Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 7

Last week, we started in with the 'for kids' section of Patchwork, Please!. (The pink is in honor of Ayumi's baby girl, born last week!) There were all sorts of yummy apple bibs, plus a nice assortment of variations on the pattern.

1. apple bib, 2. Patchwork Please Yum-Yum Apple Bib, 3. Zakka bib, 4. I made mine hot pads instead of bibs, sandwiched some Insulbright in there and quilted them, 5. Apple bibs, Zakka Along 2.0, 6. YumYum Apple Bib, 7. Zakka Along 2.0 - Yum Yum Appple Hot Pad, 8. Untitled, 9. Patchwork, Please Apple Bib

We continue on this week with Amy/Sukie's fun Dino-Mite Hat. The linky will be at Lindsey's, along with all the latest winner and prize info!

Patchwork, Please :: Yum-Yum (Non-Apple) Bib

There's just something about Zakka style that gives me permission to go down my own path. So here's my thought (and sewing) process when I opened up my copy of Patchwork, Please to this week's project:

Oh, a bib in the shape of an apple.
Which reminds me of a heart.
Patchwork sounds perfect for a heart.
Dig, dig through scrap bin.
Oh, here's some Minny Muu scraps!
Love them, but they're not big enough for the patchwork I had in mind.
Grab Quilting Modern and start thumbing through.
Stitch and flip sounds fun!
Hmm. I definitely feel like using some Essex.
Thumb through Essex stack and check them out with the Minny Muu.
Settle on hand dyed denim.
Start stitching and flipping . . .

Ok, so you kind of see how it went, don't you? Please tell me your process is equally random at times! I really loved Ayumi's yum-yum apple bib, and there are some darling ones showing up in the flickr group! It's just not where my journey took me this week . . .

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 6

Thanks to the Patchwork, Please sew along, Zakka-style placemats are adorning many a table these days! What a colorful, creative assortment they are!

1. Zakka Along 2.0 - Diamond Patchwork Placemat, 2. image, 3. Patchwork Please, Week 5, 4. Diamond Patchwork Placemat M, 5. Patch work Table mat, 6. Diamond Patchwork Placemat / Patchwork Please!, 7. Diamond Patchwork Placemat, 8. Diamond Placemat from Patchwork, Please!, 9. Zakka 2.0, Week 5

And you have just one stop this week, as Lindsey has the prize info plus is this week's blogger, presenting the Yum-Yum Apple Bib. Hope you are having as much fun as we are sewing through Patchwork, Please!

Patchwork, Please! :: Diamond Patchwork Placemat

Where paper-piecing sometimes feels like the bane of my sewing-existence, I really do enjoy fussy-cutting. And that's what I did, along with choosing to piece the diamond patchwork for this week's project. And just a little note about that fussiness - for me, a 2 1/2" square ruler works great to line things up, and I find it's small enough, I can rotary cut around it without moving a thing on my board.

Fabric-wise, I chose Melody Miller's Ruby Star Spring for the fussy-cuts, and Essex Yarn-Died Linen in Flax for the background and main piece of the mat. The back and binding is of Parson Gray's Curious Nature.

Besides the piecing, where was another change-up . . . I backed my mat front with fusible fleece before I did my quilting.

And for quilting, I followed Ayumi's suggestion to quilt around the focus squares using a coordinating thread. Insert-able trim is not my strong suit, so I chose to accent that area with very dense quilting. I found some delicious variegated pale green (I think it's #3320) from my Tula Pink Aurifil Thread (Thank you, Aurifil!), measured off 3/4" from the vertical seamline, marked with my hera, and proceeded to quilt 9 times in that space. So those lines are verrrry close together. I actually thought the stitching would show up more, but with variegated, you never know what's going to show up where, and I'm plenty happy with it just the same.

I did the binding, again, just like the pattern instructions, and it worked like a charm. I did use a bit of gluestick as I folded my edge over to the front, pressed it, and proceeded to sew that bound edge as straight and neat as could be.

