Book Review: New Classic Patchwork by Yoko Saito

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Are you a fan of Japanese patchwork? I am. And Yoko Saito is one of my favorite quilt artists. She is famous for her beautiful, intricate patterns which I believe are all hand-pieced. I made a couple blocks out of this beautiful book and now I’ll show you…

So when Interweave Press sent me a copy of Yoko Saito’s new book New Classic Patchwork to review, I was excited to try one of her designs myself. I had this small collection of traditional taupe Japanese fabrics from Lecien (Yoko is famous for her expert use of taupe fabrics), but I didn’t dare attempt hand piecing. Isn’t a Japanese sewing machine close enough? (Here’s the only mini quilt I ever hand pieced)

So I threaded it up with taupe and got to work.


I picked this design: the Triangle Puzzle. It was my first time to piece with templates, and I had lots to learn! I was careful to observe Yoko’s color choices… and try to learn from the master.


So here’s mine. It truly did fit together like a puzzle, and when I opened it up after sewing the final seam I laughed in delight! I could hardly believe that I managed to sew a Japanese-looking block. I love the real ones so much.


And that was so much fun that I immediately made another one. I couldn’t wait to try some of my other favorite colors. Here is my second little Triangle Puzzle mini-quilt, this time in red, black and white (& gray).

New Classic Patchwork by Yoko Saito is available {here} from Interweave/F&W Press.  It contains 78 block designs and 10 beautiful projects.

 


Do you want to win a copy? Just tell me in the comments below which block you like best… my taupe one or my red & black one? I love them both and and curious to see what others think.

I’ll close the comments and let Random.org pick the winner on Monday night, April 28th. Good luck! 

***Update*** This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to our winner Karen!


disclosure: Interweave Press provided this book to me in exchange for my blog review. I tried a pattern from the book and have expressed my honest opinion. Thanks!

Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