Sashiko patterns / Shippo (Seven Treasures)
Shippo (seven treasures) sashiko pattern
Shippo is a grid of overlapping circles that forms four-petal flowers. In sashiko it is stitched as long wavy lines rather than one circle at a time. Print the template at 100%, trace the arcs, and stitch each wavy line across the whole piece before turning to the other direction.
- Beginner
- 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 grid spacing. Smaller is denser and takes longer.
- 14 mmFine ~1,300 stitches · ~8 m thread · 2–4.5 h US Letter A4
- 20 mmClassic Recommended · ~1,008 stitches · ~6 m thread · 1.5–3.5 h US Letter A4
- 28 mmBold ~832 stitches · ~5 m thread · 1.5–3 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 6 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 1.5 to 3.5 hours for the whole panel at 20 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 the wavy lines that run left to right, one row at a time.
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Turn the work and stitch the wavy lines that run top to bottom.
- 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
The name means the seven treasures of Buddhism, and the pattern is used as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
Every arc in shippo is a quarter circle, so once you can stitch one smooth quarter curve you can stitch the whole pattern.
Four arcs meet at each petal point. The template keeps the stitches clear of those points, which gives shippo its open, lacy look.
Questions
- Is shippo the same as shippo-tsunagi?
- Yes. Shippo-tsunagi means "linked seven treasures" and is the name for this overlapping circle grid.
- Do I need a compass to transfer it?
- No. Print the template at 100% and trace it with a light box or a sunny window.
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