I Love Patchwork: 25 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew: Amazon.co.uk: Rashida Coleman-Hale: Books

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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

Product 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.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

I Love Patchwork: 25 Irresistable Zakka Projects to Sew 13 July 2010

By Melissa

Format:Paperback

I really like this book. The projects are a bit different to those seen in most other modern sewing books and there's some nice original ideas in there along with the standard kitchen towels and things. The selection of fabrics is a little different but I like the use of linen - very modern & contemporary. The projects are relatively easy but this is a bonus if you are short on time, less likelihood of another UFO (unfinished object). Lots of the items are also suitable to give as presents. Admittedly not all projects involve patchwork but I don't see this as a negative.

There's a high proportion of projects I want to make in this book compared to many I've bought recently. I have already made the blossom pincushions (for myself and as a present) and plan to do the little lamb softie, pencil case, sewing machine cover and button calendar soon. The appliquéd pillow is also a nice idea. I'd definitely recommend this book if you are interested in making some useful items for around the home either for yourself or as gifts. If you are interested in traditional patchwork then other books may be more appropriate.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

Very little patchwork 17 Jan 2010

By MISS D. S. Taylor VINE™ VOICE

I Love Patchwork: 25 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew
This book should be called I Love Sewing. This is because a lot of the projects are sewn items that contain either small amounts appliqued patches, or no patchwork at all. The only ones I would call patchwork are the lapquilt, the sheep toys skirt & the baby's ball. Also, all of the projects are part made in a hideous natural coloured brown linen, which is ok if you like that kind of thing, but I prefer colour. If I make anything in hte book, I'd use colourful fabrics, & I'd recomend it to sewers not patchworkers.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

Not as promising as it looks 14 Jan 2010

By ein Indierockchick

I checked out the author's blog before I bought the book and liked the things she had shown there. However, I was a little disappointed by the book because I had expected something else.

To start with, the cover of the book only refers to 21 projects. Still, I don't think that's the author's fault but amazon's. From the 21 projects of the book I plan to make about five. The others are either just too simple for my taste (e.g. making kitchen towels out of linen fabric and applicating some fabric squares or making placemats out of linen fabric with a patchwork border) or not my style (sewing a patchwork ball, making a stuffed animal). But I really like the sewing machine cover and the cosmetics pouch.

The projects are all made out of linen in the style that is shown on the cover. The author uses a lot of natural linen. Therefore, the entire book has a little "eco" look. The section about material and sewing techniques is really well written and easy too understand. Even for me as a non-English native (I'm German) this section and the instructions to each project are easy to follow and have no flaws.

I think that this book is for the beginner or intermediate sewer. If you are into linen and you need some ideas using the patchwork to get started sewing, I would recommend you this book. If you are an advanced sewer and need inspiration I think it will suffice to look at the blog.