I wanted to start with the Zig Zag Tote from the book, but I was not sufficiently motivated 2 weeks ago! This pincushion project was perfect for me- I whipped it up in an hour or so, and am happy with the cute result. Of course, I made a few materials revisions, as the reader is urged to.
Instead of linen I used double of my natural muslin I have on hand, and instead of rik rak or crochet lace (which are fantastic looking in the sample) I used a small bit of coordinating ribbon. I had this wacky fish bead as well, so I added that in lieu of a covered button.
Yay for improvising! I did have some cotton tape, so I drew a little leaf pattern in ink to echo my Parisville damask dot print.
The fabric choices and trim make a lot of difference. I could see myself making many more versions for gifts and giving them all a unique personality for each recipient. I also did use Ayumi's tip for using a glue stick to secure the ribbon trim and the cotton tape- genius! Much better than pinning.
This book is very well thought out. I had no idea when I started in, but it is a collaborative book, so it has projects from many different people in it, all just along the Zakka aesthetic spectrum. I am really excited to sew more projects from the book. There are a huge range of them, from quilts to softies with their own pillow pocket (my next earmarked project) and many in between. This is a great book for gift ideas, and there are many different levels of time commitment and difficulty. I have my top favorites to try:
1. Sweet Sugar Cookie Sack
2. Little Pocket Pillowcase (the one with the softie)
3. Nesting Boxes
The directions for the pincushion were very clear and simple, and I did find myself flipping to the front page a lot to refer to the photo, though that is less important the less attached you are to making yours look like the book sample. I think the best part of this sew along is seeing all the variations people are making to the project- it really makes them all sing their own tune.
Thanks to C&T publishing for sending me the book to review as part of the Creative Troupe! I will be using this book for many projects to come. (P.S. - If you are a blogger, check out the Creative Troupe program. Nice perks.)
