Okay, okay… so it’s pretty obvious I’m just a lot in love with Heidi Staples newest book Patchwork USA. When I saw the front cover I fell in love, she had me from the get go. From that Cute little penny pouch on the front perched up nicely beside that little beach comber drawstring bag. So much cute tiny patchwork goodness all in the one spot. And I hadn’t even feasted my eyes beyond the front cover yet. Then I saw that the lovely Faith Essenburg over on instagram was hosting a causal sew along promoting Heidi’s new book and I was in.
I purchased the book online and patiently waited for it to arrive in the mail. Once my happy mail arrived I dove straight in. lets just say, even if you don’t make anything out of the book, buy it just to look at. It is a feast for the eyes. There’s pages upon pages of vintage sewing notions and memorabilia, a cute vintage camper van and not to mention endless sweet little makes. It is patchwork, vintage, everything sewing heaven!
I just wanted to do a quick round up of the 4 projects I decided to make for this sew along. Which wasn’t easy to pick either because this book just leaves you wanting to make everything.
Project 1- The Tag Along Pincushion. So I may have started with the first project in the book, because I really just couldn’t get past that fussy cut centre of this pincushion. So much fun to be had picking a tiny little picture from fabric and choosing other pretties to match it. Also a girl can never have too many pinnies!
Project 2- The Souvenir Clutch. So I hate to admit it. But this was actually my first ever zipper pouch. Yes my first. I really don’t know what took me so long to jump on the zipper pouch bandwagon because man these little guys are so much fun. They are the perfect project. You get to practice piecing together tiny blocks, then you can have some fun quilting it. Either by hand or machine and once you’ve put it all together you have an adorable little pouch that’s actually functional. You can keep it for yourself to enjoy or they make great gifts too.
Project 3- The Laundromat Coin Pouch. Yes, I know. Another pouch. I may just have a little pouch obsession at the moment. I keep telling myself I’m just catching up from all this time I’ve been missing out. I picked this pouch because it involved English paper piecing hexagons. And its been awhile since I done anything with hexagons. If you’ve never attempted English paper piecing before this is the perfect way to start. Its quick and easy so you wont get bored. And if you’ve never attempted fussy cutting either this project is also a great road test. You wont be disappointed.
Project 4- The Beachcomber Drawstring Bag. I picked this little project because 1: I already had a recipient in mind for it and 2: Well its just so sweet and a great idea. I tried to keep mine super girly as I was making it for a special little girl. I tried to stick with the beachy theme (it is a beachcomber bag after all), by adding in some cute prints that feel like summer and the beach. Que sweet strawberries and a pinwheel.
So I wont waste anymore time, trying to convince you why you need this book. Just go and buy it.If you’re new at patchwork or an old hand this book has something for you. If your too scared to dive into the patchwork world it even starts out with some great tips and tools of the trade as well as great advice and pointers on how to pick fabric combinations for your projects. Patchwork and sewing isn’t new to me but she even had me questioning myself and really thinking about what I was trying to do with my projects.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my makes from this lovely book. And even though the sew along is over I’m still busting to make more projects from this book in the future. Especially that adorable penny pouch I fell in love with on the front cover.
Happy sewing, Kellie X.
Ma & Me Designs 