I Love Patchwork: 25 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew

Description

Sewing doesn't have to be complicated to achieve innovative results. Create sophisticated patchwork projects in the popular Japanese zakka style - the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane - by combining linen and print fabrics using simple quilting techniques. I Love Patchwork! offers a modern approach to this sewing technique that will appeal to beginning to intermediate sewers and quilters. Readers will learn basic sewing, quilting, and patchwork techniques combined with applique and stamping to create inventive, useful projects. Learn how to buy, work with, and care for linen, plus how to choose colors for maximum effect. Patterns range from a travel sewing kit, sewing machine cover, fabric covered box, table runner, apron, eco bag, towels, calendar, lap quilt, tote bag, mobile, pillow, pencil cases, shoulder bag, and much more. All projects use natural linen paired with colorful patchwork; in addition to simple fabric piecing techniques, projects include many types of easy embellishments such as ribbons, buttons, stamping, applique and hand and machine embroidery. These sophisticated projects are small enough to work up quickly using bits of fabric from the reader's stash, with charming design details that are easy and fun to make. From home decor and gift items to wearable accessories and baby items, all projects require only basic sewing skills to get stylish results.

Rashida Coleman-Hale spent many years in Japan as a child. She studied fashion design at FIT and rediscovered her love of patchwork when she was pregnant and became a stay-at-home-mom. She began her blog iheartlinen.typepad.com a year ago to chronicle her crafting life and sells her work on Etsy. Her projects have been published in Interweave's new sewing magazine, Stitch. She lives in New York.

I love this book - full of great contemporary patchwork to enhance your home. Yes it does make you want to start the projects straight away. Great sense of use of different fabrics and wonderful style. Easy to follow instructions. I love the covered boxes.-KarenPlatt.co.uk I love patchwork (yes I actually really do!) has a variety of 'Zakka' projects using a combination of charming cotton prints and linen fabric to create useful, but very attractive projects. There are some really unusual bits and pieces, a lovely fleecy lamb in a pretty outfit, a perpetual calender, but also the more expected selection of bags and zip-up pouches. These are all well designed and the book has a nice clean feel to it. I found the patchwork coasters really quick and simple to make, I was planning to try out a project which might be more ambitious but despite having what I consider a quite well stocked work room I found I did not have the requisite interfacing or iron on wadding which was needed. Not all of the projects use what I would term patchwork but maybe serious patchworkers would have the extra materials at hand which I did not. None of the materials are obscure so if one was prepared to wait a while and plan ahead any of the items look more than achievable. Maybe next time I shall pick something more challenging now that I have found the coasters went together so well.-Jennyflowerblue.blogspot.com Described as '21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew', the first question is, what on earth does 'zakka' mean? According to good old Wikipedia, 'zakka' comes from the Japanese zak-ka or 'many things' and is a fashion and design phenomenon that has spread from Japan. Over the years the meaning of the word has evolved to mean an 'aesthetic and design style, mainly focused on household items that enhance one's environment'. Well, we all like to beautify our homes and, using just a few bits of fabric and easy sewing techniques, the 21 projects in the book create simple yet sophisticated pieces, from a travel sewing kit to a fabric-covered box and a zigzag table runner. The choice of fabrics helps a lot as the projects combine a natural linen fabric with some lovely printed fabrics. So get stitching and, with just a few pieces of fabric and some simple sewing and applique techniques, you can create some lovely (and useful) items for the home - and of course introduce a 'zakka' sense of beauty and cheerfulness to your surroundings.-Stitch