Learn how to adjust your Brother Sewing Machine so it will stitch the Sashiko stitch.
This is quick and simple – and if you don’t have the same machine as sewn, you can look for the stitch on your own machine and try it out.
Only a few adjustments to the tension, the stitch number and the top thread being monofilament – and you are set.

Sashiko Stitch –
The Sashiko stitch on a sewing machine gives the look of hand quilting on the top. To make this happen, the top thread is a monofilament thread and the bobbin thread has the color that you want the stitch to be.
It’s a little backwards to our typical sewing with the machine – the top thread being the one you see, on the top.
The stitches have a gap or space in between, making it look hand stitched. Super cute!
While I would love to have the Babyloc Sashiko Machine, it’s not what I have currently and wanted to find out if I could replicate the stitch on a machine I do have.
This is what the Sashiko Stitch on the sewing machine looks like:

Brother Sewing Machine:
Brother Sewing and Quilting Machine, CS6000i – This is the one I have and use all the time (featured in the video). Check it out here.
Brother CS7000i Sewing and Quilting Machine– This one is a backup machine if the above is not available, it has the same stitches and #39 is the one that will work. Check it out here.
I did do a search and found that a few other sewing machines can also do this stitch – so double check there!
If you are interested in checking the Sashiko sewing machine. It’s made by Babylock and you can find it here. It’s on my wish list!
How to Sashiko Stitch with Brother Sewing Machine Video:
Sashiko on the Brother Instructions:
1- Set you stitch to #39
This is the stitch on the machine that will give you the Sashiko looking stitch
2- Set your needle placement to 3.5
This is the center of the foot and will give you a better view of the needle and you can use the foot as a guide
3- Set your tension to the highest it can go (or loosest) setting
This machine has a loose tension number of 9. This setting allows the bobbin thread to be pulled up to the top and be visible. This is how the whole thing happens.
4- Layer your fabrics, and sew!
About the Hand-Look Quilting Stitch
This is what the actual stitch looks like – and what you can possibly find on your stitch guide for your machine.

The Hand-Look Quilting Stitch is used to create the look of hand-sewn running stitches. The top of the machine is threaded with either an invisible thread or a thread color that matches the top fabric. The bobbin is thread actually appears on the top side of the fabric as “running stitches”, so the bobbin is threaded with a thread color that is desired for the stitching that appears on the top side of the project.
This is the stitch guide for the Brother Machine mentioned here.
Stitch #39 is what I am using – though it looks a little bit different from the image above.
You’ll notice a little Q by it. That refers to a quilting stitch.

Some Sashiko Tips:
- I tested a few different stitch lengths and nothing really mattered. It worked best at the default stitch length
- I tested a small piece of fabric folded – so it was two layers before jumping into the batting and backing layers. Both worked just as they should
- I noticed that I needed to keep a hold of the monofilament thread or it would get stuck in the bobbin and cause some issues. So watch that tail when you begin.
- The monofilament thread was placed on a thread stand on the table and NOT on the machine. It needs enough length to loosen up prior to going into the needle. I threaded the machine as usual with this thread.
- I used pre-wound bobbins and they worked great.
Sashiko Stitch on the top of the fabric:

Sashiko Stitch on the bottom of the quilt: it looks like a solid stitch. – it is the bobbin color





Becky Jorgensen is the creative quilter behind Patchwork Posse, the Patchwork Planner and her online quilt group Patchworkers Plus. You can find her patterns in books, magazines, and her quilt membership. Gather your quilting supplies, organize your sewing space, explore the process of disappearing quilt blocks, or finish a free quilt pattern. I'll help you use what you have, finish what you start and make your quilting journey fun!
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