Once you have chosen a sashiko pattern, the thread becomes one of your most important creative decisions.

If you are completely new to the technique, our What Is Sashiko? article introduces its history, purpose, and characteristic running stitches. Our beginner’s guide can then help you prepare the basic materials for your first project.

In this guide, we will focus on the thread itself.

Thin or thick, subtle or colorful, the thread you choose can completely change the feeling of the same sashiko design.

→ Learn more about sashiko and its history

→ Read a beginner guide

Thread thickness is not only a matter of skill level.

Thin thread is not automatically “for beginners,” and thick thread is not automatically “more advanced.” The best option depends on the density of the pattern, the weight of the fabric, and how visible you would like the stitches to be.

Thin Sashiko Thread

Thin sashiko thread is a versatile choice for both beginners and experienced stitchers.

The DARUMA Sashiko Thread Card Thin is made from four twisted cotton strands and contains 40 metres of thread. It works well for detailed patterns, hitomezashi, smaller motifs, and designs where you want the shape of the pattern to feel light and precise.

It can also be used for larger designs when you prefer a softer appearance rather than a strongly raised stitch.

The card format makes it easy to cut the amount you need and store the remaining thread neatly.

Choose Thin Thread When:

Your pattern has small or closely spaced details
You are stitching hitomezashi
You want a light and refined appearance
Your fabric is relatively fine
You would like to combine several colors without making the surface feel too heavy

Thick Sashiko Thread

Thick sashiko thread gives each stitch more visual weight.

The DARUMA Sashiko Thread Card Thick is made from six twisted cotton strands and contains 30 metres of thread. Its clear, visible stitches work especially well with larger sashiko patterns and designs where you want the stitched lines to stand out strongly from the fabric.

Choose Thick Thread When:

Your pattern is large and open
You want bold and visible stitches
You are working on heavier fabric
The stitching is meant to become a strong design feature
You are adding a noticeable decorative repair

If you are unsure, look at the spacing of your pattern. A closely packed design will often feel more balanced with thin thread, while a broad pattern with generous spacing can carry the weight of thick thread beautifully.

Choosing a Color

Traditional sashiko is often associated with light thread on deep indigo fabric, but modern sashiko offers much more freedom.

Start by thinking about contrast.

A pale thread on dark fabric creates a clear and graphic result. A thread closer to the fabric color creates a softer design that reveals itself more gradually. Bright contrast can make a familiar pattern feel contemporary, while neutral combinations can feel calm and understated.

For a Traditional Feeling

Try white or ecru on navy blue, deep indigo, or black fabric.

For a Soft and Natural Feeling

Try grey, white grey, brown gold, bamboo, or muted green on linen and neutral cotton.

For a Fresh and Playful Feeling

Try lemon, cherry blossom, plum, mint, water blue, emerald, wisteria, or vermilion.

The Thin collection currently offers a wide range of solid colors, making it easy to adapt sashiko to clothing, accessories, seasonal pieces, and personal color palettes.

Exploring Variegated Sashiko Thread

A multicolored thread can add movement even to a very simple line of stitching.

The variegated options in the Sashiko Thread Card Thin collection are dyed in different ways, creating changing colors and rhythms across the fabric.

Rain Sounds, Sparkler, and Lemon Squash have small areas of color that appear throughout the running stitches.

Goldfish Scooping, Shaved Ice, and Morning Glory change color at longer intervals, with white appearing between the shades.

Paper Balloon and Tanabata combine eight different colors, allowing even straight stitches to create a bright and lively result.

These threads are a lovely choice when you want the thread itself to bring an element of surprise to the project.

One Color or Several?

A single color allows the pattern structure to take the lead.

Using two or more colors can highlight different sections of a motif, separate crossing lines, or create a more playful composition.

For hitomezashi, you might stitch the vertical lines in one color and the horizontal or diagonal lines in another. For visible mending, you can choose colors already present in the garment or add a completely contrasting shade.

There is no need to plan a complicated palette. Two colors that you enjoy seeing together can be enough.

For makers who enjoy sampling and combining many shades, the Sashiko Thread Card Thin: 29 Solid Colour Set brings together all 29 solid colors in the collection. It can be used for color studies, dishcloths, embroidery details, visible mending, and future project planning.

Match the Thread to the Needle

The needle should be large enough for the thread to pass through comfortably, but not so large that it leaves unnecessary holes in the fabric.

The DARUMA Sashiko Needle Set includes four needle sizes and a threader. Some sizes are recommended for Thin thread, while another can be used with both Thin and Thick thread, making the set useful if you plan to explore different styles.

An Easy First Combination

For a first project, try:

Sashiko Thread Thin in white or ecru
Navy, deep indigo, or medium weight cotton fabric
A simple printed or marked geometric pattern
A sashiko needle suited to Thin thread

Once you understand how the thread feels in your hands, try the same motif again with a thicker or brighter thread. Comparing the two finished pieces is one of the easiest ways to discover your own preference.

Let the Thread Change the Pattern

Choosing thread is not only a technical decision.

It is also a creative one.

A bold line, a delicate detail, a quiet neutral, or a shifting summer color can each bring a different mood to the same design.

Begin with the pattern you would like to stitch, then choose the thread that matches how you want the finished piece to feel.

→ Shop Sashiko Thread Thin

→ Shop Sashiko Thread Thick

→ Explore All Sashiko Materials

A Finished Example: Tanabata and Kaki no Hana

For our July Kaki no Hana coaster, we chose Sashiko Thread Card Thin in Tanabata.

The Kaki no Hana motif is made from small, closely arranged stitches, so Thin thread keeps the individual shapes light and easy to see. Tanabata changes through several colours as you stitch, giving the simple geometric pattern a cheerful and playful finish.

We allowed the colours to change naturally rather than planning where each shade would appear. This makes every finished coaster slightly different.

We also used the remaining thread to make four matching tassels for the corners.

→See the Tanabata Thread in a Finished Project

Continue Exploring Sashiko

New to the technique?

→ Read What Is Sashiko?

Ready to prepare your first project?

→ [Read New to Sashiko? A Beginner’s Guide](ADD BEGINNER GUIDE LINK)

→ Shop All Sashiko Thread

Ready to begin with a small project?
Download our free Kaki no Hana pattern and make a colourful sashiko coaster with four tiny tassels.

→ Make the Kaki no Hana Coaster

Thank you for stitching with us.

- Itoma