Places are limited and each course is carefully prepared. We encourage you to review our Terms & Conditions before booking. By booking, you agree to them and to the principles that shape our courses.
Seated lunch | Afternoon tea | Small-group
Led by Emilie Ma, Multi-Disciplinary Textile Artist specialising in Japanese Sashiko and visible mending, with heritage context from Neil Crump, Founder of Asterion & Co.
Learn how to repair and strengthen garments through traditional Japanese Sashiko.
Work slowly and attentively with cloth, stitch and layered reinforcement.
Take home a visibly mended piece shaped by care, rhythm and continuation.
𐡷𐫱𐡸
Spend the day working carefully and deliberately with cloth in this immersive Sashiko repair masterclass at The Old Vicarage.
Rooted in traditions of necessity and resourcefulness, this workshop explores Japanese Sashiko as a form of structural repair rather than decoration. Through rhythmic hand-stitching and layered reinforcement, you’ll learn how to strengthen worn garments while allowing the repair itself to remain visible, honest and integral to the life of the cloth.
Guided by Emilie Ma’s calm and thoughtful teaching style, you’ll explore the foundations of visible mending through practical demonstration and individual guidance. Working with your own well-worn denim garment — or a sturdy denim tote bag provided if preferred — you’ll learn how to assess stress points, apply patches and build strength through careful stitching.
Asterion & Co. will frame the day with a short contextual session exploring the heritage and philosophy of Sashiko, from its origins in scarcity and rural domestic life to its contemporary relevance in a culture increasingly shaped by speed, waste and replacement.
For those wishing to explore the wider cultural history and philosophy behind the practice in greater depth, an accompanying article is available in The Asterion Journal.
What you will learn
Understand the principles and philosophy behind Japanese Sashiko repair
Learn the Unshin running stitch and rhythmic stitching techniques
Assess areas of wear, thinning and structural weakness in cloth
Apply patches and layered reinforcement with confidence
Develop practical approaches to visible mending and continuation
Build skills that can be carried into future repair work at home
How the day unfolds
Warm welcome and introduction
Contextual session on the heritage and philosophy of Sashiko
Introduction to tools, materials and stitching methods
Morning practice sessions exploring the Unshin running stitch
Guided work assessing and repairing garments or tote bags
Seated seasonal lunch and time to pause
Afternoon reinforcement, patching and finishing techniques
Final stitching and individual guidance
What you’ll leave with
A visibly repaired and strengthened garment or textile piece
Greater confidence in structural repair and visible mending
Practical understanding of Sashiko stitching techniques
A deeper appreciation of repair as craftsmanship and continuation
A calm and restorative day of focused making
𐡷𐫱𐡸
Workshop Details
Date: Wednesday 21st October 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset
Price: £230 per person
Includes: Full tuition, use of Sashiko tools and materials, practice cloth, refreshments throughout the day and a seated seasonal lunch
Booking terms
By booking, you are entering into an agreement with Asterion & Co. in accordance with our Terms & Conditions, including our cancellation policy and course guidelines.
This masterclass combines Emilie Ma’s thoughtful textile practice with Asterion’s Heritage-Inspired Learning™ philosophy, creating a day of attentive repair, craftsmanship and quiet focus.
About Emilie Ma
Emilie Ma is a Cornish-born multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans embroidery, visible mending, scratchboard and jewellery design. Drawn to the discipline and practical intelligence of Japanese Sashiko, her work explores repair as both functional craft and thoughtful continuation.
Having lived and worked in China, where repair formed part of everyday domestic life, Emilie brings a grounded and deeply considered approach to teaching. She now works from Somerset, guiding others through slow textile practices rooted in rhythm, care and material understanding.
Read more about Emilie in The Asterion Journal.
Need accommodation nearby?
Click here for a list of places to stay overnight before or after your course that we know well and would recommend.
Places are limited and each course is carefully prepared. We encourage you to review our Terms & Conditions before booking. By booking, you agree to them and to the principles that shape our courses.
Seated lunch | Afternoon tea | Small-group
Led by Emilie Ma, Multi-Disciplinary Textile Artist specialising in Japanese Sashiko and visible mending, with heritage context from Neil Crump, Founder of Asterion & Co.
Learn how to repair and strengthen garments through traditional Japanese Sashiko.
Work slowly and attentively with cloth, stitch and layered reinforcement.
Take home a visibly mended piece shaped by care, rhythm and continuation.
𐡷𐫱𐡸
Spend the day working carefully and deliberately with cloth in this immersive Sashiko repair masterclass at The Old Vicarage.
Rooted in traditions of necessity and resourcefulness, this workshop explores Japanese Sashiko as a form of structural repair rather than decoration. Through rhythmic hand-stitching and layered reinforcement, you’ll learn how to strengthen worn garments while allowing the repair itself to remain visible, honest and integral to the life of the cloth.
Guided by Emilie Ma’s calm and thoughtful teaching style, you’ll explore the foundations of visible mending through practical demonstration and individual guidance. Working with your own well-worn denim garment — or a sturdy denim tote bag provided if preferred — you’ll learn how to assess stress points, apply patches and build strength through careful stitching.
Asterion & Co. will frame the day with a short contextual session exploring the heritage and philosophy of Sashiko, from its origins in scarcity and rural domestic life to its contemporary relevance in a culture increasingly shaped by speed, waste and replacement.
For those wishing to explore the wider cultural history and philosophy behind the practice in greater depth, an accompanying article is available in The Asterion Journal.
What you will learn
Understand the principles and philosophy behind Japanese Sashiko repair
Learn the Unshin running stitch and rhythmic stitching techniques
Assess areas of wear, thinning and structural weakness in cloth
Apply patches and layered reinforcement with confidence
Develop practical approaches to visible mending and continuation
Build skills that can be carried into future repair work at home
How the day unfolds
Warm welcome and introduction
Contextual session on the heritage and philosophy of Sashiko
Introduction to tools, materials and stitching methods
Morning practice sessions exploring the Unshin running stitch
Guided work assessing and repairing garments or tote bags
Seated seasonal lunch and time to pause
Afternoon reinforcement, patching and finishing techniques
Final stitching and individual guidance
What you’ll leave with
A visibly repaired and strengthened garment or textile piece
Greater confidence in structural repair and visible mending
Practical understanding of Sashiko stitching techniques
A deeper appreciation of repair as craftsmanship and continuation
A calm and restorative day of focused making
𐡷𐫱𐡸
Workshop Details
Date: Wednesday 21st October 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset
Price: £230 per person
Includes: Full tuition, use of Sashiko tools and materials, practice cloth, refreshments throughout the day and a seated seasonal lunch
Booking terms
By booking, you are entering into an agreement with Asterion & Co. in accordance with our Terms & Conditions, including our cancellation policy and course guidelines.
This masterclass combines Emilie Ma’s thoughtful textile practice with Asterion’s Heritage-Inspired Learning™ philosophy, creating a day of attentive repair, craftsmanship and quiet focus.
About Emilie Ma
Emilie Ma is a Cornish-born multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans embroidery, visible mending, scratchboard and jewellery design. Drawn to the discipline and practical intelligence of Japanese Sashiko, her work explores repair as both functional craft and thoughtful continuation.
Having lived and worked in China, where repair formed part of everyday domestic life, Emilie brings a grounded and deeply considered approach to teaching. She now works from Somerset, guiding others through slow textile practices rooted in rhythm, care and material understanding.
Read more about Emilie in The Asterion Journal.
Need accommodation nearby?
Click here for a list of places to stay overnight before or after your course that we know well and would recommend.
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