Mari Yamada,  teacher

Mari Yamada

local_activity kits: Sewing and EmbroideryTextiles

4.9 (54)

I am from Tsugaru, Aomori, Japan - the place where Kogin was born. Naturally, I grew up with many of the traditional Aomori art and crafts and began learning Kogin when I was a child.

I have been building my skills and knowledge for more than 20 years and have helped introduce many sewers to these overseas traditions.

Despite all of the new styles of embroidery patterns today, the original Kogin techniques are still being created by needlework lovers in Japan. Its design and texture are well cared for, beautiful, cute, warm, stylish, and modern.

I would love to connect with you for fun and share my Kogin knowledge with all the needlework lovers out there!






Kits






Gallery





Reviews

(54)


Alexandra Simmons Feb 2024

171 ClassBento workshops attended • 172 reviews


Wow! This class was awesome I had so much fun with this kit and am so happy with my finished products

Textiles kit review by Alexandra Simmons

Deborah Furlong May 2023

6 ClassBento workshops attended • 6 reviews


Fantastic course! I have learnt so much in 3 hours! Different stitches and the use of fabrics. How to do weaving and the different kinds of threads that can be used for different projects. Mari is a very kind and patient teacher with a wealth of knowledge in Sashiko and kogin Japanese embroidary! You will learn ao very much doing this course!
Thank you so much Mari! X

Judith Ladd Apr 2023


Mari's class was thoroughly enjoyable. She provided everything we needed and was a patient and helpful teacher. It was easy to pick up on the basics and we were able to sew some more adventurous patterns. The eco reusable cloths are a great idea and Mari provided ideas for using them which was new to me. If you are wanting to learn a relaxing, sewing technique with plenty of scope for creativity than you must do Mari's class.

Deborah Furlong Apr 2023

6 ClassBento workshops attended • 6 reviews


Thank you so very much for the Kogin course today! I have learned so much already. This course is excellent to learn the Japanese skills of Kogin embroidary, I especially love how each symbol means something and represents historical information within the stitching process. Mari is such a patient and kind teacher, not only teaching how to do this Japanese art form but also showing beautiful examples of how to make gifts for friends and family.
Mari also has excellent high quality materials that is used on the course.

Deborah Furlong Apr 2023

6 ClassBento workshops attended • 6 reviews


I recieved this in the mail today! I was so excited to open the parcel. The fabric is stunning and the design is so beautiful. Thank you so very much Mari. I love all of you4 sashiko designs. Absolutely stunning

Textiles kit review by Deborah Furlong

Fiona Liu Apr 2023

4 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


Mari is a very patient and caring expert in what she teaches. My daughter and I enjoyed the workshop very much! Thank you, Mari.

Deborah Furlong Apr 2023

6 ClassBento workshops attended • 6 reviews


I had so much fun with Mari, we talked about the history of Sashiko and how it has changed through the time and has now been rejuvenated into modern fabric art forms. It was so lovely to learn of the different material used and the wonderful threads that are available for this embroidary. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of the class and have so much more confidence in being able to create my very own sashiko embroidary peices. Mari is a wonderful teacher! Thank you so very much for this calming and relaxing experience

Michelle Harris Dec 2022

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


Mari is a lovely and patient teacher and her classes are very enjoyable. Highly recommend.

Janet Harris Dec 2022


Liked the materials provided and the fabric used. The teacher was very helpful in showing how to start and finish stitching on sashiko fabric. She was very generous with her time.

Textiles class review by Janet Harris - Sydney

Jasmin Lin Nov 2022

61 ClassBento workshops attended • 62 reviews


Mari is a warm, friendly, passionate and knowledgeable teacher. The instructions were easy to follow and I was encouraged to go at a pace I was comfortable with. I enjoyed learning a new craft. Thank you for a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

Japanese Kogin Brooch and Button Making Class review by Jasmin Lin - Sydney

Kimberley Henderson Oct 2022

2 ClassBento workshops attended


Fantastic class! Mari is so patient and knowledgeable. Everything was supplied and I have learned new skills to make my Sashiko go to the next level. Highly recommend Mari and her class.

Textiles class review by Kimberley Henderson - Sydney

Jh Marie Oct 2022

60 ClassBento workshops attended • 61 reviews


Really good course, taught techniques of weaving and different designs. I really enjoyed this and found it very relaxing. The teacher is very good, friendly and excellent teaching style. I would recommend this course to others.

