Wabi-Sabi is an aesthetic that embraces character and imperfections, and Karen Lewis uses the concept to beautifully illustrate how a quilter with a modest fabric stash may embrace the beauty in using what you have to create beautifully imperfect and perfect items for the home and beyond. Her patterns are so lovely and well photographed that they just invite you to pick up your sewing basket and dive right in. The projects range from those that could be tackled by an ambitious beginner enticed by the gorgeous photography to those more appropriate for a seasoned quilter, but all are useful and lovely.

I love the idea of this.
I always admired Wabi-Sabi. So I was beyond excited to get my hands on some knowhow.
However, this book feels to "crafty" for me. I wanted more in-depth knowledge, nor historical background.. simply put more. There is a tiny section at the back where it explains the technique of sewing, and quite frankly I wanted more.
The projects, though pretty, are again a bit too crafty. I know, it's great to start with a small project, but frankly, I have no interest in recreating any of the ones in the book.
So while I like the layout, look and photography, this isn't a book I would purchase.
I want more know-how, more in-depth knowledge and history in my craft books.

#WabisabiSewing #NetGalley

Classic and sophisticated collection of quilt projects including 101 tutorials to get in the world of quilts. I loved the selection of colors and forms.

It is far less intimidating to approach a project with an "it will be (and should be) imperfect" -- so creativity is freed to make something (imperfectly) beautiful! I think that my older students would like this book.

I love doing crafts and sewing. Before this book I have never heard of Wabi-Sabi Sewing though. Since this book I have learned a whole new craft I cannot wait to try out. There are 20 sewing patterns in this book along with pictures. The best part about Wabi-Sabi is it is imperfect. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my crafting but this book has shown me that some imperfections are actually perfect.



I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

The author defines "wabi-sabi" as making something positive of the imperfect, and uses different fabric scraps to make unique projects. The book includes instructions for all sorts of projects: cushions, wall hangings, apron, coasters, and more. Most of the projects are done up in pale blue tones, which isn't my cup of tea, but they look OK. A lot of the work is done with hand-quilting stitching, also not my thing. But, if you're into doing things by hand and a pastel color palette, this could be an interesting book. The book has good instructions for sewing each project, complete with lots of step-by-step numbered diagrams. The pattern templates are in a link (which I can't access yet because the book's not yet shown on the list of books at the site.).

Note: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

I like crafting. Mainly crochet and cross stitching, but also knitting and sewing. My problem is that I am a perfectionist, and I am not very good at sewing. I don’t have the right tools for some things (cutting the fabric) and just can’t get some other things right (thread tension will be the dead of me.) The projects I attempt are probably a bit too difficult, but they look so nice… Anyway, when I saw Wabi-Sabi Sewing by Karen Lewis up for review, with a tagline for “perfectly imperfect projects”, I couldn’t resist. Also, the combination with it being Japanese (-style) made it extra interesting.

To be honest, the book itself was a bit of a let-down. Most patterns have some form of quilting, something I find way too difficult and too much work. It seems the “perfectly imperfect” is mainly in the combination of fabrics and the manner of quilting. The Japanese is mainly in the philosophy of combining and planning, and in the fabric style. The projects are nice, but not very special, and the instructions look a bit too meager for me, a beginner.

The book is nicely designed, the pictures are very pretty and the designs look nice. They just aren’t for me, and aren’t for a beginner. For me I’d say this is a three out of five star book.

What a cute sewing book! Lewis keeps it short and sweet (only 78 pages) but packs a great punch.
The first section of the book introduces the wabi-sabi style. Then, Lewis covers the materials you will need to gather. Hopefully you will already have most items on hand. There are some tools for more specialized tasks such as rivet and eyelet tools but perhaps you’ve experimented with those already, too.

There is no shortage of beautiful photography. Alongside the photos are helpful diagrams, which show you how to piece your projects and sew them.

The LIVING section has instructions for a pillow, wall hanging, and even a quilt. The EATING section includes an apron, oven mitts, a table runner, and more. There are bags, scarves, and mending techniques, too.

I get the impression that the wabi-sabi style can be recreated in many ways by following the examples Lewis gives here.

My favorite thing about the style is the relaxed and peaceful feeling it represents. I also love the idea of using up scraps and utilizing items you’ve already available to you. I’m hoping I can bring this to life in my next sewing project.

I love this book, it gives me permission to not be perfect - and believe you me - if you are a serious patch worker/quilter there is no such state but perfect.
This is a book that makes it fun to sew, makes it fun to make do and makes it fun to learn. There are not a lot of project in the book, but all are different from quilt, to pot holders, aprons. a lovely picnic cloth and my favourite - mended jeans in the boro style.
The best thing I like about this book is that you can see and feel the effort and love that goes into these handmade items - the fact that they weren't just stuff brought off the shelve, but time and effort was taken, imagination was used, combined with a make do attitude to create some very lovely and simple articles for the home.
Great book for a beginner too

I liked some of the patterns and projects and did feel they accurately represented a wabi-sari aesthetic but overall they didn't feel very inspiring or interesting.