This project was super fun, went together without a hitch, and I certainly plan on using this pattern again!

Project adapted from Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give as part of the Zakka 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please sew along. Linking up with finish it up Friday.

Patchwork, Please! :: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Towels

Do you ever have a "great" idea that doesn't go the way you anticipated? Of course. Well, that was my week with my Patchwork, Please project.

Ayumi's meal-time towels were such a good idea, but when I went to choose fabric, I realized I had no 100% linen, which I thought I would like for this particular project. So I went ahead and ordered some plain premade towels. Only problem? They were quite a bit smaller than what Ayumi suggests. So rather than use the enlarged letters I had already printed out, I copied them at the size shown in the book. Which is rather small. Not too small to read of course, but kind of small to stitch around. Trying to squeeze my project into an already-cramped week, I used white thread for all my letters, which I probably wouldn't do again, especially with these smaller letters. Oh well. And yes, I opted for letters only on my towel, as they pretty much filled up the center space.

So things didn't go quite as planned, and I stopped at one towel for now, BUT I must say, the binding technique for this project was quite enlightening for me, and a happy addition to my repertoire! I am a committed hand-binder, so to even consider doing it by machine was quite a stretch for me. But the way the binding is pressed off-set made all the difference, and I was really quite happy with the result. 

Am I converted? Probably not, as the hand method gives me so much pleasure. But I will definitely keep this method as a consideration for occasional use.

I loved the added accent of using ric-rac as a hanger, so I added that in.

So overall, I wasn't thrilled with my choice of base fabric, nor the size of my towel and letters, not even my choice of thread color. But I do love the scrappy dotted-ness, and would definitely give this project another go another time.

Meanwhile, it's a fun twist, and I'm calling it a wrap. On to next week!

Patchwork, Please! :: Bell Pepper Coasters

I'm being totally honest when I say that I can hardly believe it's actually time to sew along with Ayumi's Patchwork, Please! After months of thoroughly enjoying being immersed in Zakka Style last year, I'm glad to be back at it!

First up are some little Bell Pepper Coasters! Penny of sewtakeahike is this week's featured blogger, so do check out her version! She had the awesome idea to make hers into hotpads.

I stuck with the coasters though, and they went together quite easily.

Picking out fabrics sometimes takes longer than actually sewing the project, and this was one of those times! I did opt for green satin ribbon for the stems, rather than felt. And as you notice, there's no green pepper in my bushel. Not much a fan, but orange, yellow, and red - oh yeah.

If you're wanting to sew along, you can find all the info you need here and here! Would love to have you join us!

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.

Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please ~ Supplies + A Winner

Last Monday I posted the sew along schedule {see the list of participating bloggers HERE} . . . and if you haven't started gathering supplies, now's the time to do it!!

Lindsey recently posted on "Sourcing Supplies", and her list is a great resource throughout the sew along as you continue to pick up fabrics, zippers, floss and wool felt. Three shops have generously offered coupon codes for all participants for the duration of the sew along:

• knotted thread: use ZAKKA10 for a 10% discount
• blossom heart quilts: use PATCHWORK10 for a 10% discount
• mountain of the dragon: use PATCHWORKPLEASE10 for a 10% discount

All have really lovely fabrics and I even found a couple of trims that will be great to have on hand when inspiration strikes.

Of course, at the top of the list is a copy of Ayumi's book! We'll be sewing through Patchwork, Please! starting with the Bell Pepper Coasters on June 3, continuing through the book in order clear to the end. New projects will be posted each Monday, giving you until Sunday midnight EST to link up your project for a chance at that weeks prize.

I sat down with my book this weekend and made my own list of supplies - things beyond the fabrics and zips I routinely keep on hand. Don't consider this an exhaustive list - so do thumb through the book yourself, and at least plan a few weeks ahead so you don't have to rush around at the last minute when you're inspired to sew Zakka!

