Zakka Along 2.0 :: The Finale

Seriously, how can the Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please sew along be over? I know many of you will be missing it, just like I will. Fast-paced? Certainly. But worth every second of sewing, and doing it along with you all has been a blast.

We say farewell with a bang - over 30 Prettified Pincushions were linked up on last week's post. Here's a smattering - check out all the others either in the flickr group or the Pinterest page.

1. Prettified Pincushion, 2. pincushions, 3. YellowPincushion2, 4. prettified pincushion, 5. Giant_Prettified_Pincushion_Zakka_Along, 6. Zakka pincushion, 7. Pretty Pincushion finished !, 8. Pincushion, 9. Patchwork Please! Pincushion

And for our final prizes:

• Congrats to Anneliese of mail from the cheeky monkeys, the week #19 winner!

• Congratulations also to Melissa of my fabric relish, the winner for quarter 4!

• And finally, hop on over to LRstitched where Lindsey will announce who won the grand prize by making all 19 projects!

A big thank you to Lindsey for all she put into the sew along, and for inviting me to co-host with her. Thank you to Ayumi for her awesome book and encouragement along the way. And thank you to our many generous sponsors and enthusiastic bloggers, who made each week extra fun. It's been great.

This post is the last of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Patchwork, Please! :: Prettified Pincushion + A Winner

It's ironic in a way that the last Patchwork, Please project I have to share is in reality the first one I made. Yup, when we first got our books, daughter dear and I couldn't wait to get started and made Prettified Pincushions together one afternoon. And so, yes, I've been using mine all through the sew along as I've stitched up one project after another.

This is one of those projects where scraps just shine. And the little paper-piecing required makes it perfect for any skill level. I filled mine with crushed pecan shells and added a sweet crochet-covered button from my grandma's button tin. What a satisfying beginning and end to sewing along!

Meanwhile, I need to announce a winner from among the commenters on last week's Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 18 post! Congrats to Ali of alimakes who wins the prize package from Aurifil/Form & Fabric/Pellon/Cloud9.

I also forgot to mention yesterday that there's a sew along fourth-quarter link up prize that will also be announced next Monday - a $50 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop! So be sure and link up any of your last-minute finishes from weeks 16-19. Whew! So much going on during this last week. Can't wait to see what you make!

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.

Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 19

Thanks for all your positive strokes over my Sweet Trips Embroidery Pouch last week! Obviously I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the ones you made too!

1. Sweet Trips embroidery pouch, finished!, 2. Sweet Treats Embroidery Pouch, 3. Delia's birthday folder (1), 4. Sweet Trips Embroidery Pouch, 5. Patchwork Please! Embroidery Pouch, 6. Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, 7. Embroidery Pouch, Zakka Along 2.0: Patchwork Please, 8. A Trivet, 9. Front with button undone

Congrats to Yvonne of That's Sew Creative for winning last week's project link up!

And now for our final project, Leila of Where the Orchids Grow has made an absolutely precious version of the Prettified Pincushion. This project's a perfect use of those treasured fabrics you've been squirreling away, and equally perfect if you'd like to sew from that overflowing scrap bin! 

The giveaways for linking up this week's project are a $25 value fabric bundle from Form and Fabric + a $20 gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics.

 

It's hard to believe this is the last project of the sew along! It has been SO fun sewing along with you all! If you've been participating and have made all 19 projects, head over to Lindsey/LRstitched and link up one of your projects. The grand prize drawing is for a $100 gift certificate to Fabric Worm.

To link up your project for this week, click on the frog below and follow the instructions. One entry per person, please.

This post is part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. 

Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 18

Reading through your blog posts about the Handy Market Tote, it seemed like alot of you felt just like I did about this project - it was terrific and one many of us plan on using again!

1. Patchwork Please...Handy Market Tote, 2. Not available, 3. Handy Market Tote for myself, 4. Handy Market Tote, 5. Patchwork Please Market Tote, 6. Patchwork Please Market Tote, 7. Patchwork Please Tote, 8. Handy Market Tote pocket, 9. Market Tote aka)Which Market we talkin' tote

Congrats to Cary of Creative Moments by Cary, winner of last week's project linky.

Four months into the Patchwork Please sew along, it's my turn to officially share a project! It's one delightful pattern, the Sweet Trips Embroidery Pouch, one of two projects in the final Crafting section!

Read through the materials list carefully before starting. Under the first category where it says "seven print with other background color," this is for the 4 corner "stars", so it's actually 7 for each corner star.

