Komezashi, meaning rice stitch, is a pattern that symbolizes a wish for a rich harvest and abundance. The name comes from the stitch’s appearance, which looks like the kanji character for rice.
It is an additional step from the Kirguri stitch, adding diagonal lines to the pattern. This makes the overall pattern dense and a stronger reinforcement for visible mending.
To add more interest to this pattern, I used 4 colors of thread. I counted my horizontal grid and divided the area into 3 sections, alternating colors in each section from white, to black, and back to white. On the vertical grid I used black and gold thread, but alternated the colors into 3 vertical sections and also respected the horizontal sections which created 9 areas of color changes. To complete the pattern, on the diagonal I used a variegated dyed blue thread that has accents of red.
The textile I used was dyed with Madder on the front side, and the backside was from the same lot of Madder but then overdyed with Iron.
I really love both sides of this pattern, the threads interact differently and the color shifts of the fabric and threads really make each side look unique and vibrant.
Front of Hitomezashi Komezashi
Back of Hitomezashi Komezashi