Ever heard of zakka?! (Don’t feel badly — I hadn’t either.) As Rashida Coleman-Hale explains in I Heart Patchwork, it is a Japanese term, meaning “miscellaneous goods. … now understood as an aesthetic and design style, mainly focused on household items.”
One of the charming projects in her book is the Zigzag Table Runner. The ladies over at Stumbles and Stitches are hosting a Spring Runner Sew-along, with guidelines based on Rashida’s table runner. Isn’t the project badge pretty?
They’ve set up a flickr group for images of completed runners. So even if you don’t want to join in, you can admire the pretty pics.
In the spirit of “patchwork” and pulling from the scrap bag, my spring runner will feature a Susan Sargent print that’s been waiting (and waiting) for the right project. I had already seized on a couple of polka dot remnants before noticing that Susan’s fabric has a few of its own! Perfect! The parrot green piece is left over from this quilt, which marks a particular place in my National Geographic-style lifeline, and is appropriately titled: The Amazonian Quilt.
If you love to sew and haven’t yet discovered Rashida’s book, take a look. It’s got lots of fun and pretty ideas for the home. … I’m off to press my scraps and start cutting!
Thanks for the Susan Sargent link – I love her color palette. Looking forward to seeing your runner.
Next time you go into Boston, be sure to put her Newbury St store on your itinerary. Joyful, joyful colors and textures!
Hi Lisa, thanks for blogging about this project. Your fabric choices look so bright and fun, can’t wait to see the final result. You can never go wrong with polka dots!
Thanks, Jenny. Yes, this will be a very bright spring runner!
If those are your fabrics in the top photo, wow, is that going to be gorgeous! I am travelling and cleaning during April. My Soul Restoration work will be the only other creativity I’m mixing in besides photography. Be sure to post pictures along the way!
Yup, these are indeed my fabrics for the runner. It’s going to be a bright and bold one!
Good luck and happy sewing..ELiza Keating
Thank you, Eliza! Great to meet you here on wordpress.