Today is the last day to preorder the risograph print zine version of Patchwork Alphabet! It will come back in stock in January, once we can produce a batch to keep on hand, but the preorder ends today! If you’ve been eyeing the print zine, or thinking about giving it to a friend as a holiday gift, today is your last chance! The preordered zines will ship the first week of December. The printable/digital version of the zine will still be available after the preorder closes, though, so don’t worry! Still lots of alphabet-ing to be had!
It’s been so amazing to see all the love and excitement for our new Patchwork Alphabet zine. I wasn’t sure how much this idea would appeal to sewists — all well is primarily known for our garment patterns, and patchwork is a totally different world and skillset. But people are excited! And already planning what phrases they want to sew! Already piecing letters! That’s so cool, and reflects the way I feel about this pattern and process. Patchwork Alphabet banners remain one of my very favorite things to sew, to plan to sew, and to dream up. The ones I’ve made over the years are still some of my favorite things I’ve ever made, surpassing many of my favorite handmade garments. There’s something so satisfying about seeing the words come together to say something that is meaningful to me. Every time, it gives me a little thrill!
Now, a little walk down memory lane, visiting some of my favorite patchwork alphabet banners I’ve made!
“Joy is not made to be a crumb”
This one is the most recent, and the most immediately meaningful to me. The quote is from Mary Oliver’s beautiful poem, “Don’t Hesitate”. I have the full poem printed out and hanging above my sewing machine so I can read it often. Joy has taken on new meaning for me since I had a baby in 2020. The transition has not been easy for me, but it has brought a lot of joy alongside the struggle. I want to remember that the joy is big! The joy is important! It’s not a crumb, it’s the whole loaf! I might be repeating myself saying that, but it’s something I tell myself often.
“Come to the circle”
I studied theater in college, and I got to be a part of a close-knit ensemble of actors. It was a really special time of my life. At the end of our ensemble sessions, my favorite teacher, Mark, would say “Get two walls and come to the circle.” We would walk and touch two of the room’s walls before all assembling in the center of the room in a circle together. I felt such belonging and wholeness in that circle. I always want to be coming back to the circle where I belong, even if the circle is just my little family, even if it’s me all alone. It’s a good reminder for me of where I come from and where I’m going.
“Wax and Wane”
I made this banner for my little sister to hang in her college apartment way back in 2017 or 2018. She came up with the text for the banner, but reflecting on it while I was sewing it meant a lot to me. I think about change a lot, always trying to remind myself that change is one of the only true things. That change is good and inevitable. I want to keep waxing and waning like the moon, celebrating the parts of me that are cyclical and changeable. The moon’s patterns guide our world, and they depend on change. I want to depend on change too. I know this meant a lot to my sister in the season of her life it found her in, but it meant a lot to me too! Also, I love this color scheme, the two different tones of green.
“Abundance”
Just after the Covid-19 lockdown began in March 2020, I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I sat down and made an abundance banner from start to finish one day. The one in the picture actually isn’t the one from that time, but they were similar. The one I made in 2020 was pink and green. It felt really good to soothe my swirling worries about the world by making something centering and affirming. Like a way to remind myself that there was still abundance to be found, though scarcity felt bigger and in the way. I don’t know what happened to the pink and green abundance banner, and I don’t have any pictures of it, but I know I made it! And maybe the making it was all that really mattered!
What phrase will you sew? Have you decided already? Are you still mulling? Do you have colors in mind? It’s so fun to dream and think and plan it out. I hope you’ll enjoy the process of sewing patchwork alphabet banners as much as I have. I hope they will help you remember the things you need to remember! That’s what they so often do for me!
Grab a riso zine here, on the last day for preorders, or head here for the printable/digital version, which will remain available after preorders close for the print zine! More info about both here on our website. Happy sewing! Wishing you lots of joy in the process!
- Amy