In Wabi-Sabi Sewing I found “perfectly imperfect projects” intriguing and I was not disappointed when I delved into this book. Karen Lewis provides very good instructions, accompanied by clear photographs and illustrations. There is a good variety of projects, all with start to finish instructions,

I sort of felt this book was a kind of bait and switch. It is just (and I use that word deliberately) a quilt craft book, and not even a particularly good one. There is nothing Japanese about it, really. Rather it is an explanation of how Karen Lewis uses up odd bits of spare fabric by making items that she does not require to be formal and uniform. Calling it Wabi-Sabi is just fancier than call it "Quilt up Your Leftovers".

The projects are nothing special and I found the instructions too sketchy for the beginner.

A really neat way of sewing. The pictures and instructions are easy to follow and the patterns are interesting enough to want to attempt. I liked the explanations given for the inspiration behind the patterns, and feel like I learned a little while reading along. I haven't attempted any patterns yet, but I feel confident that I could tackle one as a relative beginner.

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to read through an advanced copy of Wabi-Sabi Sewing by Karen Lewis. The book endeavours to 'capture the essence of Japanese style in your sewing with this collection of projects inspired by the wabi-sabi concept of 'perfect imperfection'.'
Who knew I had been practising this every time I sewed!
This is a lovely book, I would happily make anything contained in it. The concept is similar to making scrappy quilts except it is acceptable not to have the beautiful quilting or perfect lengths of fabric for each shape usually required.
There are photos of each finished item along with diagrams to show each step. The instructions remind me of those in crafting magazines and the author writes with a friendly chatty approach. The only down point for me is that I am not a huge fan of uneven hand stitching even though I appear to be unintentionally excellent at it! This isnt a problem however, as it is easy to machine quilt with simple lines instead. I do like sashiko stitching which is also used.
This is a good book for beginners, there are small projects as well as larger ones. Hand and machine sewing are covered and each technique is explained well. I don't think I would have searched this book out and so would definitely have missed a fun new way to carry on sewing.

Wabi Sabi is a Japanese concept of sewing imperfection. Some interesting patterns for a variety of sewing projects. As a quilter I am so used to cotton only or wool only. This book used different fabrics and stitching for an interesting concept. Not sure how many I would make, but a fun book to flip through. Would recommend this book.

I Want to Make Everything Wabi-Sabi!

Wabi-Sabi Sewing is a fun and truly beautiful guide to a wildly popular Japanese sewing style. It features 20 patterns that include gorgeous quilts, an elegant scarf, quilted handbag and pouch; wall hanging; linens, place mats, coasters; pillow cases, and stitching for jeans I want to do today. Author Karen Lewis, a fabric designer and sewing/quilting guru, uses high quality natural fabrics and shows you step-by-step techniques for creating this “perfectly imperfect” style. 5/5

Thanks to F + W Media and NetGalley for the review copy; opinions are fully mine.

#Wabi-sabiSewing #NetGalley

Wabi-Sabi ‘perfectly imperfect’, to see the beauty in the imperfection, and even make the ‘mistake’ more visible. There are lots of small easy projects: cushions, pouffe, small quilt, coasters, apron, potholders, table runner, placemat, pouch, bags, scarf, hanger cover, water bottle cover). There are also 3 large quilts featured.

Wabi-Sabi Sewing is a new sewing/crafting book from Karen Lewis. Due out 31st July 2018 from F+W Media, it's 128 pages and available in ebook and softbound formats. The concept of wabi-sabi is deeply satisfying to me. It's about making do, creating something from less-than-exactly-perfect materials and celebrating the innate imperfection in everything.

The book follows a logical format. The first chapters introduce concepts, techniques, materials and tools. The next chapters are split into general groups: Living, Eating, Exploring, and Sleeping. Each of the broad categories includes five related projects. The 'Living' chapters include a lovely paper pieced pillow, a Hawaiian quilted wall hanging, a quilted pouffe, a set of fabric coasters, and a pieced lap quilt.

All of the projects in this book are suitable for keen beginners to more advanced sewists and all are appealing, in my opinion. As I was reading the book, all of them were projects I could imagine myself making at some point. The instructions are very clear and well written. The piecing instructions are also clear and easy to follow.

The supplies listed at the beginning of each project are complete and include everything (even thread is listed).

All in all a very useful sewing book filled with appealing projects.

The illustrations for each project are line drawn and easy to understand. There are color photographs of the finished projects throughout the book, including at least one clear color photo of each project inside the project chapter (so no flipping back and forth trying to figure out what goes where).

All in all a really appealing, well written book.

I had never heard of the Wabi-Sabi approach to sewing ,but I am definitely a convert. I am a beginner and sometimes stress about perfection but this books celebrates our imperfections which Is definitely a winner for me.

The book is beautifully illustrated and the photography made me want to rush to my sewing machine. There are so many beautiful projects from small easier ones to more complex quilts.

Overall this is a inspirational book which will encourage everyone to have a go. Sewing is such a therapeutic pastime I am definitely going to try out some of the projects , thanks to the clear tutorials provided throughout.

Thank you to F+W media and netgalley for the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

Karen Lewis' "Wabi-Sabi Sewing", is a delightful introduction to quilting for beginners. I love the Wabi-Sabi approach of embracing our imperfections. How wonderful to be able to learn and develop a skill while being able to cherish the little mistakes and physical marks of learning. This makes for a much more pleasurable experience, as well as less cursing at the fabric as is the norm with the traditional idea that finished product have impeccable stitching. I am looking forward to trying out the apron pattern which not only looks easy as pie, but is also perfect for adjusting and/or detailing to suit individual tastes.