Sew Slippers for Kids by Julie Johnson

I recently came across this book from Annie's on sewing kid's slippers.  I thought, "they would make great gifts for my niece and nephew!".  The book has 8 patterns that could easily have many more different looks depending on your fabric choices.  I got my sister to trace their feet and then compared them to the full size patterns included.  So many styles to pick from- bunnies, booties, puppies, slides all for girls and boys.  Fabric suggestions include fleece, faux fur and recycled jeans.  I chose cotton because they live in Hawaii.  There is a layer of batting in the soles and non-slip grippy material for the outer layer.  The instructions were easy to follow.





Please notice the Hula Hello Kitty fabric- Happy Feline Friday!



Book Review- Babies On The Go- 10" Doll Clothes

A new book from Annie's and House of White Birches- Lots to Love Babies on the Go! 10" Doll Clothes by Lorine Mason, available from www.http://AnniesCatalog.com .  (Sorry about the flash on the baby's face-my fault!).   Full-size patterns and instructions for both girl and boy dolls are included- dress, vest, pants, romper, pool side, sleeping bag etc.  With just a fabric change, you could get lots of different looks.  I have not had the chance to make any of the projects yet, but I read through some of the instructions and they sound easy and straight forward to follow.  There is a general sewing techniques section that explains the operations needed for completing these cute outfits!

Feline Friday-Why Cats Paint

I received this book years ago as a gift from my sister, who loves cats as much as I do.  95 pages exploring the theories, styles and artists themselves in fascinating detail.  The feline artists really do have very different aesthetics!  Some examples include Tiger the Spontaneous Reductionist, Smokey the Romantic Ruralist and Bootsie the Trans-Expressionist.  I am truly inspired.  I have been watching my cats very closely for any artistic expression.  Does arranging their food count?  Emma might be a Floral Reductionist because she can reduce a vase of flowers to a pile of petals.  I suppose I should look at the scratching post, otherwise known as a chair, in a whole new way.  Maybe it is Alice's work in progress!

I think they enjoy modeling for my artistic expressions (otherwise known as my fiddling around).

Here are my muses in profile. 

Book Review- Dancing With Thread by Ann Fahl

I am really excited about this new book I just bought!  It is Dancing with Thread  by Ann Fahl.  As you may know, I am working on improving my free motion quilting skills with sewcalgal's free motion quilt challenge (it is never too late to join!).  In March, the featured expert was Ann Fahl.  Here is my practice free motion quilting for that month.  The book has 94 pages of beautiful and inspiring photos and instructions.  Her quilts really speak to me and of course there are a few cats in there along with flowers and other animals as examples.  I can't wait to get started! 

Book Review: Pot Holders, Pinchers and More

Pot Holders, Pinchers and More 20 Colorful Designs to Brighten Your Kitchen by Chris Malone is full of kitchen accessories I could see sewing as gifts, hostess presents, teacher thank yous etc.  I had a difficult time deciding which project to do first!  I love chickens, so I did a pincher, and I made the cherry pie pot holder.  The instructions were easy to follow with diagrams and photos.  There is also a section on general sewing instructions.  I will definitely be sewing more projects from this book because everyone has a kitchen!   Available from Clotilde. 

Feline Friday- Quilts by Denyse Schmidt

Here is Olive, sewed by my daughter when she was 9, with my help.  Olive is 16" long.  We used the book Quilts by Denyse Schmidt, 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects .  The original project had a pieced stomach, but I simplified it with a square applique.  Same basic look as the original. 

A fun project to do together!

 The book has some other great projects- lots of bold, graphic design quilts of course.  There are also pot holders, coasters, cards, an apron and bags, among other things.  I love her choices of statement making colors.

Book Review: The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook

Talking about sewing machine attachments is not the most exciting of topics.  Necessary and helpful, but not exciting.  Charlene Phillips does a great job of it, however, in her book "The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook".  She starts out with a brief history, choosing a machine and then attachments and how to use them.  Lots of color pictures and tips in the 140 pages.  I know I don't use all my attachments to their fullest so I'm hoping this book will help me.  If you own an older machine, Charlene's book will be especially helpful.  She includes how to use a buttonholer.  I found this antique box of machine attachments and this handbook explains how to use them with my Singer Featherweight from 1950.  In case you were wondering- the black circle in the lower left corner above- its a stocking darner!

Book Review: Fat Quarter Fun by Karen Snyder

 I have not sewn any of the quilts yet, but I really like Karen Snyder's Fat Quarter Fun.  The projects look fairly straight forward with clear instructions.  Each quilt has a  choosing fabric, cutting, piecing, assembling the top, adding borders, backing, and finishing sections.

She shows two versions for each quilt, making it easy to visualize different color schemes and sizes.

Book Review: Home Made Simple

I love the show on TLC- Home Made Simple.  Most Saturdays I try to watch because it always inspires me to get up and rearrange, clean, organize and/or create something new!  I received this companion book as a gift.  It contains chapters on organizing, celebrating, recipes, gardening, and decorating. 

In one section it recommends adding purple accents to a room to promote imagination, creativity and problem solving.  Sounds like a great color for a sewing room!

The projects and recipes they feature in the book (and on their shows) are relatively easy so they shouldn't scare people off trying them.  Not a lot of actual sewing projects and they are heavy on product endorsements, but if you haven't seen an episode of  Home Made Simple it is worth checking out.

