The Raojia people are an ethnic minority group with a population of less than 10,000 living deep in the mountains of Guizhou, Southwest China.

Traditionally, Raojia women make their own textiles, beginning with the growing and processing of the cotton that they use. Their traditional costumes include 6 piece jackets, which can take years to complete. They sharpen bamboo sticks with sickles to draw intricate batik designs. Whenever they part with their textile work, Raojia women always cut out a small piece of cloth to ensure that their needlework skills will be passed down to the next generation. 

In this 3.5-hour session, you will stitch together with Selina to explore the beauty of Japanese embroidery technique Sashiko and its application on denim mending. You’ll be working with your hands and simple tools. The class is beginner friendly, so you don’t need any hand stitching or embroidery experience to join.

At the end of the class, you will gain the fundamental skills to mend your beloved pair of jeans to make it last longer and let it become your artistic expression.