Wabi-Sabi Sewing: 20 sewing patterns for perfectly imperfect projects

ISBN-13: 9781446307090

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: David & Charles

Publication Date: 07-31-2018

Pages: 128

Product Dimensions: 8.20(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.40(d)

Karen Lewis is quilt designer and tutor, a fabric designer for Robert Kaufman and an author—her previous title, Screen Printing at Home, was published in 2013. Karen travels widely to attend quilt shows and teach. She runs workshops at Quilt Con each year and regularly attends the Festival of Quilts in the UK. Karen is one of the founders of quilt retreat and pattern company, The Thread House, which she set up with two other prominent British quilt designers in 2016.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

LIVING

What better way to introduce wabi-sabi to your life than through your everyday living space. Nestle in with a cushion or quilt, put your feet up, place your mug on a coaster, and admire some handmade wall art. Let the ethos of 'perfectly imperfect' reign all around.

Hexagon Harmony

FINISHED SIZE: 14in x 22in

I have started many English Paper Piecing (EPP) projects, only to run out of time. This cushion is the answer – big enough to get your teeth into without losing sight of the finish line! The other big plus is that you can use all those tiny scraps you have hoarded away, as no two hexies need to be the same. You will be cuddling up on the sofa with the finished results before you know it.

Materials:
CUTTING

1 Cut out the fabric as follows:

From the cushion front fabric:
SEWING THE HEXAGONS

2 Make seven copies of the hexagon template page (see Templates) and cut out. You will have one hundred and forty (140) 1in hexagon paper pieces. Put 12 aside as spares or for future projects; you will be left with one hundred and twenty-eight (128) paper pieces.

3 With the 2 1/2in squares of fabric, make one hundred and twenty-eight (128) 1in hexagons (see Techniques: English Paper Piecing). Press the pieces but do not remove the papers yet.

ASSEMBLING THE FRONT

4 Arrange your hexagons into eight vertical rows of nine alternated with eight rows of eight.

5 Join the hexagons to create the rows. Place two pieces right sides together, aligning the edges. Using hand-sewn whip stitches, sew the two pieces together along one edge. Try to catch just a few threads of fabric using very small stitches. Don't pull too tight; just enough to ensure the edges meet with no space between. At the end of one side, knot the thread on the back, trim and open out the two hexies. Join the next piece in the same way, and so on.

6 Once you have sewn all the rows together, arrange them in the desired order, remembering to alternate long and short rows. Sew each row to the next, using the same whip stitch as before. You will find that you have to bend and contort the pieces a little as you join the rows. However, the paper you left in will stabilize everything as you work.

7 Press your whole cushion front and then carefully remove all the paper pieces (you should be able to use these again). You don't need to remove the tacking (basting) threads unless they show through on the right side.

QUILTING THE FRONT

8 Spray or pin baste the cushion front onto the piece of wadding (batting) and quilt as desired (see Techniques: Hand Quilting). Since this is a lovely slow hand-stitching project, I hand quilted using random horizontal lines in different colours of embroidery thread.

9 Once quilted, trim the edges to measure 14 1/2in x 22 1/2in.

MAKING THE BACK

10 Sew binding to one short raw edge of each of the back pieces (see Techniques: Binding a Raw Edge).

11 Place the cushion front with the right side up. Position the two backing pieces overlapping to make the cushion's envelope back, with right sides down. The bound edges should be opposite the short edges of the cushion front. Pin these three pieces in place all around the edge and sew together.

12 Clip off each of the four corners to reduce bulk. Turn the cover the right way out and insert your cushion pad to finish.

Picture Imperfect

FINISHED SIZE: 20in x 20in

I love the tranquillity of Hawaiian quilts, with their minimal colour palette and symmetrical botanical motifs. They are normally made from a single piece of appliquéd fabric, but I have added my twist with the addition of separate pieces incorporated into the design. I also swapped the traditional echo quilting for widely spaced sashiko lines. This project resizes easily by enlarging or reducing the templates.

• Materials:
PREPARING THE MOTIFS

1 Photocopy or trace the main, flower and circle motif templates (see Templates) and cut out.

2 Fold the background fabric in half, then in half again. Press to mark the centre point, open up and set aside.

3 With wrong sides together, fold the main motif fabric in half diagonally and half again, making sure the corner points and edges align. Fold one more time then press flat.

4 Pin the main motif template in position on your folded fabric, making sure to pin through all the layers. Draw around the template with a fabric pencil, remove the paper then carefully cut out.

5 Place the flower and circle templates on the wrong side of their corresponding fabrics and pin in place. Draw around with a fabric pencil to create four of each, then cut out.

6 Unfold the main motif piece and press all the motifs flat.

STITCHING THE MOTIFS IN PLACE

7 Pin the main motif onto the background fabric, with both fabrics right sides up. Match the centre points to ensure the motif is aligned correctly on the background.