Another little detail to pay attention to is the 'no seam allowances added' note on page 135. So if you are using templates, be sure to enlarge as indicated and add those seam allowances. For accuracy sake, I chose to paper-piece my front cover. It was really helpful to lay out all my pieces before I started, and even mark on my papers what color went where. One of my favorite techniques in this project (also used in the Teabag Pouch project earlier in the sew along) was the 'flange' in step #6. What a nice easy way to add an accent.

I made a few tweaks to personalize my pouch a bit. First up was making the vinyl pocket flap out of patchwork. I used this method to piece those 1 1/2" squares and it worked wonderfully! (Note to self to do that again!) The one thing I wouldn't do again is use fusible batt on the flap. I thought it would be nice considering I was quilting the patchwork, but it did turn out kind of thick for that space. But sewing-wise, it all worked well. And making that vinyl pocket was a piece of cake! I was a little scared of it but my machine wasn't concerned at all. I didn't need to use a larger needle, or line with paper, or use any of the other tricks of the trade.

It worked so well that when my mom suggested adding a large vinyl pocket on the left side, I went for it! I think it's a fun look and just adds to the functionality of the pouch. Good idea, mom!

The last change I made was to create ties to close rather than a button and loop. What a fun project, start to finish!

The giveaways for linking up this week's project are 1 yard Pellon® 911FF Fusible Featherweight + a fat quarter bundle of Cloud9 iHaus.

You also have a chance of winning a prize package by commenting on this post - all donated by our generous sponsors!

• interfacing/batting charm sample pack from Pellon
• 5 Aurifil sample packs 
• a fat 1/8th bundle of fabric from Form & Fabric

And as a bonus, I also have 6 fat-quarters of ihaus that I'm adding in, left from my Handy Market Tote.

Wow. Be sure and let our week's sponsors know how much we appreciate them!

 

To link up your project, click on the frog below and follow the instructions. One entry per person, please.

This post is part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. 

Patchwork Please! :: Handy Market Tote

This week's project was another that caught my eye at first glance through Ayumi's book. But when I read through step #1 this morning, I was stumped with the 'folded strip.' So I conferred with Amber, our sew along blogger who had already made the tote, and she set me straight. It should read 'folded strip of elastic'. Ah ha. Once I got that little detail, it was smooth sailing!

I really loved the combo of fabrics I chose for the tote: Essex yarn dyed in black, iHaus by Cloud9, architextures, heath, and some classic dots. And construction was a breeze. Though one other thing to note is that if you want your bag to look like in the book, add "top-stitch along top edge" to the end of step #3.

In the interest of time in a busy week, I did take a couple of short-cuts that I thought wouldn't affect my enjoyment of the bag. I omitted the interior pockets and also the button closures on the large exterior pockets. With the heavy interfacing (I used Pellon 809 Decor-Bond), I didn't think the pockets needed the closure, and I'm perfectly happy with my choice. Since I was using fat-quarters for the pockets, the sides of the tote coordinate, but are different.

One of the features I really like is the handles. For one, they are good and strong and wide. Another - the pattern has you 'double them up' right where you'll hang on to them, a feature I think I'll find very useful, and I'm glad to have tried this method just for the sake of trying it.

Though I had a bit of a stumble-start, I am thoroughly pleased with my finished bag. It's a keeper!

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday.

Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 17

The variety of styles for Ipad covers has been really a treat to see this week!

1. iPad Cover, 2. iPad Case, 3. Patchwork Please ipad case, 4. I Love My I-Pad Quilted Cover, 5. Michael Miller iPad Cover, 6. i-Pad cover, 7. ipad cover, 8. I-Love-My-iPad Quilted Cover, 9. ipad cover from Patchwork, Please!

Last week's link-up winner is Danielle Raichel/SunshineNellie.

   

For this week, Amber of one shabby chick made the Handy Market Tote. Cute!! She used awesome fabrics and personalized her tote with some delightful patchwork. Amber also raves about the technique for sewing up the bag, so I'm anxious to see what that's all about! 

The giveaways for linking up this week's project are 3 yards Pellon® 520 Deco-Fuse + a fat quarter bundle from Spoonflower. wow.

Just two more weeks left in the sew along after this one so join in while you can! To link up your project, click on the frog below and follow the instructions. One entry per person, please.

This post is part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. 

Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 16

Last week's darling zippered pouch wasn't for the faint of heart, only due to the tiny bits in the paper-pieced areas. But for those who were successful, the result was one really fun vintage pouch!

