{"product_id":"patchwork-isbn-9781963108484","title":"Patchwork","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eLyrical, probing, soothing, and wise, \u003ci\u003ePatchwork\u003c\/i\u003e is a strikingly original debut and a celebration of the remarkable, everyday process of making and remaking: of story, of clothing, and of ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A gorgeous and tender exploration.”—Nina Mingya Powles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eIn \u003ci\u003ePatchwork\u003c\/i\u003e, a charming and evocative sewist's diary, Maddie Ballard explores the making (and sometimes remaking) of seventeen specific garments over a period of great change in her life—from a jacket lined with the embroidered Cantonese names of her female ancestors, to a dressing gown made as a gift for a dear friend, to an eco-friendly, zero-waste dress.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the wardrobe grows, so too does Maddie. From her first off-kilter dresses and coats to perfectly fitting pants, readers follow along as she learns to navigate the world around her and how she sees herself in it—both as she is and as she hopes to be. Stitch by stitch, word by word, Maddie drafts her own patterns for ways of living. Throughout the diary, delightful illustrations bring Maddie’s creations to life on the page.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith a focus on the practical comfort and pleasure provided by sewing in a time of personal renewal, \u003ci\u003ePatchwork: A Sewist’s Diary\u003c\/i\u003e is a warmhearted celebration of the value of craft in the modern age.\"Charming….. This gently captivating memoir [finds] poignant resonance in the ups and downs of a single person’s life during a tumultuous historical moment. It’s a delight.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Sewing became a ballast as [Ballard] figured out herself and what came next. Her memoir is a thoughtful progression of mistakes and corrections and fabric, as well as in her outlook.”\u003cb\u003e—NPR Weekend Edition, Top Nonfiction Books We Love\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Through her expert use of language, similar to the simplicity of a single seam, she ties this collection up with a perfect silk ribbon and inspires me to create . . . and to savor the creation.”\u003cb\u003e —The Rumpus \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Powerful . . . a creative way of challenging the fleeting trend cycles and flimsy garments that rule much of the ready-to-wear fashion landscape today.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eFull Stop \u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A beautifully observed meditation on the emotional resonance of clothing and sewing. It will make you look with a new eye on what you wear and how it was made.\"—\u003cb\u003eTracy Chevalier, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Glass Maker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Maddie's \u003ci\u003ePatchwork\u003c\/i\u003e, with its beautifully woven reflections, is evidence of how making things with our hands can change us—and the world.\" —\u003cb\u003eNina Montenegro , author \u003ci\u003eMending Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Nimble, surprising, edifying and even sexy, Maddie Ballard's \u003ci\u003ePatchwork\u003c\/i\u003e is a document of living and being lived in, a record of staying enlivened through catastrophe, and a graceful experiment in imagining how the tactile world might be the real one.\" —\u003cb\u003eEmma Copley Eisenberg, nationally bestselling author of\u003ci\u003e Housemates\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Maddie Ballard’s \u003ci\u003ePatchwork\u003c\/i\u003e deftly and poetically reminds us that sewing is more than an act of creation. It reminds us that a sewing is an act of self-creation too.\" —\u003cb\u003eBetsy Greer, author of \u003ci\u003eCraftivism: The Art of Craft and Activism\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Maddie Ballard makes making clothes into a celebration of living and suffering and finding joy. Wonderful.\"—\u003cb\u003eVictoria Finlay, author of \u003ci\u003eFabric: The Hidden History of the Material World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A gorgeous, tender exploration of the craft of sewing and how we carve out spaces for ourselves.\"—\u003cb\u003eNina Mingya Powles, author of \u003ci\u003eSmall Bodies of Water\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A beautifully layered narrative that celebrates how the simple act of sewing our own clothing can help us define ourselves and find belonging. Maddie’s writing is a joy to read.\"—\u003cb\u003eClara Parkes, author of \u003ci\u003eVanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaddie Ballard\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and editor of mixed Chinese heritage. Born in Syracuse, New York, she grew up in Aotearoa New Zealand and currently lives in Melbourne, Australia.","brand":"Tin House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233466331365,"sku":"NP9781963108484","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781963108484.jpg?v=1767734544","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/patchwork-isbn-9781963108484","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}