• felt (coasters, embroidery pouch)
• rickrack (towels)
• fusible web (towels, bib)
• fusible interfacing - lightweight, mediumweight, and heavyweight (teabag pouch, box, iPad cover, tote, embroidery pouch) 
• insulated batting (tea cozy, trivet)
• lightweight and mediumweight fusible quilt batting (bloom quilt, box pouch, pencil case, iPad cover)
• cotton batting (book quilt, wall pocket, embroidery pouch)
• poly-fill (pincushion)
• specialty trims (tea cozy, tea bag pouch, placemats, bib, hat, shopping bag, box pouch, pencil case, iPad cover, embroidery pouch, pincushion)
• specialty fabrics (apron, shopping bag)
• clear vinyl sheet (embroidery pouch)
• quilting adhesive spray and fabric glue stick (several projects)

*Note that a thread has started in the flickr group regarding interfacing, fusible web, etc., so look there if you have questions about those items.

So now I guess it's time to choose a winner of last week's giveaway! The winner of a $30 certificate to knotted thread goes to Lisa of Lisa in Port Hope! Congratulations, Lisa! I'll be forwarding Jenn your email so she can send out that certificate - enjoy! And thanks again, Jennifer, for your support of the Patchwork, Please sew along!

Looking forward to seeing you all next week as the sew along begins! Get inspired by peeking at the growing Pinterest board and flickr group! Some pretty sweet projects are showing up!

Zakka 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please! + A Giveaway

There's been some activity behind the scenes and it's a bit of a relief to finally announce Zakka 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please!

You may remember how much I enjoyed the Zakka Style Sew Along last year {enough to make every project!} so when I heard about the new book by Ayumi Takahashi of Pink Penguin fame, I was pretty excited. And then when Lindsey of LRstitched invited me to cohost a sew along through Patchwork, Please!, I hopped at the chance. My copy of  the book just arrived, and honestly now I'm even more excited to get stitching! Here's a glimpse between the covers!

This new Zakka sew along is set to begin June 3, when we'll sew a new project each week with a delightful line up of contributors:

Leila Beasley, Where the Orchids Grow

Amber Carillo, One Shabby Chick

Maureen Cracknell, Maureen Cracknell Handmade

Krista Fleckenstein, Spotted Stone Studio

Amy Friend, During Quiet Time

Anna Graham, Noodlehead

•••

Kerry Green, Very Kerry Berry + Sew Ichigo

Lynn Goldsworthy, Lily’s Quilts

Krista Hennebury, Poppyprint

Lori Holt, Bee in my Bonnet

Debbie Jeske, A Quilter’s Table

Penny Laymen, Sew Take a Hike

Jennifer Mathis, Ellison Lane Quilts

•••

Amy Newbold, Sukie, Don’t Ya Know

Tamiko Percell, Patchwork Notes

Angela Pingel, Cut to Pieces

Lindsey Rhodes, LRstitched

Monica Solorio, Happy Zombie

Svetlana Sotak, Sotak Handmade

Each Monday one of them will be posting about their project, and we'll all have a week to sew and link up our projects by the next Sunday. Then a prize winner will be announced the following Monday along with the new weeks project. Check out Lindsey's link, here, for some more specifics and a list of our awesome sponsors so far.

Be sure and join the flickr group if you haven't already! You can also keep tabs on Zakka 2.0 via facebook, Threadbias, Pinterest, and on Instagram, using the hashtag #patchworkplease. 

*** This giveaway is now closed. Thank you! ***

And about that giveaway! I have a copy of Patchwork, Please! to give away! The book will ship directly from Interweave and is only open to US readers.  (So sorry International readers!) Just leave a comment below and I’ll choose a random winner on Tuesday, April 9. Meanwhile, stay tuned and before you know it we'll be stitching up a storm in Zakka fashion!