>, filming and editing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/sashico">Tutorials &amp; Stories video</a>, and writing about Sashiko culture on&nbsp;<a href="https://upcyclestitches.com/">the website</a> &amp; here, our goals may be achieved sooner than we are currently working. Your support will bring us to the next stage of sharing Sashiko.&nbsp; &nbsp; [Update July 2019] Atsushi has been sharing a lot of Sashiko stories (wisdom) in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/sashi.co/">IG</a> and FB. After a serious consideration, we decided to&nbsp;share the photos &amp; full-stories as the&nbsp;patron-only content here. Please consider joining our community, and let me know your requests so we can fulfill your curiosity. To understand how to enjoy Patreon better, please check&nbsp;<a href="https://upcyclestitches.com/sashiko-patreon-be-patron-for-our-sashiko/">this article</a>. <a href="https://upcyclestitches.com/sashiko-patreon-be-patron-for-our-sashiko/">https://upcyclestitches.com/sashiko-patreon-be-patron-for-our-sashiko/ </a>[Sashiko Resources] <a href="https://upcyclestitches.com/sashiko/">What is Sashiko</a>? (with Overview tutorial) <a href="https://upcyclestitches.com/sashiko/">https://upcyclestitches.com/sashiko/</a> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/28674978">Reasons why do we ask for support from you.</a> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/28523949">Sashiko Information Map / Directory</a> (Patron Only Contents) <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/28523949">https://www.patreon.com/posts/28523949</a>

Free

Unlock exclusive "patron only" contents. IncludesJoin our Sashiko-Story community with other patrons. While you can read 150+ stories about me &amp; Sashiko, I will answer questions regarding Sashiko history, culture, and mindset. Thank you!<ul><li>Access to patron-only content</li><li>Connect with other patrons</li></ul>

Join our Sashiko Story Community

Enjoy the full Sashiko Stories and then 10% off of Sashiko supplies when you would like to enjoy Sashiko with your own hands.IncludesYou can get the 10% discount code on most of the Sashiko supply and materials on our website. (<a href="https://upcyclestitches.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://upcyclestitches.com/</a>) up on your request.*10% Discount will not be applied to "one-of-a-kind" Sashiko piece.*The discount is applicable up to the $80 order amount. <ul><li>Access to patron-only content</li><li>Connect with other patrons</li><li>Discount code (will be emailed to you up on your request).</li></ul>

Coupons per Request

(Unavailable for Now)We created this Tier intending to offer bi-monthly supply package to Sashiko Practitioners. During/After Covid-19, we encounter many difficulties to make it happen, and I really appreciate your understanding &amp; trust to keep this tier available.As of 2023, we are still having difficult time to secure enough items for this Sashiko Surprise. Therefore, there is no more space available for this space. We will continue our best to support local &amp; small supply &amp; tools makers.For those who have been a supporter for this tier, as I explain periodically on the Patreon Page, your contribution is all recorded on this website &amp; it is honored in any possible way. For example, if you would like to get something from our website, please contact me via Patreon DM so I can issue the store credit for the amount. I will update this description as soon as I hear the good news.(You can read the previous description <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YGS-Hirptv71P7sjFFzC9iGoMPxbDiAEwIXS9QEf3u0/edit?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>).

Sashiko Surprise

*This tier is only available for the Graduate of [Core &amp; Essence] Sashiko Workshop Please consider taking the [Core &amp; Esseonce] Workshop either In-Person or Online to learn the Sashiko we practic. It will be an eye-opening learning opportunity, and I will do my best to exceed your expectation.(Unavailable for Now)We created this Tier intending to offer encourage the Sashiko learners for them to keep learning the Sashiko we practice. We have our specific website designed for this tier. However, as of 2023, we are still having difficult time to secure enough items &amp; time for this tier. Therefore, I temporarly put this tier on-hold. We will continue our best to support local &amp; small supply &amp; tools makers, and creating more contents.For those who have been a supporter for this tier, as I explain periodically on the Patreon Page, your contribution is all recorded on this website &amp; it is honored in any possible way. For example, if you would like to get something from our website, please contact me via Patreon DM so I can issue the store credit for the amount. You will get the initial update when I complete my on-going follow-up workshop.I will update this description as soon as I hear the good news.(You can read the previous description<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JTKZLluf01-fOfnRFMWD7ZnM0Xw_BuNk_0Zu5S6YgpQ/edit?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> here)</a>.(Unavailable for Now)We created this Tier intending to offer bi-monthly supply package to Sashiko Practitioners. During/After Covid-19, we encounter many difficulties to make it happen, and I really appreciate your understanding &amp; trust to keep this tier available.As of 2023, we are still having difficult time to secure enough items for this Sashiko Surprise. Therefore, there is no more space available for this space. We will continue our best to support local &amp; small supply &amp; tools makers.For those who have been a supporter for this tier, as I explain periodically on the Patreon Page, your contribution is all recorded on this website &amp; it is honored in any possible way. For example, if you would like to get something from our website, please contact me via Patreon DM so I can issue the store credit for the amount. I will update this description as soon as I hear the good news.(You can read the previous description <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YGS-Hirptv71P7sjFFzC9iGoMPxbDiAEwIXS9QEf3u0/edit?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>).

Continuous Learning of Sashiko

I started sharing our Sashiko in 2016 saying that it is okay to copy. I thought it was the best (only) way to preserve this culture. I still believe it was a good choice (although many advised me not to). Among many similar videos &amp; contents available online, I really appreciate your support to preserve the upstream.I will mention your name and/or your account on our designated Website &amp; Youtube Video(s) as an active supporter who try to preserve the upstream of the Sashiko we have been practicing. Thank you very much for your support &amp; care.  IncludesAs a patron, you'll be recognized for making my work possible. If you are in Sashiko-related business, we will introduce you in our media as well (Once a month).<ul><li>Access to patron-only content</li><li>Connect with other patrons</li><li>Name in our credits, at least once a month.</li></ul>

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