Maris Sashiko Bag Pattern

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Sew the perfect summer bag with this new pattern from Sophie Tarrant. Designed to encourage you to stitch with intention, this sashiko sewing project uses traditional Japanese hand quilting techniques to create a gorgeous, embroidered design. This quilted bag pattern is large enough to hold your everyday essentials, and its lightweight design makes it perfect to bring on your next summer road trip or shopping day.

Skill Level: Beginner

Designer Notes:

Traditionally, you wouldn’t use a regular knot to start or end a sashiko thread. Instead, insert your needle around 2” along your seam line, then work the first few stitches, going back to the start. Bring the needle through to the wrong side of the fabric and secure the thread by passing the needle back through the stitches. This leaves a clean, non-bumpy finish.
Don’t worry if you make a mistake as you go – sashiko was first popularized as a method of mending worn fabric in an eye-pleasing way, so it isn’t supposed to be pristine. It celebrates the beauty of imperfection (wabi-sabi), transforming functional repair into stunning, unique designs.

Materials:

Fabric: Indigo linen-look cotton: 1-1/2 yards (assumes 40” WOF)
Lightweight quilt batting: 27” x 40”
Temporary fabric spray adhesive or basting spray
Sashiko thread: Off-white
Machine thread: navy (or best match to the fabric)
PDF Templates – These are located at the bottom of this page. Please see printing instructions below.

PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Note: To download the templates, click on the pattern download button at the bottom of the page. We recommend opening your pattern download using Adobe Acrobat.

Tools:

Dressmaker’s chalk pencil or soluble fabric marking tool
Dressmaker’s carbon paper
Pencil
Sashiko needle
Hand sewing needle
Scissors
Sewing clips or pins

Piecing Instructions:

Before you begin, print the bag template pages, single-sided, at 100% scale. Measure the 1” test square on each page to verify printing accuracy, and adjust your printer settings if needed. Cut out each piece, then tape or glue the pieces together along the dashed lines with the correct alphabetical label (A with A, B with B, and C with C) to assemble the bag template.

Use the template to draw four bag shapes out onto your indigo fabric, placing each one along a fold, spacing them out slightly so they aren’t butted up against each other. Roughly cut each shape out to divide them into four separate pieces, but don’t trim them down exactly just yet – leave about a 1/2” border of fabric around the drawn edge of each one. Mark a center line (this should be along the fold) down two of the shapes on the right side of the fabric – these will be your outer pieces. Use temporary fabric spray adhesive or basting spray to back each of these outer pieces with a layer of quilt batting. Tip: To make the fabric more manageable, you may find it helpful to first cut your indigo fabric into four rectangles measuring about 20” x 27” each, then fold each in half to about 10” x 27” to trace your template.
Next, download and print the sashiko stitching template. Trim away the excess paper from around the edge of the design, then fold it in half vertically so you can see the exact center of the motif. Place this on top of one of your outer bag pieces with the right sides of both facing up. Align the center fold of the motif with the center line of the bag. Slide a sheet of dressmaker’s carbon paper between the template and the fabric, with the carbon side facing the fabric and, making sure that they’re still vertically centered and aligned, trace over the design carefully with a dull-tipped pencil. As you trace, the pressure of the pencil will transfer the carbon to the fabric. Once you’ve drawn the entire design, pick the template up and move it across the fabric, making sure the lines connect to seamlessly continue the pattern. Repeat the same steps to layer the carbon paper and transfer the motif again. Carry on doing this until the entire bag has been filled with the sashiko design.
Now it’s time to hand stitch! Cut a 25” length of sashiko thread and load it onto your needle, knotting the end if desired (see Designer Note). Sashiko is basically worked as a simple running stitch with a single strand of thread – though there are a few ‘rules’ to keep in mind as you go. Rather than making each stitch individually, weave your needle in and out of the fabric to load several stitches onto your needle at once. The stitches on the right side of the fabric should be longer than those on the wrong side – we made our wrong side stitches about one third the size of the right side ones. Keep your stitches even and work slowly and mindfully – that is, after all, the joy of sashiko!
Continue to stitch your motif until the entire shape is filled, making sure to keep all of your stitches inside of the drawn template shapes. Then, repeat Steps 2-3 to hand stitch your second outer piece in the same way. Once complete, carefully cut out each outer piece on the drawn template lines, making sure not to snip the threads as you go. Then, cut out the two remaining bag shapes – these will form your lining.
Place your two outer pieces right sides together, making sure the raw edges align. Machine stitch all along the curved bottom edge of the bag, using a 1/2” seam allowance. Repeat to sew your lining pieces together in the same way, only this time, leave a 3” gap in the center bottom of the seam. Then, flip the lining bag right side out, pressing the seam allowance gap inward. Do not sew the gap closed.
Slide the lining bag inside the outer bag, with the right sides facing. Align the raw edges and side seams neatly, and clip or pin them together. Then, carefully machine stitch around the edge of each strap to join the outer and lining pieces together, leaving the top 4” of each strap edge open and unsewn.
Turn the bag right sides out through the gap in the bottom of the lining, then hand sew the gap closed. Working on one side at a time, stitch the straps together. Take the outer fabric pieces on one side and bring them right sides together, then stitch across the top flat edge, leaving a 1/2” seam allowance. Repeat to sew the lining pieces of that strap together in the same way, then repeat to join the edges of the second strap, too.
Gently press the edges of the bag. Fold the raw edges of each strap under to the wrong side by 1/2” and clip into place. Then, work a straight machine top stitch all around the edge of each strap to decorate and close the seams, leaving a 1/8″ seam allowance. Your bag is complete!