One Yard Wonders
I just received my contributor copy of the new sewing book, One Yard Wonders. I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on it for months! It’s a lovely book, featuring 101 projects that can each be made from under 1yd of fabric – a great way to use up fabric that you may have lying around in your stash!
They’ve done a really nice job with the book – it’s spiral-bound, so it will lie flat at the page you open it to, and it has an envelope in the front containing full-sized pattern pieces for all the projects that need them.
The projects cover the full range from clothing, aprons, and quilts, to bags, pillows and toys. It looks like a great book, and I can’t wait until I have time to look through it properly and find ideas for things I could make with some of my stash fabric!
*******************
Now, not to detract from the book at all (it really is great! you should definitely pick up a copy), but on a personal level, I am very disappointed.
I contributed a pincushion and matching needlebook to the book. I was given the cutest Japanese fabric covered in tiny hedgehogs, squirrels, chickies and mushrooms, and I spent ages making sure the print was centred nicely on my pieces, picking the perfect buttons to accessorize them, and making sure my sample pieces were as close to perfect as possible so they would photograph well (I still have several 99% perfect rejects sitting in my craft room!). These are my samples that I’ve been waiting for months to see in print:
Sorry for the pic quality – these were taken over a year ago (as a personal record for myself before I shipped them off), before I got the hang of my lightbox.
Luckily I thought to snap these quick photos before sending them off, because when I looked for my projects in the book, they had been bundled with this sewing machine cover, and my projects had been remade in the same huge graphic print as the cover, which doesn’t suit their size at all. Plus there is only this one picture in the book, in which my designs are practically invisible:
Can you spot my designs in this picture?
There they are! A tiny part of a busy picture.
It’s okay. I understand why they did it this way – I guess they wanted to use up the entire yard of fabric, and that makes sense. But mine were so cute! And so neat! It’s just sad when you look forward to something and then it turns out to be so very different from what you imagined it would be. I’m still happy the authors chose my projects for the book; I just think they will be overlooked by most readers because they aren’t shown in their best light. Let’s have another look at my version of my projects, as this will be the only time they’ll ever be seen:
They are cute, right? Please tell me they are. I need cheering up…
UPDATE May 2012: If you don’t have the book, you can now pick up my Offset Square Wrist Pincushion and matching Fabric and Felt Needlebook sewing patterns as donationware from my shop 🙂
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Cassie Hale said
JUNE!!!! Yours are GORGEOUS!!! And you are correct: I have had this book for a few years now (or whenever it was released) and didn’t even notice these until you highlighted them. Why in the world didn’t use a print such as the one you sent for demo? Now I need to try this pattern out . . . .
June said
Thanks, Cassie! The funny thing is that they actually sent me the cute fabric I used for my samples in the first place – which makes their subsequent decision to remake them in a totally unsuitable print and pretty much bury them in the book even more bizarre 🙂
getcha said
That’s too bad that they did a remake of yours … I personally like yours much much better! The fabric you used is perfect for the size of the project and your stitching looks cleaner. I think you did a great job!!
Miriam said
Your version is definitely cuter!
The larger patterned fabric was definitely the wrong scale for the projects.
Michelle said
Ah, what a bummer! I actually have a problem with a lot of their styling and poor fabric choices in this book. Fabulous book with amazing patterns, but you’re not the first designer who had their projects shortchanged. It’s okay, we all know yours is the best and your workmanship is impeccable! Much, much smarter to use the tiny print, too.
Jessica N. said
Yes, your versions are much cuter and the fabric’s print is a better scale for the size of the projects.
futuregirl said
Darn straight, you versions are cute! I’m so sorry about the disappointing inclusion. I know you’re a stickler for perfection. Why couldn’t they have planned ahead so you could have made the ones in the photos? It might not have been the fabric you would have chosen, but at least it would have had your awesome juju. xo!!!