Book Review: Craft Cycle by Heidi Boyd

 In honor of Earth Day (everyday), I made a few projects from Craft Cycle by Heidi Boyd.  I love this book!  Its got innovative projects and recipes!  It is divided into seasons with tips on how to be Earth friendly.

 I decided to make a coiled basket from old t-shirt scraps (leftover from another project).  Mine isn't as large as Heidi's example in the book, but the technique is the same.

 I added a few extra bows around the rim- it seemed to need it.

 The cats approve of it.  Alice wanted to try it first, then Emma had a go, below.

 Next, I made fused plastic bags.  Instead of the tote from the book, I used the instructions and decided to add a zipper.  It was something different to try.  I had a couple of bags from when I was in England (1981?!)  Each zipper bag requires several plastic bags to start with. 

This one is really showing my age- records and tapes! 

Here is the zipper top.  These were fun projects and I will be trying out the recipes soon.  I'm looking forward to making the shoe bracelet, mittens and owl clothespin holder.  Any recycled book recommendations?

Sock Creatures

On a recent rainy weekend, the kids and I started making sock creatures inspired by John Murphy's Stupid Sock Creatures.   These creatures are a little tricky to sew for beginners, but they are great for exploring creativity!  I especially love the lips and creature descriptions in the book.  Such personality!

 This blue one was a collaboration with my 8 year old.  We used toddler knee-high socks.

 Love the smile!

 I made this monkey several years ago.  My 11 year old painted the ceramic monkey.

See items in memory  and other examples of  sock creatures .

My daughter sewed the middle monkey at a birthday party.  I made the other two.  I like using buttons for the eyes, but you could also make very expressive felt eyes.  It is pretty addicting.  While I'm working on one, I get ideas for the next one.  I guess it is that way with any creative project.

Happy Villages by Karen Eckmeier

I had the best time making a Happy Village- it felt like playing.  I used Karen Eckmeier's very easy instructions.

 I used fabric already in my stash, and arranged the shapes, then added the roofs and details.  Cover the whole thing with tulle and stitch.

 Adding the church was my idea.  My village is roughly 16"x16".  I bound mine, but in the book, Karen has the villages backed with felt that frames it from behind.  I just didn't have any felt on hand.

 Even the back looks really neat, with all the stitching.

I will definitely be sewing more of these!  My next village will have trees and maybe a fountain.

Book Review: The Style Checklist by Lloyd Boston

If your new year's resolution is to get your wardrobe in order, then check out Lloyd Boston's The Style Checklist, The Ultimate Wardrobe Essentials for You.  224 pages of advice, colorful photos by Robert Tardio, and a checklist of the essentials at the end.  Published in 2010, the fashions all look current, but classic at the same time.  I am pleased to say I already had some of the items on his checklist!  Entertaining to read.  My library already has a copy!  http://www.simonandschuster.com/

Book Review: Pretty Little Presents

It is that time of year again.  If you haven't started sewing gifts, check this book out.  Pretty Little Presents published by Lark Books contains 29 gifts suitable for weddings, babies, hostess, housewarming, but of course would be good for the holidays too!

I sewed these baskets and found the directions to be easy to follow with beautiful pictures.

These cute ladies were shown strung from a ribbon.  Fun, quick and easy!

Book Review: Koos Couture Collage

It is so hard to sew during the summer with my kids home, so I was rooting around in my closet and found this vest I made a few years ago.

I was inspired by "Koos Couture Collage" by Linda Chang Teufel.  Published in 2002, 107 pages of beautiful examples of clothes by Koos van der Akker. 

He does a lot of applique and bias binding, both of which can be tricky.  The leather leaf wanted to stretch while I was sewing it and going around circles with bias requires patience.

I free hand cut the leaves.  I like the challenge of using what is already in my sewing room.  Can you believe I didn't buy anything for this project?

 

This is the back view.  Originally, I thought I would make it reversible, but I changed my mind.  The lining is striped.

Then, a year later, I was in a thrift store and saw this Koos sweater jacket!  He sells on QVC. 

It was neat to see an original Koos in person after drooling over the pictures in the book!

Book Review: Sew Deadly

"Sew Deadly" by Elizabeth Lynn Casey is a fun mystery that even includes sewing tips and a pillow project at the end! Tori is new in town and quickly finds herself a murder suspect. With support from her new sewing circle friends and a love interest, she learns the truth. A great easy read that doesn't get all technical and gory like some murder mysteries do. www.elizabethlynncasey.com

Book Review: Larceny and Lace

Larceny and Lace is an intriguing novel by Annette Blair. She weaves mystery, romance, humor and fashion into a great book. The main character, Madie Cutler, is about to open a vintage clothing store when she finds vintage bones and a murder to solve! A fun book to read!

www.penquin.com

Book Review: Quilts by Denyse Schmidt

I never fail to be inspired, thumbing through Denyse Schmidt's Quilts. She uses big blocks of bold colors and easy to follow instructions and construction photos.

My 10 year old sewed these two cats from the book, with some help from me. Spice and Olive are now best buddies.

Book Review: It's A Wrap

I have made many of these bowls. It is so easy and addicting! Susan Breier's book, "It's A Wrap" includes loads of photos and information.

I start by organizing my 1/2"-1" fabric strips in bowls. Quilting cottons seem to work the best, cut on the straight of grain. Experiment! You can come up with really neat effects. Try using fabric that you might otherwise think is unattractive.

Just wrap and zigzag until you are done. It is perfect for when you want to make something, now, but don't want to spent time planning, cutting etc.