Mihoko Wakabayashi

My name is Mihoko Wakabayashi. I became a member of the Saori Leaders' Committee in 2000, when my family was living in Japan. Then we all moved to Worcester, MA to start the first Saori studio in the USA!

Since then, I have taught Saori to hundreds of students of all ages at our Worcester studio. I've participated in local events such as Worcester Center for Crafts shows, stART on the Street, Massachusetts Special Olympics, Worcester's Asian Festival, First Night Worcester, and First Night Boston.  My own work has been displayed in many venues, such as the Arts Worcester Gallery and the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham. Every odd-numbered year, I lead a Saori Study and Friendship Tour to Japan. See the PHOTOS from our 2011 Tour; please consider joining me for our 2013 Tour!

In 2004, Nat and I opened a storefront studio and gallery on Worcester's busy Highland Street. Then, in 2009, we bought our own house with an even larger studio space in the building behind our home! Now I am beginning to offer workshops in spinning and other fiber-related arts, all in the Saori spirit! It will take time to remodel this big space into my "dream" studio, but I am excited about it! Meanwhile, I am moving towards selling my own artwork online and at select venues in New England and elsewhere. Keep in touch with me as we grow and change!

For nearly ten years, I have been introducing Saori to individuals and institutions alike, not only in New England, but to students who have come from around the US, and even from other countries, to study Saori in Worcester! What a joy it is to show all people how easy it is to express themselves from the beginning with Saori! Every year, more and more people all over the world learn about Saori, and we know it will become as popular and successful in the US as it is in Japan!
About Us

SAORI Worcester is a family business, owned and operated by wife Mihoko Wakabayashi and husband Nathaniel Needle, with occasional assistance from our sons Asa (16) and Noriyoshi (13)

See Our Mission Statement (use this link & also see text on this page)

Nat Needle

My name is Nathaniel Needle. I have been a professional educator since 1975, working with children, teens, and adults alike on academic, artistic, social, and spiritual development. I've always strived to improve the educational resources of the community as a whole, since that's the "soup" in which we all simmer. At Saori Worcester, I develop Saori programs at all kinds of institutions, educate people about Saori to build a market for it, invent ways to use Saori to advance learning in all academic and artistic disciplines, and create new avenues for "Right Livelihood" based on the jambalaya of things that Mihoko and I do best.

Right now my biggest challenge is to find special human beings to Sponsor & Own every single one of the 66 Banners from the August 2010 SAORI Bridges of Elm Park exhibit! Your tax-deductible gift (average for one banner = $200) goes to a SAORI Scholarship Fund managed by ARTS Worcester, a local non-profit agency. These funds now support a dozen or so low-income children in our inner-city neighborhood who are becoming SAORI weavers! Please Contact Me about sponsoring/owning a banner!

I've been a professional jazz pianist, vocalist, and piano teacher since 1976. If you want to engage my services for anything musical; just email me at nat@natneedle.com

Our family has a "mission-driven" business, based on Buddhist principles of "Right Livelihood."

Mihoko and Nat's Mission:

  • To make a continuing SAORI experience available to as diverse a range and as great a number of people as possible.
  • To build a community of SAORI weavers who contribute to each others' lives.
  • To network with other individuals and institutions to enrich the quality of life in Worcester and New England.