Ever since I Love Patchwork: 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew by Rashida Coleman-Hale came out, oh, 3 years ago, I’ve been drooling over it. It’s one of those books that every time I would go to the book shop, I would flip through it, contemplate buying, then put it back because “I already have so many craft books, I need to make projects from those”. Well, last year I was able to buy this book under the guise of “research” for the book (and the zine) because I found the design so endearing and the book structure was pretty appealing to me.
But I had yet to make anything from it until this past week! There was a lot of overwhelming “rah rah” for this book when it came out. And rightly so. It was one of the first groupings of books that really embodied the now prevalent japanese styled american craft books.
And looking at it now, three years later, I still find the projects as inspiring as I did 3 years ago. But this book is so much more than just cute projects, I think that would be missing the main point of this collection: Linens & Patchwork.
And true, it is for the beginner. And granted, I’m no master of linens OR patchwork/quilting, but I’m no slouch either, and found a lot of really useful tips included in this book that were then reiterated in the projects. And that’s my favorite type of instructional book. Show me how to do something, then show me how to use that skill in a larger project.
Maybe you’re like me and love the idea of English Paper Piecing, but don’t really feel up to making a whole quilt. Well, that’s the beauty of this book right there – each project is the chance to play and experience different types of patchwork processes and learn new techniques.
So what did I end up making? The simplest of the projects, but for me, the most immediately useful – a utensil basket for all my chop sticks. I love how easy this comes together, that it uses up some of my little “craft leftovers”, and adds a spark of inspiration in an unexpected place – my kitchen drawer.
It’s a traditional little design that I’m definitely going to use again and again – especially when I start re-doing my studio space! I’ll need lots of little baskets for my pencils, brushes, and the like.
Do you have this book? What did you think about it? Have you made any of the projects?
Happy Crafting!
Kristin Roach
I adore this book. I used the plus-sign pattern and adapted it for a sewing machine cover.