Make a Sashiko Stitch Place Mat review by Jh Marie

Jh Marie Oct 2022

60 ClassBento workshops attended • 61 reviews


Best class ever! This activity is very relaxing and good for mindfulness and alleviating stress. Good pace of class and also very lovely teacher. I would recommend this to others.

Textiles class review by Jh Marie

Debbie Garden Sep 2022


Enjoyed the shashiko class, Mari was knowledgeable and easy to understand. Lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Renée Brown Sep 2022

2 ClassBento workshops attended


Mari was great and very generous in sharing her heritage and knowledge. Great class, thanks Mari

DIY Sashiko Coasters review by Renée Brown

Maggie Huang Jul 2022


Maria is a very nice person and has patience to teach beginners. Good to chat with everyone.

Louise Laz Jul 2022


Marie was a lovely teacher who knows what students need and is very attentive. And patient! We learned about the history of Sashiko and were guided through our very first project. Hoping for another workshop so we can move on to the next level. We had everything provided we needed to complete the class today and helpful hints to finish it off at home if we weren’t quite as fast (I was a very slow learner). It was great fun.

Rie Downey May 2022

3 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews


Our teacher, Mari was very friendly and attentive to everyone with different levels of experiences. She provided all the materials needed for the workshop as well as plenty to work on at home. The venue was great, except for some very loud exercise classes happening upstairs. The class was for one hour, but she was happy to run the class for almost 2 hours. I highly recommend this workshop!

Janine Nielsen Oct 2021

4 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews


Looks great haven’t started it yet
Quick response from Mari when I asked question

Elizabeth Rush Sep 2021

12 ClassBento workshops attended • 8 reviews


Victoria is incredibly nice and helpful and lets you go at your own pace for the 4 different projects that you make.

Caitlin Bull Sep 2021

2 ClassBento workshops attended


All of Mari’s kits and classes are beautiful. Everything I needed, great instructions, 5 stars!

Alison Paterson Feb 2021

3 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


Mari was lovely - she gave clear instructions and was helpful with everything.
I very much enjoyed the class.

Make Sashiko Reusable Kitchen Cloths review by Alison Paterson

Lana Austin Feb 2021

2 ClassBento workshops attended


Delivery was very prompt. Kit has everything and instructions are comprehensive. Thanks for the information on what the cloth can be used for and the variety of patterns.

Bronte Sinclair Feb 2021

3 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


The kit was nicely packaged and contained everything required except scissors. The instructions were clear and useful, and explained the Japanese terms and uses of the finished item.
A really lovely pack to introduce someone to a new technique.

Karen Scott Feb 2021

2 ClassBento workshops attended


A very enjoyable workshop. Mari was great and very generous with her knowledge. This is the first online workshop I have done and it worked really well.

Ulrike Cao Feb 2021

3 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews


This craft kit includes all you need to learn Sachiko embroidery. It is a self-learn kit with an instruction booklet and several patterns, and materials are of good quality - authentic Sachiko thread which was good to experience as it’s much nicer to work with than other embroidery threads, and not readily available in shops. It has two pieces of fabric that turn out great for use as a kitchen cloth and five small lots of thread. I did run out of blue thread trying to complete the yellow / blue pattern. Overall an enjoyable experience.

Make Sashiko Reusable Kitchen Cloths Kit review by Ulrike Cao

Jessamy Baker Jan 2021

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


I had so much fun and despite my lack of experience Mari explained things in a way that helped me learn quickly. I highly recommend her class, it was rewarding and relaxing and she is a lovely teacher.

Romaine Moss Nov 2020

8 ClassBento workshops attended • 7 reviews


Thanks for a relaxing pace and great explanation I really enjoyed my experience and my tutor was friendly and explained things well

Susan Mills Nov 2020


I really enjoyed this class so much! I learnt a lot about how to do Kogin and also the history of Kogin. The class was easy to follow. Mari is a great teacher who is knowledgable and patient.

Ruth Fisher Nov 2020


Great class! Sessions with Mari were informative, flexible and productive. Love me little kitchen cloths and the stories behind sashiko and the different stitches.
It was nice to be able to do the classes from home in the age of COVID while minding a little bub at home.

Serena Gray Oct 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended


Materials were delivered very promptly in time for the class. Class was fun and relaxed. It was great to learn a new skill.

Estelle Liedemann Sep 2020

13 ClassBento workshops attended • 14 reviews


Lovely teacher, great little skill especially for kids clothing. Wish I’d had this for all those knees on my sons pants.