Reba said
I LOVE the fabric. The little mushrooms and hedgehogs are so cute! 🙂
June said
I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who have commented here. Your words really cheered me up – I even got a little teary-eyed reading some of them! Thank you, friends. You are all wonderful x
CWright said
Your design and careful use of the adorable fabric is FAR superior to theirs . . . I’m so sorry you were disappointed. I’ll bet your 99% right ones are very cute, too!
Kelly said
Cheer up sweetie. Not only are yours very sweetly pretty, but just by the pics we can all see that your craftsmanship is far exceeding the pieces in the book. I am sorry you are disappointed and hope you know we all read with delight. ~Kelly
unDeniably Domestic
Robyn said
Yours are way cuter! 🙂
peanut said
Those hedgehogs are super cute. I agree with everyone else and I’m really glad I stumbled on here today (I was scanning the internet to see if anyone had actually received their copy yet – I’m still waiting for mine) because I’d probably never had made these based on the picture in the book but as soon as I saw your little snap shot I wanted to add one of these pin cushions to my collection 🙂
Jennie said
They’re SO much cuter in the animal prints! Congrats on the publication, anyway, though.
Piston said
Yours are adorable! I love them! And to be quite honest, I love your design of the pincushion especially; I was tempted to buy the book in general, but now that I see that I’m even more so… I need one haha, and I’ve got so many small amounts of fabric!
You’re dead right about the fabric they chose for your stuff though, the design is too large to make it really work.
But your designs and your creations are cute, SUPER cute!
Tibi said
I agree with the commenters above that you were sort of short-changed.
Your selection of fabric and consideration of the details that’s evident in the originals (I wouldn’t dream of making your pieces in a fabric with such a large print!).
You deserve all of the above kudos and more, June. Your designs are never less than inspirational (your blog is on my “Top Sites” in Safari so I can see any updates straight away!) and you shouldn’t let someone else’s idea of design worry you.
You know who you are and we know who you are. You’re June. Designer, creator, inspiration.
And don’t you forget it!
😉 *sending virtual hugs and warm mugs of tea*
Heathir said
You’re right. I never would have even noticed those items in the book. It was your picture on the Flickr group that made me go searching. (I even thought maybe I’d found the wrong thing in the book.)
Your designs are awesome and totally on my list to make.
Thanks so much for posting your picture!
Jana said
DUH! It’s a no brainer!! How could they possibly be so stupid as to take perfection and turn it into THAT (what is pictured in their book!) ghastly mishmash! I’m sorry, but the fabric they used would NEVER inspire me to make the things pictured with it! HOWEVER, if I were smart enough to look BEYOND the picture to the design and idea behind it, I would be scrambling around in a hurry to make your cute pin cushion and needle holder! In fact, I think I may just order that book from Amazon (if it’s there?) JUST so I can make YOUR wonderful designs!
THERE. I hope that cheered you up! 😀
Shanna said
Yours are, without a doubt, 100x cuter than theirs. Why they felt the need to make more when yours show off the pattern much better is beyond me. Their material looks just plain ugly on a small item like the pincusion. Also, yours look much better made than theirs. 🙁
Silverlotus said
I think that fabric is super cute, and I love the whole idea. What a shame that they had to go and change it all.
Misty said
I think the fabric you chose featured your projects perfectly. It is a shame they didn’t use your samples and feature them more prominently!
Rikke said
They look so much better in the small print fabric you chose. So cute with the small hedgehogs. I love them. And now I know I really need somewhere to put my needles…
Alina said
yours are very cute and like them more than the ones in the book.
you are very talented!
Susan being Snippy said
A great accomplishment to have your creations in a book but a bit of a dissappointment to have them become invisible like that. But now your readers all know where to look, and we or at least I will be sure to create them in a small print or a “shows as a solid” type fabric…
Candice said
You have the BEST designs and fabric sense. I love yours sooooo much.
curegirl0421 said
Aw June, they really didn’t do your design justice at all!!
Jerks.
Yours were totally cuter. I love that fabric!
kris said
aww – june – i am sorry they made a mess of your design. i know how hard you worked on these two things and how excited you were to get them published. i am sorry about the big let down.