A Unique and Intentionally Handmade Look

As sewists, sometimes when we’re creating things we’re going for that “very polished” look that often results in comments like, “Wow, I can’t believe that’s handmade!” Perhaps it’s an article of clothing, or a home decor project, and while we’re always proud and gratified that we create things “by hand,” sometimes we are going for that more streamlined look.

And, there are other projects that are truly brought to life by highlighting the fact that they’re handmade. That element can be brought to the forefront of a sewing project to shine a light on its unique, one-of-a-kind style. My goal with this tissue pouch, for example, was to do just that – take something that might be otherwise be considered ordinary and give it a unique, handmade look.

This little tissue pouch was made using a free pattern and tutorial, and I used the visible mending style, otherwise known as sashiko, to give it its own flair. I used a couple of scraps from the BREEZE collection, and combined them with Moda Chambray.

The style I used is very intuitive – I fused a couple of scraps onto a background surface, sometimes with an invisible thread, and then with the button hole stitch to fix them on the background. I then embellished to surface of the pouch with some rough-looking stitches, some by machine sewing and others by hand-stitching with floss.

The result? A unique little tissue pouch with my own style and flair that could only come from my hands. How would you go about bringing your own flavor to this project?

And now on to this week’s Block for our year-long sew-along… Ready?

FREE QUILT ALONG BLOCKHEADS 2020
BLOCK #20
CONTRIBUTION

Here we are already at Block 20 of our year-long quilt along! If you haven’t already, you really must stop by and visit our amazing Facebook community – it’s so wonderful to see all the unique interpretations of each week’s block and how everyone’s sampler quilts are coming together. And, don’t forget – you can also share your blocks with us on Instagram where we also have a very active community using the hashtags #modablockheads and #modablockheads3.

And if you’re brand new to all of this, welcome! You can always jump in with this fun project. Each week we share a free block pattern, and you can go back through the last several weeks to catch up and join us any time. Be sure to check out this post to find out what fabrics you’ll need to create your own unique sampler quilt using free block patterns from Moda designers each week.

You may also want to go back and check out Blockheads 2, our last round of Moda Blockheads. It was a wonderful time with lots of new friendships and connections made, and this year is shaping up to be the same!

This week we get to see a block from Moda designer Lisa Bongean – Contribution. Lisa is considered a more traditional designer, and has been with Moda for over a decade. Her fabrics can also be used in more contemporary quilts because they’re quite neutral in their look. Lisa loves to create all kinds of blocks with as many little pieces as possible. In fact, we joke with her – “Lisa, did you make a 4-inch block with 60 pieces in it?” Be sure to visit her blog for this week’s block patterns, and enjoy her work!

Don't miss the other blockheads involved in this project:

Betsy Chutchian
Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilt
Janet Clare
Jan Patek
Jen Kingwell
Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree
Jo Morton
Laurie Simpson
Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings
Lissa Alexander of Moda
Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles
Me & My Sister Designs
Robin Pickens
Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life
Stacy Iest Hsu
Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique
Carrie Nelson

Stay tuned… Each week I’ll reveal more of my layout with the next block!

How would you embellish this tissue pouch? Share with us in the comments below!