Sashiko patterns / Asanoha (Hemp Leaf)
Asanoha (hemp leaf) sashiko pattern
Asanoha is a six-pointed star built from a triangle grid: every triangle gets a line from each corner to its centre. Print the free template below at 100%, trace it onto your fabric, stitch the long grid lines first, then the short spokes, and keep every star centre open.
- Intermediate
- Panel 18 × 18 cm
- Stitches 3 mm, gaps 1.5 mm
Download the free template
Every size fills the same 18 cm square; the number is the triangle side. Smaller is denser and takes longer.
- 16 mmFine ~2,996 stitches · ~14 m thread · 5–10 h US Letter A4
- 24 mmClassic Recommended · ~2,070 stitches · ~10 m thread · 3.5–7 h US Letter A4
- 32 mmBold ~1,502 stitches · ~8 m thread · 2.5–5 h US Letter A4
Print at "Actual size" (100%), never "Fit to page", then check that the scale bar on the sheet measures 5 cm. Stitch and thread counts are estimates for the whole 18 cm panel (thread includes the back of the work and 15% for knots). Hours assume 5 to 10 stitches a minute. Page 2 of each PDF has the stitching order.
What you need
- Fabric: a 25 cm (10 in) square of medium-weight cotton or linen with a soft, even weave. That is the 18 cm panel plus room to hold it.
- Thread: about 10 m of sashiko thread at the recommended size, used as a single strand (check the length on your skein). Perle cotton no. 8 works too.
- Needle: a sashiko needle (long, with a large eye), or a long darning needle.
- Marker: a water-soluble fabric pen or a chalk pencil for tracing. Test it on a scrap first.
- Optional: a thimble. Sashiko is usually stitched in the hand, without a hoop, so the needle can take several stitches at once.
Time: about 3.5 to 7 hours for the whole panel at 24 mm, our estimate at 5 to 10 stitches a minute. A smaller piece takes less.
How to stitch it
New to sashiko? The running stitch guide shows how to load several stitches on the needle, the way sashiko is sewn, and how to start and finish a thread. Leave a little slack where the thread turns at the end of a row, so the fabric does not pucker.
- Trace the template onto your fabric with a light box or a sunny window and a fabric marker. On dark fabric such as indigo the lines won't show through: use white dressmaker's carbon paper instead.
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Stitch all horizontal lines, row by row.
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Stitch every diagonal that runs from top left to bottom right.
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Stitch every diagonal that runs the other way, from top right to bottom left.
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Finish with the short spokes from each triangle centre, working one star at a time.
- Keep every crossing point open: stop short of the point where lines meet, as the template shows, and start again just past it.
Bright: the stitches for this step. Faded: stitches already done. Dashed: lines still to stitch.
About this pattern
Hemp grows fast and straight, and asanoha has long been used on baby clothes as a wish for healthy growth.
Twelve lines meet at the centre of each star. That is why the template leaves a wider gap there: if all twelve stitches stop 1 mm from the centre, the tips pile into a knot of thread.
Choose the 24 mm size for a first try. The 16 mm size makes a denser cloth and needs more patience; the 32 mm size reads well on a bag or a jacket back.
Questions
- Is asanoha good for beginners?
- It is a good second pattern. The lines are all straight, but the star centres need care. Start with kikko (hexagons) or hitomezashi (a one-stitch grid) if you have never done sashiko.
- Why do the stitches stop short of the star centre?
- Sashiko stitches should not touch where lines cross. With twelve lines meeting at one point, the template leaves about 2 mm clear so the centre stays crisp.
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