Caetano Dennis - Kawaii craft life: super-cute projects for home, work & play

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Simply put, kawaii is the aesthetic of all things cheerful, sweet, and adorable. The word kawaii means cute in Japanese. But its so much more than that. Kawaii is about seeing the bright side of life, and it has the power to make you smile. (Yes, the same disarming power that babies and little animals have!) Its the precious, the cuddly, the silly, and the imperfect. Kawaii is all things super-cute.

Needlecraft is as old as time, and yet its forever modern. Thats because theres no end to the wonderful things you can create with a needle and thread. These days, stitching is a perfect antidote to technology overload. Once you pick up needle and thread, youre only a few stitches away from a lower heart rate, calmer breathing, and a more tranquil mind. And we should also note: Stitching is fun. A lot of fun.

We started our needlecraft journey years ago, when the hurly-burly of life got to be a bit much. Crafting with needle and thread quickly became an empowering way to deal with stress, to unwind, and to express our creativity. And, of course, weve always loved kawaii stylelong before we even knew what kawaii was! Our first hand-stitched kawaii felt plushiea sweet and dreamy blue cloudinspired us to design even more needlecraft projects. And design we did: from felt animals to whimsical cottage ornaments and kawaii monsters. We made digital instant-download patterns of all our designs and launched our pattern company, Trellis & Thyme.

Since then, weve created over 140 patterns, and thats just the beginning. Inspiration strikes us every day and were always designing, sketching, and playing with ideas for the next project. Whether were creating a pattern or stitching it to life, needlecraft brings us so much happiness, and we hope it does the same for you!

For this book weve designed thirty-five original kawaii projects for you to hand-stitch, cross-stitch, and embroider. Our hope is that youll feel inspired to try some (or all!) of them. Many of the projects can be created in a single afternoon, but some will take a bit more time and patience. They all require your unique hand and style to come to life.

This book is divided into four main sections: Needlecraft Essentials, Feltcraft, Counted Cross-Stitch, and Embroidery. Needlecraft Essentials () that shows you how to make the simple stitches that bring these projects together.

Each project in this book includes a list of materials and illustrated step-by-step instructionssome also have templates, included at the back of the bookto guide you through the making process. We want your creative time to be well-spent and, above all, fun! Weve also included a few alternate colors for some of the projects, such as the Cupcake Bag Charm (). We hope this encourages you to play and choose your own color combinations. Remember, with kawaii style there is no right or wrongjust do what you love!

In writing Kawaii Craft Life, more than anything we wanted to show how needlecraft can be a creative and exciting way to add charm to everyday life. Almost anything can be adorned with stitches, so let your imagination run wild. For example, if you like the Dragon Bookmark design (), maybe youd rather stitch it on a pillowcase or even the back pocket of a pair of jeans. And remember, kawaii style encourages playfulness, so dont fuss with perfection.

Wed love to see your projects! Follow Trellis & Thyme on Instagram (@SosaeCaetano) and be sure to include #KawaiiCraftLife with your project posts.

So go ahead and add some kawaii charm to your life! Remember to make it silly. Make it cute. Make it wonky. Make it uniquely yours.

Sosae and Dennis