PATCHWORK
A Sewist's Diary
Lyrical, probing, soothing, and wise, Patchwork is a strikingly original debut and a celebration of the remarkable, everyday process of making and remaking: of story, of clothing, and of ourselves.
“A gorgeous and tender exploration.”—Nina Mingya Powles
In Patchwork, 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,
Lyrical, probing, soothing, and wise, Patchwork is a strikingly original debut and a celebration of the remarkable, everyday process of making and remaking: of story, of clothing, and of ourselves.
“A gorgeous and tender exploration.”—Nina Mingya Powles
In Patchwork, 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.
As 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.
With a focus on the practical comfort and pleasure provided by sewing in a time of personal renewal, Patchwork: A Sewist’s Diary is a warmhearted celebration of the value of craft in the modern age.
- Tin House
- Hardcover
- October 2025
- 144 Pages
- 9781963108484
Buy the Book
$19.99
About Maddie Ballard
Maddie Ballard 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.
Praise
“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.” —Publishers Weekly
“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.” —NPR Weekend Edition, Top Nonfiction Books We Love
“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.” —Tracy Chevalier, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Maker
“Maddie’s Patchwork, with its beautifully woven reflections, is evidence of how making things with our hands can change us—and the world.” —Nina Montenegro , author Mending Life
“Nimble, surprising, edifying and even sexy, Maddie Ballard’s Patchwork 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.” —Emma Copley Eisenberg, nationally bestselling author of Housemates