Somewhere in San Francisco, Osaka-born artist Miyuki Sakai is busy creating yet another gorgeous sewing illustration.
Using only a standard sewing machine, about 200 different thread colors, and a basic straight stitch, she fashions amazing pictures of everyday objects and scenes, from the dining room and kitchen, to the office, street, cafe, garden, and supermarket.
Miyuki grew up watching her mother make clothes and decided to adopt the sewing machine as her primary tool. After graduating from art college in Kyoto, she worked as a freelance illustrator in Tokyo before emigrating to the U.S.
Her unique style is characterized by lush colors, meticulous detail, and studied compositions. She works freehand, leaving uncut threads that give her illustrations a charming human touch.
Back in 2011, she earned a Bronze Medal in Editorial Design (NY ADC Awards) for her “Viva la Tarte!” stitched plates that showcased real food in Martha Stewart Living.
Her work has also been featured in various periodicals such as Country Home, Vogue, GQ, Seventeen, and The New York Times Magazine, and she’s done ads for SONY, Nordstrom, Microsoft, and Hitachi, among others.
At her site, she shares photos of her “darling sewing machine” and her “good friends” (BandAids). 🙂 I’m totally in awe.
See more of Miyuki’s work at her Official Website and the Tokyo Illustrator’s Society.
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Copyright © 2016 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.
What incredible talent! You find the best things! (you see, the first sentence could be referring to artist Miyuki Sakai OR to you! in fact, it refers to both!)
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Thanks, Jill — glad you like Miyuki’s work! Flattery will get you everywhere 🙂
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wow this is really amazing! Thanks for sharing such beautiful art
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Thanks for visiting! Glad you liked the post. 🙂
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Incredible skill!!
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YES! She needs to do a video so we can see just how she manipulates her sewing machine :).
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These are are amazing! I wonder how long it takes her to make them. I am in awe of anyone who can work with thread and fabric. I can barely sew a hem!
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I’m totally awe struck by her work too. Have no idea how long it would take to finish one of these pieces. But what patience!!
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Extraordinary! I’m awestruck by the creativity exhibited here, not to mention talent. What patience she must have, and eyesight!
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Precisely. I thought it was cute how she called BandAids her best friends.
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LOVE these!!!!!
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Me too!!
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Wow, Jama, to repeat everyone else, these are amazing. I cannot even choose a favorite, but enlarged some, and was even more amazed by the detail. Thanks for finding and sharing!
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The fine detail especially on those violets (?) kills me. She must use magnifying glasses or something.
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WOW, if she even did something as simple as making a dish towel, it’d be so much detail and effort! (And then I’d frame it instead of using it.) I love how art can be …anything we make it. What a talent. Thanks for the heads up of such beauty, Jama-j.
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Yes, anything we make it — that’s the best part. I’m constantly amazed, surprised, and impressed by people who create their own niches. I remember how I struggled with the dress I had to make for 8th grade home ec. Just straight seams!!
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This is completely captivating! I’m an instant fan!!
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Good to hear it!
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That’s awesome! 😀
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Yes yes yes!
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Absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing this with us!
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Glad you like her work!
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Jama,
Thanks, once again, for the education. This is incredible. I can only imagine what the textures will look like in really life. I want to see one. Actually, I’d love to be able to feel one.
I too would like to know how long one of her creations takes to make. Amazing. I’m always learning things from you. Thank you.
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It would be great to be able to see her work in person and feel the textures. Would love if she made a calendar or something that we could all purchase.
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Oh my goodness, Jama! These are incredible. I am simply stunned by her creativity and skill. Thank you for bringing her to our attention. You find the most amazing creations.
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I was also stunned when I first saw her work. Thanks for stopping by for a visit, Margie!
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Holy cow! I’m pretty much speechless. Her work is A-MAZE-ING.
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Yep!
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The wonder of artists!
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Yes — they make the world a more beautiful place, don’t they? 🙂
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Amazing! What an incredible talent.
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Beautiful. These must take forever to stitch!
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Wow!
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