Zakka Sewing - 25 Japanese Projects for the Household - Book Review

Today we're going to take a look at 'Zakka Sewing - 25 Japanese Projects for the Household'.  Zakka, as described in the book, means 'household goods' in Japan, specifically hand-sewn tableware, kitchenware, containers etc from natural fabrics such as linen.  There are a lot of Japanese language Zakka books, although this isn't a direct copy of just one of these.  It is a collection of projects from different Japanese designers, that have then been translated into English.

The main reason I got this book was for the project on the cover, I just loved the squirrel tea cosy with it's simple and subtle cute style.  There is a good selection of other projects in the book, various cozies, bags, coasters/placemats, purses and wallets etc, and whilst not all of them are something I would make, I have found that there are a good number that I like.

The book starts with general info on materials, sewing techniques and how to do various hand sewing stitches that are used in some of the projects.  Then you're straight into the projects.  I took some photos whilst I was making one of these, a Bunny Pencil Case.

Each project gets a double page of photos and an interesting fact about Japan and Zakka, followed by a few pages featuring the materials required and instructions.  At the end of these, there will also be any pattern pieces needed.  These aren't full size and need to be scaled up, so if you don't have access to a copier/multi-function printer, then this could be a problem.

There are easy to follow step-by-step instructions, with lots of diagrams to illustrate these.  However, I did manage to make a mistake with this item.  I failed to notice that the stitching line didn't just follow the edge of the fabric all the way around, so when I turned it to the the right way around, my bunny didn't really have a paw.  This was easily fixed by drawing on the bit I missed and re-sewing this small section.

Otherwise, the case came together nicely and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I've also made a few other items from this book, the first being the squirrel tea cozy.  I found I had to adjust the pattern of this slightly to get it to fit my globe teapot.  The increase in size of 200% was generally okay, I just had to add a little to the width, under the tail, as you can see below.

He's not as smooth as the one in the book, due, I suspect, to the shape and size of my teapot, but still looks cute on our kitchen windowsill.

I have also decorated a ready-made tea-towel with a sashiko embroidery pattern from the book.  It does also include instructions to make the tea-towel from scratch if you don't want to cheat like I did.

And finally, I have modified one of the flower coaster patterns to turn it into a cherry blossom:

So, the projects are generally simple to follow and I think look pretty good once made.  Considering I've already made four things based on projects in this, and can see a few more I'd like to try, I think I can say it's a good book to have in my collection.

If you like the look of this book, it is available on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zakka-Sewing-Japanese-Projects-Household/dp/1584797207/