8 Tack (baste) the motif in place 1/4in inside the motif's edge using a 1/2in running stitch (see Techniques: Running Stitch). Remove the pins and smooth the fabric as you go.

9 Use needle-turn appliqué to stitch the motif in place. To begin, tie a knot in your thread and bring your needle through from the back of the background fabric at one of the corners by the centre of the motif. Turning the raw edge of the motif under 1/8in with the point of your needle as you go, sew small stitches all the way around. When you get to a curved area work your stitches closer together.

10 Once you have appliquéd the main motif in place, refer to the photograph to position and pin the flower motifs in place and appliqué, followed by the circle motifs. Use the same needle-turn appliqué method throughout.

MAKING THE WALL HANGING

11 Make a quilt sandwich with the backing fabric right side down, then the wadding (batting), and your appliquéd piece on top right side up (see Techniques: Making a Quilt Sandwich).

12 Quilt with your preferred quilting method, whether this is hand quilting (see Techniques: Hand Quilting), the traditional Hawaiian style of echo machine-quilting, or another method of your choice. I hand stitched horizontal rows of running stitch 1 1/2in apart.

13 Trim the quilt sandwich to 20in square making sure your appliquéd motifs remain central to your finished piece.

14 Cut two 2 1/2in squares from the end of your binding fabric to make hanging tabs. Fold the squares in half diagonally, wrong side facing, and sew into the top two corners on the back of the hanging.

15 Bind the wall hanging to finish (see Techniques: Binding Your Quilt).

Comfort Cubed

FINISHED SIZE: 13in x 22in x 22in

A pouffe is just the place to rest tired legs, put down your tray of coffee and biscuits, and even seat guests. Bold piecing makes it decorative when not in use, with the top designed to look gorgeous from any angle. The top is also a quick sew with the half square triangles (HSTs) made eight at a time! For a hard-wearing finish, the top is quilted and a sturdy denim used for the sides and base.

• Materials:
CUTTING

1 Cut out the fabric as follows:

From fabric (a):
MAKING THE SQUARE-IN-A-SQUARE CENTRE

2 Fold square (a) in half, then half again and gently press to mark the halfway points along each edge.

3 Fold triangles (b) in half along the long side and gently press to mark the halfway point along the edge.

4 Aligning the halfway points and with right sides together, pin and sew a triangle onto the square. Press this open and repeat on the opposite side.

5 Trim the corners by placing your ruler along the edge of the square and then repeat with the other two sides.

6 Press this unit open and trim to 6 1/2in square, making sure you have a 1/4in seam allowance on each side of the points.

MAKING THE HALF SQUARE TRIANGLE (HST) UNITS

7 From the three fabric (c) 6 3/4in squares and three fabric (d) 6 3/4in squares, make three sets of eight HST units using the Eight-At-a-Time HST method (see Techniques: Half Square Triangles). This will yield twenty-four HST units.

8 Press these units open and trim to 2 1/2in square.

MAKING THE 3 x 3 CORNER UNITS

9 Sew a row of one (b) 2 1/2in square, one (d) 2 1/2in square and one HST.

10 Sew one (d) 2 1/2in x 4 1/2in rectangle onto a (c) 2 1/2in square.

11 Sew a HST onto a (c) 2 1/2in x 4 1/2in rectangle.

12 Press all these strips and sew together to make a 6 1/2in square corner unit. Repeat to make a total of four corner units and press.

MAKING THE 3 x 3 MIDDLE UNITS

13 Sew a row of one (c) 2 1/2in square between two HSTs.

14 Sew a row of one (c) 2 1/2in square between two HSTs.

15 Press both these strips and sew one (d) 2 1/2in x 6 1/2in rectangle between these two. Repeat to make a total of four middle units and press.

MAKING THE TOP

16 Sew one middle unit between two corner units. Repeat to make two of these rows.

17 Sew the square-in-a-square block between two middle units.

18 Press these three rows and sew together, ensuring the outer rows are facing in the correct direction.

19 Sew fabric (d) 2 1/2in x 18 1/2in strips on the top and the bottom, then press.

20 Sew fabric (d) 2 1/2in x 22 1/2in strips on the left and the right, then press.

QUILTING THE TOP

21 With right side up, spray or pin baste the pouffe top onto the wadding (batting) and quilt as desired (see Techniques: Hand Quilting). I hand quilted wide straight lines across the top with a running stitch and one vertical line in a contrasting thread.

22 Once quilted, trim the top to 23in square.

ATTACHING THE SIDES TO THE TOP

23 On the back of four pieces of fabric (e), mark a dot 1/2in in from the corners using a fabric pencil.

24 With right sides together, pin one of these side pieces to the top piece and sew together with a 1/2in seam allowance, starting and ending just between the dots. Reverse stitch at each end of the seam to strengthen. Repeat for the other three sides of the top.

