Japanese Bluebell

Traditional Japanese embroidery is based on stitch techniques which have been handed down for over a thousand years.

These techniques present a visual impact through the movement and patterns created from their application.

This project provides a taste of Japanese embroidery and is stitched almost entirely in flat silk.

Each strand of flat silk is made up of over 100 silk filaments and it is important that perfect tension of these filaments is attained to achieve the best shine.

The tekobari (stroking needle) is used for this purpose.

During stitching, it is used to stroke the silk in the direction of the stitch to ensure that the filaments do not twist and overlap and even tension is attained.