Led by Emilie Ma, multi-disciplinary textile artist specialist in Japanese Sashiko and embroidery, with historical insights on the practice from Asterion & Co.
Join us at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip for a considered day of making, slowing down, and working attentively with cloth. This one-day workshop explores Japanese Sashiko as a form of surface embellishment — not repair — using denim as a familiar, democratic and deeply satisfying material to stitch into.
Spend a summer’s day on Wednesday 8th July 2026, creating in our reimagined Somerset 16th-century farmhouse, surrounded by garden and countryside, with a seated three-course lunch included.
Working at an unhurried pace, you’ll be guided through the principles, rhythms and mindset of Sashiko, learning how disciplined repetition and restraint can transform everyday textiles into something quietly expressive and deeply personal. For those who would like to explore the heritage, origins and philosophy behind Sashiko in more depth, you can read our accompanying Journal essay here.
This course is about intention rather than repair. While Sashiko has its roots in strengthening and extending the life of cloth, this workshop focuses on embellishment as a way of marking fabric with care, balance and rhythm.
In a culture of speed, novelty and replacement, there is something quietly powerful about choosing to work attentively with what already exists. This workshop invites you to step out of urgency and into rhythm — to experience how careful, repetitive making can sharpen focus, deepen material understanding, and turn an everyday object into a lasting record of time, care and intention.
This workshop on Wednesday 8th July 2026 includes:
Tuition and guided instruction
A pre-washed denim bag provided for embellishment
Sashiko threads, needles and marking tools
Sample cloth for stitch practice
Studio equipment and materials
Seated three-course lunch and refreshments
All abilities welcome. No prior embroidery or mending experience is required.
Workshop Details
Date: Wednesday 8th July 2026
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset
Pricing: £230.00 per person, (a 10% discount is available for two or more guests booking together with code TWOTOGETHER2026).
Buying this as a gift? Let us know on the registration form at checkout and we can create a gift package for you, either emailed or posted to you directly.
Spaces are limited to eight guests to ensure a calm, attentive and well-supported experience.
Need accommodation nearby?
While this particular course is not residential, we’d be delighted to recommend a few local places we know well and consider to be of a good standard. Simply note this in the ‘Additional Information’ section at checkout and we’ll send over our suggestions.
About Emilie Ma
Emilie Ma is a Cornish-born, multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans embroidery, visible mending, scratchboard and jewellery design. After transitioning from jewellery into textile work in 2016, she became deeply engaged with Japanese Sashiko, drawn to its discipline, rhythm and practical intelligence. Emilie has lived and worked in China, running markets and workshops where repair was part of daily life, and now teaches from her Somerset base with an approach that is thoughtful, unhurried and grounded in lived practice.
Read more about Emilie in The Asterion Journal.
Your Hosts
This course is hosted by the Asterion & Co. team at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip — a beautifully reimagined 16th-century farmhouse and working studio where heritage, making and shared learning shape the rhythm of the day.
Founded by Neil Crump, Asterion & Co. brings together artists, growers and craftspeople to explore traditional skills through contemporary practice, supported by research-led context and thoughtful hospitality.
Throughout the day, the team will be on hand to offer guidance, care and insight, ensuring the experience reflects Asterion & Co.’s commitment to craftsmanship, regeneration and doing things well.
Led by Emilie Ma, multi-disciplinary textile artist specialist in Japanese Sashiko and embroidery, with historical insights on the practice from Asterion & Co.
Join us at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip for a considered day of making, slowing down, and working attentively with cloth. This one-day workshop explores Japanese Sashiko as a form of surface embellishment — not repair — using denim as a familiar, democratic and deeply satisfying material to stitch into.
Spend a summer’s day on Wednesday 8th July 2026, creating in our reimagined Somerset 16th-century farmhouse, surrounded by garden and countryside, with a seated three-course lunch included.
Working at an unhurried pace, you’ll be guided through the principles, rhythms and mindset of Sashiko, learning how disciplined repetition and restraint can transform everyday textiles into something quietly expressive and deeply personal. For those who would like to explore the heritage, origins and philosophy behind Sashiko in more depth, you can read our accompanying Journal essay here.
This course is about intention rather than repair. While Sashiko has its roots in strengthening and extending the life of cloth, this workshop focuses on embellishment as a way of marking fabric with care, balance and rhythm.
In a culture of speed, novelty and replacement, there is something quietly powerful about choosing to work attentively with what already exists. This workshop invites you to step out of urgency and into rhythm — to experience how careful, repetitive making can sharpen focus, deepen material understanding, and turn an everyday object into a lasting record of time, care and intention.
This workshop on Wednesday 8th July 2026 includes:
Tuition and guided instruction
A pre-washed denim bag provided for embellishment
Sashiko threads, needles and marking tools
Sample cloth for stitch practice
Studio equipment and materials
Seated three-course lunch and refreshments
All abilities welcome. No prior embroidery or mending experience is required.
Workshop Details
Date: Wednesday 8th July 2026
Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset
Pricing: £230.00 per person, (a 10% discount is available for two or more guests booking together with code TWOTOGETHER2026).
Buying this as a gift? Let us know on the registration form at checkout and we can create a gift package for you, either emailed or posted to you directly.
Spaces are limited to eight guests to ensure a calm, attentive and well-supported experience.
Need accommodation nearby?
While this particular course is not residential, we’d be delighted to recommend a few local places we know well and consider to be of a good standard. Simply note this in the ‘Additional Information’ section at checkout and we’ll send over our suggestions.
About Emilie Ma
Emilie Ma is a Cornish-born, multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans embroidery, visible mending, scratchboard and jewellery design. After transitioning from jewellery into textile work in 2016, she became deeply engaged with Japanese Sashiko, drawn to its discipline, rhythm and practical intelligence. Emilie has lived and worked in China, running markets and workshops where repair was part of daily life, and now teaches from her Somerset base with an approach that is thoughtful, unhurried and grounded in lived practice.
Read more about Emilie in The Asterion Journal.
Your Hosts
This course is hosted by the Asterion & Co. team at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip — a beautifully reimagined 16th-century farmhouse and working studio where heritage, making and shared learning shape the rhythm of the day.
Founded by Neil Crump, Asterion & Co. brings together artists, growers and craftspeople to explore traditional skills through contemporary practice, supported by research-led context and thoughtful hospitality.
Throughout the day, the team will be on hand to offer guidance, care and insight, ensuring the experience reflects Asterion & Co.’s commitment to craftsmanship, regeneration and doing things well.
Image 1 of 32
Image 2 of 32
Image 3 of 32
Image 4 of 32
Image 5 of 32
Image 6 of 32
Image 7 of 32
Image 8 of 32
Image 9 of 32
Image 10 of 32
Image 11 of 32
Image 12 of 32
Image 13 of 32
Image 14 of 32
Image 15 of 32
Image 16 of 32
Image 17 of 32
Image 18 of 32
Image 19 of 32
Image 20 of 32
Image 21 of 32
Image 22 of 32
Image 23 of 32
Image 24 of 32
Image 25 of 32
Image 26 of 32
Image 27 of 32
Image 28 of 32
Image 29 of 32
Image 30 of 32
Image 31 of 32
Image 32 of 32