I Love Patchwork and Zakka Style Book Reviews

This month’s book reviews feature a design style called Zakka, which originated in Japan. I chose to review two books by Rashida Coleman-Hale which contain examples of this style. Rashida Coleman-Hale is one of my favorite fabric designers and artists. One of the books is written by her and features her own designs and patterns while the other is a compilation of different makers’ designs and projects. The first of her books is called I Love Patchwork and although it is no longer in print, you can still find it on used books websites. The second is called Zakka Style and is a compilation of 24 projects to use and enjoy.

What is Zakka?

So what exactly is Zakka design? The term itself means “miscellaneous goods”. Zakka style, however, is so much more than that. It’s all about taking the simple things we need and use in life and making them attractive as well as functional. As the author explains, it can be considered a way of life where you take the ordinary and make it special. It encompasses many facets including home decor & dress, but we will be focusing on small projects for use as gifts and for our own use in the everyday!

I Love Patchwork

In the first of her books, I Love Patchwork, Rashida Coleman-Hale created 21 projects for personal use, gift-giving, play and organization. The projects range from bags such as a tote, a pouch and a pencil case to home essentials such as coasters, an apron and a placemat and napkin set. She also includes some sweet toys such as a patchwork ball and a little soft lamb toy with apron! And she didn’t forget our sewing and crafting rooms either. She included a sewing machine cover, a travel sewing kit and a couple of pincushions, too!

Although it wasn’t easy deciding on which projects I would make, I did eventually make two from this book. I made the Appliqued Kitchen Towel and the Patchwork Cosmetics Pouch.

Appliqued Kitchen Towel

Since I didn’t have enough of the aqua linen to make a large kitchen towel, I ended up making two smaller washcloths (or napkins) with the arc applique on a corner of each. I curated a bright blue bundle of scraps for this as well as one of the projects in the 2nd book. This was the first time I used an applique technique and I have to say, it was a very satisfying experience. It is something I will definitely be using or at least trying again.

Patchwork Cosmetics Pouch

The second project from this book was the cosmetics pouch. Pouches are something I am very familiar with and one of the things I love most to make. Because of this, I have used many different skills and techniques and I found the instructions on this particular project to be a little confusing. I’m not sure if its because its an older book and maybe some of the techniques are outdated. Whatever the reason, I ended up just using my own knowledge of bag making and created a really cute pouch with this pattern. I love that about these books that come with patterns. You can get ideas and then use your own skills and experience to make the projects your own.

Zakka Style

The next book, Zakka Style, contained 24 projects compiled from artists and makers from around the world. With so many wonderful projects to choose from, its a wonder that I was able to pick just three for this blog post. Believe me, there were so many more I wanted to make. There was a sewing kit, pin cushions, a quilt, and bags of all sizes.

I chose to make the Patchwork Pot Holders, the Zip Organizer, and the Zakka Block Quilt. I am in love with how these projects all turned out.

Patchwork Pot Holders

The patchwork pot holders were by Kim Kruzich. These large, round potholders are in true Zakka style, beautiful and so very functional and useful. I used the curated bundle from the kitchen towel above as well as the aqua linen. I can’t wait to add these to my kitchen! The instructions were excellent and the results make a wonderful housewarming gift. They can be used as a trivet as well.

Zip Organizer

The pink floral zip organizer project was by Masko Jefferson. For me, this pouch came together very easily up until the binding part. That part alone took me a couple of hours to complete since I hand sewed it. That being said, I love the result and although I don’t know if I will make another one, I am so happy I made this one. And if binding and hand-sewing are not challenging to you, this project will be a breeze!

Zakka Block Quilt

The last project I made from this book was by Leslie Good. The Zakka Block Quilt is a great size (45 x 60) for a gift. This size makes it easy to quilt using a domestic machine. I made this quilt using leftover fabric from two of my favorite fabric collections. A light blue speckled quilting cotton was used for the background. I used a yarn-dyed linen fabric for the backing and the binding. For this project I used a machine binding technique so it was much quicker to bind this than the organizer. I love the simplicity of this quilt and I am thrilled with the way it turned out. The directions were perfect.

There are so many other projects I still want to make from both books. I hope I get the opportunity and I hope you do too. I would love to see any projects that you make from either book. Tag me @casocreativedesigns or @the_sewing_librarian on Instagram or Facebook.

I hope I have inspired you to Make Something Beautiful Today!

You can purchase this book and most others that I have reviewed (or plan to) here.

If you liked this review, you might be interested in this one too…

Zakka Home – Book Review

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