1. camel pencil case, 2. Pencil Pouch, 3. Vintage Pencil Pouch, 4. PP pencil pouch, 5. Paper Pieced Pencil Case, 6. Pencil case!, 7. Vintage Pencil Case-Danielle, 8. vintage pencil case - zakka along 2.0, 9. Pencil Case

The lucky linky winner for last week is Beverly/golfingbev.

There is also a drawing this week for the third quarter of projects - the prize being a $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop! Chosen randomly from weeks 11-15 is Cindy of Raspberry Sunshine. Congrats to both of our winners!

    

For this week, Svetlana of s.o.t.a.k handmade is sharing her I-Love-My-Ipad Quilted Cover. What a fun mix of patchwork and practicality! 

The giveaways for linking up this week's project are 1 yard Pellon® 987F Fusible Fleece + a fabric bundle from Imagine Fabric.

  

To link up your project, click on the frog below and follow the instructions. One entry per person, please.

This post is part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. 

Patchwork, Please! :: Vintage Pencil Case

I clearly wasn't thinking straight when I dove into this week's Patchwork, Please project. Did I even glance at the book to see the size of the finished pouch? Nooooo I did not. If I would have, I would have realized that those little pencil point blocks were seriously itty bitty. Like 15/16" x 1 3/4" unfinished. It's a miracle they look as good as they do. Probably my favorite part of them is the lead, done in Jason Yenter's Dit-Dot, a newish fabric I just really like; in fact well enough to use in a much bigger way in another project I'm working on.

Once those pencil points were done, though, the pouch was smooth sailing. The main fabric is Essex Linen in Leather. I chose the overall palette based on the linen of that second pencil down. The lining matches one of the pencils, a Denyse Schmit floral that I just used up and unfortunately can't identify for you.

I adored the double-pull zipper Ayumi used for her pouch in the book, but not finding anything remotely like that, I used a polka-dot zip, which I purchased from GinaPurseFrame on etsy. (Random fact: the zipper teeth are on the opposite side of the tape as the pull. Which basically makes them invisible when zipped.) And though the hand-stitching Ayumi did on her pouch was a detail I totally loved, I opted instead to accent my pouch with matchstick quilting using an Aurifil 50wt #2314 (medium beige). Good news: It coordinates beautifully with the "Leather" Essex. Bad news: It coordinates so well, you can hardly see my efforts. But I know it's there! ha.

This post is part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. 

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday.

Zakka Along 2.0 :: Week 15

Last week's Triangle Patchwork Box Pouch was a popular project, with 26 linked up! You can see just a bit of the variety below.

1. Inside pouch, 2. Triangle patchwork box pouch for my mom, 3. The finished pouch for my #sewingsummit secret swap partner. Pattern from Patchwork Please., 4. Triangular box pouch, 5. Patchwork Pouch, 6. photo 4 copy, 7. Triangle Patchwork Box Pouch, 8. Triangle Patchwork Pouch, 9. Triangle Patchwork Box Pouch

The lucky linky winner is Michelle of Squeek Crafts.

For this week, Amy of During Quiet Time is sharing her Vintage Pencil Case made with some delightful fabrics and detailing. Perfect timing for back to school! She's offering a great little giveaway too, so do hop over to see her project and say hi!

The giveaways for linking up this week's project are 1 yard Pellon® 987F Fusible Fleece + a Japanese Fabric bundle from Sew Me A Song.

There will also be a drawing next week for the third quarter of projects - the prize being a $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop! Be sure to link up your projects for week’s 11-15 if you haven’t done so yet.

This post is part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. 

Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. 

Patchwork, Please! :: Triangle Patchwork Box Pouch

Lately I've gotten inquiries about where folks can find the patterns for the projects we are sewing. So just a reminder that any of my posts that include the words "Patchwork, Please" are part of Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please, a sew along through Ayumi Takahashi's book, 

Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give. Click the links to find out more about the sew along, Ayumi, and how to order the book. Thanks!

This week's project was one I had my eye on from the moment I first thumbed through the book. In fact, in all honesty, when I needed a birthday gift for my coworker back in June, I made her this little sweet pouch. I went with an office theme - text and typewriters and paperclips and such - since that's where we spend most of our days.

The zipper installation looked intimidating when I first glanced at the instructions, but in reality it went together quite easily. I used bits of twill tape to accent the zipper ends.

The boxiness of the pouch made it a tad tricky when it came to final assembly, but slow and steady did the trick. And thankfully, the pouch is flexible enough that you can hand-stitch the lining while the bag is turned inside out

This was the first box pouch I ever made, and it's good to have that basic skill in my crafter's toolkit now. Plus, it's pretty darned cute.