Textiles class review by Estelle Liedemann

Shu Pook Sep 2020

3 ClassBento workshops attended


Interesting class and fairly straight forward. No prior sewing experience required! Excited to use my new product in the kitchen! :)

Judy Nutting Sep 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


A well paced and relaxing class For a beginner, with sufficient challenge to develop basic skills in this first of two classes. Mari is very helpful and instructions on Zoom are clear And supported by class resources.

Sally Embury-Thomas Aug 2020

5 ClassBento workshops attended • 5 reviews


Really fun and informative class. I learned lots about this form of embroidery. Mari is really patient and delightful.

Make Sashiko Reusable Kitchen Cloths review by Sally Embury-Thomas

Bernadette Figgis Jul 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended


I really enjoyed my first class with Mari learning how to make the Sashiko cloths. The craft box was excellent and her instructions easy to follow for a beginner. I’m looking forward to next week’s lesson.

Ash Stapleton Jun 2020


Lovely and so patient with me as an absolute beginner, yet still supportive!
Mari is so talented and inspires you to keep going in a welcoming, warm but non-judgemental way! Thank you Mari

Amara Steven Jun 2020


This is something my mum and I decided to do together as we live in different states and we had so much fun with Mari. My mum and I are both terrible at sewing but Mari went at our pace and made things very easy to understand. Looking forward to the next lesson.

Yoshiko Steven Jun 2020


Mari san is friendly and easy to talk during the lesson. She has a deep knowledge of Sashiko and was teaching us professionally. I look forward to the next lesson.

Suzy Wilson Jun 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


This is my second class with Mari and I would recommend her highly to anyone who would like to learn traditional forms of stitching. She is very patient with her students and willing to have a good laugh whilst you stitch.

Textiles class review by Suzy Wilson

Kate Hooke Jun 2020

7 ClassBento workshops attended • 6 reviews


I loved today’s class and have spent the afternoon practicing my stitching. I’m looking forward to doing some more.

Deb Dibley May 2020

5 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews


Lovely lesson, very peaceful exercise to do, relaxing & a great teacher. Highly recommended.Thanks Mari

Suzy Wilson May 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


Mari is very patient and very encouraging. She made the class really enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in traditional methods of stitching and decoration

Textiles class review by Suzy Wilson

Tara McGrath May 2020


This class with Mari was absolutely brilliant. She is very friendly and easy going, and a really good teacher also. I very much enjoyed both the class, and learning a new skill, and chatting as we stitched together. Highly recommended!

Textiles class review by Tara McGrath

Karen Nicoll May 2020

3 ClassBento workshops attended


Thanks Mari for the helpful sashiko sessions. They were enjoyable and informative. Mari was well organised and gave clear instructions - she was generous with her time and knowledge. I’m inspired to keep exploring the myriad sashiko stitches.

Anna Costanzo May 2020


Mari is a patient and kind teacher. Very prepared and clear in her explanations and demonstrations. She is able to clarify any confusion about the actions/steps that you have to take to carry out the sewing. I wholeheartedly recommend taking her class.

Aimee Murphy May 2020

5 ClassBento workshops attended • 5 reviews


This was really enjoyable. Fabulous teacher. Got to catch up with a good friend online while learning a new skill. Definitely recommend to one and all.

Claire Pickard Apr 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


a great first session, looking forward to the final. why do i need six more words?

Sheila Quirk Apr 2020


I have just completed the Sashiko Reusable cloth class with Mari on Zoom.
We were taught the basics in a friendly environment with patience.
Mari made it easy to learn and was very helpful with plenty of tips.
I enjoyed doing the class with a friend, Christine. We were very pleased with experience and the work package that was sent.
I would recommend this course to others.

Christine Sheeley Apr 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews


Mari is a great teacher, and so engaging. Such a relaxed and comfortable class . She taught us as we went - so interactive - a delight. Looking forward to next week’s class already. Christine

Shani Wong Apr 2020

17 ClassBento workshops attended • 6 reviews


Thanks Mari for the class. I got all the required materials in time, via courier. The instructions were clear. And I have thoroughly enjoyed the session

Belinda Brooke Apr 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended


Mari was lovely and explained everything clearly and was happy to go at my pace. I really enjoyed this class.

Gara Baldwin Mar 2020


The teacher was excellent and the Sashiko class was very enjoyable. Mari is very skilled in her craft and was happy to share her techniques. The materials provided were excellent and the explanations were easy to understand. The venue was good and had good light so we could see clearly. I really enjoyed the class.

Carmela Garcia Jan 2020

2 ClassBento workshops attended


Marie was very helpful! The class was lots of fun. Lots of ideas of things to make

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