Jūjihanazashi

The traditional Japanese sashiko pattern jūjihanazashi 十字花刺し means "letter ten flower stitches."

It consists of crosses, which look exactly like the letter ten in Japanese: 十, hence the name. Some of the crosses are connected, which creates flower-like shapes that are connected with each other.

Meaning of the sashiko pattern jūjihanazashi

The ten in Japanese has the meaning of "being whole" or "being enough." It is a lucky number and is often associated with the gods. Source in Japanese

It stands for a plentiful harvest or offspring. You can still occasionally see it embellishing babies' clothes in Japan.

Stitching directions

The pattern looks complicated, but if you fill in the vertical and horizontal lines first, you'll see that it consists mainly of crosses. Only when you fill in the diagonal lines you can see the flowers form.

This was the first pattern I've ever stitched. I am a little proud that I finished it. It took FOREVER! But at least it was simple, so I wasn't overwhelmed.

This pattern profits greatly from the sashiko stitching technique. If you don't have one, I really recommend you make yourself a palm thimble.

Leave a comment if you are interested in detailed instructions and I will upload more information as soon as possible.