JOINING THE FOUR SIDES

25 Placing two adjacent side pieces right sides together, pin and sew with a 1/2in seam allowance. As before, stay between the dots of the side seams. Reverse stitch at each end to strengthen.

26 Repeat for all four side seams. Keep the piece inside out for now.

INSERTING THE ZIPPER

27 Take the two 12in x 23in rectangles of fabric (e) and place right sides together. Along one long edge, sew a seam, reverse stitching a few times for strength at each end no further back than 1 1/2in. Open the two pieces of fabric and with the right sides down press the seam open.

28 Lay your zipper face down on top of the seam, lining the teeth up with the stitched seam and pin in place.

29 With a zipper foot on your machine, sew down one side of the zipper, removing the pins as you go. Stop, with the needle down, just before the end of the zipper and turn to sew across the zipper. Sew back and forth to strengthen, then turn and pivot to sew up the other side of the zipper, again stopping just before the end of the teeth. Open up the zipper halfway and, keeping the teeth touching, sew backwards and forwards across the top of the zipper and finish.

30 Turn the fabric right side up and with a seam ripper remove the stitches to reveal the zipper.

31 Keeping the zipper horizontal and centred, trim the piece to 23in square.

ATTACHING THE BOTTOM TO THE POUFFE AND FINISHING

32 With a fabric pencil, on the back of the bottom piece, mark dots 1/2in in from the corners as before.

33 Making sure the zipper is open halfway, take this piece and with right sides facing, pin this to one side of the main pouffe. Sew with a 1/2in seam allowance between the dots, going back and forth at the start and end to strengthen.

34 Repeat with the remaining three sides and then turn right way round through the zipper opening pushing the corners out.

35 Fill with your choice of filling until it is as firm as you would like, then pull the zipper closed.

Coasting Gently

FINISHED SIZE: 4 1/2in x 4 1/2in

Mug coasters make a great addition to the table, bringing a subtle touch of colour and design even when not in use. These scrappy coasters can be made from odds and ends of fabrics in your stash, and could even incorporate treasured pieces to show off. I have included instructions to make them double-sided, but you can just use one piece of fabric to make a quick and easy backing if you prefer.

Materials (to make four coasters):
CUTTING

1 Cut out the fabric as follows:

From the front centre fabric:
COASTER FRONT

2 Mix and match the sixteen front corner triangles between the four front centre squares to create your desired combinations.

3 Lightly fold one of the front centre squares in half and half again. These will be your guide lines for making sure the triangles are central.

4 With right sides facing, align the tip of one of the front corner triangles with the vertical fold line on the front centre square and sew in place. Press open and repeat on the opposite side. Trim along the sides of the square and then attach the remaining two triangles.

5 Trim the coaster front to 4 3/4in square with a seam allowance of 1/4in. Do this by placing your ruler 1/4in above each corner of the front centre square and cut.

6 Repeat for the remaining three coaster fronts.

COASTER BACK

7 If you are including the optional scrappy strip detail on the coaster back, sew three 1 1/2in wide strips together and trim to make a total length of 4 3/4in. Cut one of the backing squares into two irregular rectangles and sew the scrappy strip between the two pieces. Trim to 4 3/4in square with a seam allowance of 1/4in.

8 Repeat for the remaining three coaster backs.

MAKING UP

9 With right sides facing, pin the front and back squares together. If you are adding the decorative tag, fold a 2in length of braid in half and position in between the front and back layers with the folded edge of the tag inside.

10 Sew around the four sides leaving a 2in gap for turning.

11 Snip across each corner to avoid bulk and then turn right sides out.

12 Press the coaster, folding the unsewn section of fabric inwards. Push the wadding (batting) through the gap, flattening it out as you go. Sew around the edge of the coaster to close up the gap and create a neat finish.

13 Hand or machine quilt around the square to secure the wadding (batting) in place and add a decorative finish to your coaster.

14 Repeat with the remaining three coasters. Then put your feet up and enjoy a cup of tea!

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Excerpted from "Wabi-Sabi Sewing"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Karen Lewis.
Excerpted by permission of F+W Media, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction,
Tools & Materials,
LIVING,
Hexagon Harmony,
Picture Imperfect,
Comfort Cubed,
Coasting Gently,
Scattered Stars,
EATING,
Calm Crossing,
Helping Hands,
Laid-back Linen,
Relaxed Dining,
Randomly Placed,
EXPLORING,
Indigo Anywhere,
Carried Along,
Informal Mixer,
Well Worn,
Irregular Beauty,
SLEEPING,
Creating Calm,
Hanging Out,
Simple Stitches,
Heirloom Hugs,
Breaking Rules,
Templates,
Techniques,
Suppliers,
About the Author,
Acknowledgements,