In a small workshop in the coastal town of Otsuchi, northeastern Japan, a group of women joke and laugh as they embroider intricate patterns in white, red and other colors onto indigo fabric. The result of their labors is scattered around them -- caps and jackets transformed with freehand lines and striking geometric patterns.
The works are all examples of a centuries-old sewing and embroidery technique known as Sashiko, once a practical way to repair garments, particularly in the local region. But under the steady hands of the women, many of whom are survivors of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, it has become something much more -- a way to stitch their lives back together.
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