Review of Patchwork

Profound and beautifully crafted.
I didn't read all the blurbs before reading, so I was expecting more of a crafters' book on making clothing.
But this is so much more. It is a memoir, it is poetic, and it even looks at the big picture that is increasingly gathering attention, concern about the waste, environmental impact, and human cost of the fashion industry.
Each garment the author fashions is tied to events in her often difficult life. She lives in 16 different places in one year. She faces racial discrimination and displacement as an immigrant. But the best thing about this book is its juxtaposition of technology and the busyness of our modern world, with the grounding value of making something by hand, something that takes an enormous amount of time. Each item she makes is an act of meditation and contemplation. Not just a book for those interested in sewing. It is a book for anyone looking for grounding and meaning in our wild, chaotic world.

NetGalley's "Crafts and Hobbies" section is my new fixation.

"Patchwork" by Maddie Ballard is a sewing-focused essay collection, telling stories of the author's life through the lens of the garments she made during those times. From the first dress she made while job hunting, to the pants she obsessed over to distract herself from COVID quarantine, to the raincoat she sewed as a way of making herself feel at home in her new place. It also discusses greater themes in sewing, from the waste of fast fashion to the political power of quilting to the more personal side of making a garment for yourself. It acts as both a love letter to sewing as a hobby and making things for yourself as a mindset.

As an eco-friendly hippie, I particularly enjoyed the discussion on how makers can push back against fast fashion and how the act of sewing your own clothes makes you realize just how much fast fashion is harming it's garment-makers. I also loved the discussion of the AIDs quilt and the act of supposed "feminine labor" having a greater power than anyone realized.

Much less familiar to me, but no less powerful, was the author's discussion of her heritage within the framework of sewing. Embroidering the names of her female ancestors into her jacket and willing herself to feel comfortable wearing a cheongsam (or qipao) offered a great insight to her thoughts around her Chinese heritage. It showed how the making of a culturally significant garment could connect the maker to their roots.

It was an incredibly quick read, but still a standout with adorably stylized illustrations. Any sewist who gets emotionally attached their proje

Lyrical and imaginative, I enjoyed reading this book a lot! Thanks to Maddie Ballard, Tin House, and NetGalley for this advanced review copy!

Ballard writes with an attempt at lyricism but comes off as trying too hard. Her writing vascillates between self reflective and narcissistic. In each chapter, she manages to try to portray herself the hero, rather than experience all the flaws of being a sewist.

Her portrayal of her Chinese heritage rubs me the wrong way as well, as she never addresses the deeper feelings of being of mixed heritage.