Sew Can Do: book review

This is Doopy Bird. At least that's what my kids have named him. He's cute and weird and handmade so he deserves a fun name for sure.

For Christmas I wanted to focus less on buying and more on making, so I made fleece plush toys for each of my kids. I was a bit short on time to completely design 3 new patterns from scratch, so I finally broke open some softie pattern books I'd bought ages ago and still never used (aka typical craft hoarder scenario). This fleece bird was one of them. His actual pattern name is Bitty Bird, but I think I prefer Doopy myself.

He's from the book, Fleece for Kids by Mary Emery Vollertsen. I bought the book when I was new to sewing and just starting with fleece. Fleece is the ideal fabric for making plush toys and for sewing beginners by the way. 8 yrs later I'm finally using it and no longer a beginner, but it was just what I needed in the holiday hurry. There are a number of cute soft toys like dinosaurs, birds and a bee puppet included, plus lots of hats and tops. I liked it because it came with paper patterns, not the usual "here's a line drawing, now try to magically scale this up on your printer. That was the the big plus of the book. The second plus is a good sized section with technique info on smocking, tucking, fabric sculpting and appliqués.

The big minus? Those handy paper patterns only applied to the toys in the book, not any of the clothes heavily featured, which was the main reason I wanted it in the first place. Showing a bunch of cute tops and hats, but then in the instructions saying "find a basic garment pattern" and then just some minor steps to embellish it with was a bit of a let down. As was the fact that said embellishments were for a single size. Even if you found the ideal pattern to do the adorable smocked coat and bonnet, her measurements for the smocked bit were for newborn size only. Not very helpful.

However, Doopy Bird was a pretty quick sew. I made him in an afternoon. The pattern and instructions were basic and easy to follow and it would be simple to change his look with different colors, prints and eyes. He's got some fun tassel-y top and tail feathers that really make him interesting. I'd definitely make him again.

Right now, he's enjoying hanging around, being a fun bird and chilling out with my doopy kids. Since he sewed up so fast, it gave me time to draft my other two softies, which will be coming up soon.

It's time for a new Craft Book Corner! This latest book is one that's hot off the presses and is all about a fun & fluffy craft: pom-poms. I'm giving you a little sneak peek and review so you'll have the scoop on it before it even hits the bookstore shelves. You'll be "in the know" on the newest craft book coming out!

Today's Book:

Pom-Poms! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects by Sarah Goldschadt and Lexi Walters Wright, a new craft book coming out October 1, 2013.

Why I'm Sharing It:

Quirk Books sent me an advanced copy to review. I tried out some of the things I learned as well as made one of the projects, this little pom-pom hedgehog paper weight:

What's it about?

As the name says, this book is about all things pom-pom: 25 crafty projects using pom-poms as well as unexpected ways to make them. And not just the usual yarn types, but also those fluffy tissue paper party poms, those made with felt, fabric & more.

What makes it helpful?

I really liked that the book shared numerous methods to make pom-poms, beyond techniques I knew, and explained why to chose one over another, depending on the look, materials and size desired. I also liked that they gave ideas for materials that you might not think to use for pom-poms, like t-shirts, tulle, tinsel, even rubber bands. Here are a few I made using standard yarn, as well as chunky variegated yarn, embroidery floss & baker's twine:

What's the format?

The book starts out with the 25 various projects - some wearables, some accessories, some decorations. There are a few "seen before" ideas like the knit hat, wreath & brooch, but others are more unique like a t-shirt pom rug, rubber band pom ring and tinsel pom cake toppers. Then it heads into Pom-Pom 101 which shows the various ways to make pom-poms, materials, wrapping & trimming styles and some good newbie crafter info like basic hand sewing stitches & how to transfer patterns.

I'd have preferred the Pom-Pom 101 section be in the front of the book, before the projects, which is the usually format for craft books. I like to learn what to do first and then delve into the projects instead of having to flip around for those details. However, I understand that the projects are the eye candy and that's what most browsers want to see first when flipping through a book on the shelf.

Extra info:

I think my favorite part of the book was the ways to make different patterns, aka wrapping styles, in your pom-poms: a marled look, polka dots, even a sectioned beach ball. It really expands the looks you can make. I had a lot of fun trying them out. Here are a few of the varying styles I was able to make just by changing the wrap style of two colors of yarn:

From left: Polka Dots, Mrs. Speckles, Beach Ball

Usefulness Score:

This is a nice book for any crafter to have and is kid-friendly too (extra points in my opinion). I really like that everything pom-pom can be found in this book, so it's a great reference. I've found random tutorials or projects here & there online and had mixed final results, but nothing has been as helpful or complete. It's literally a bible of pom-pom knowledge.

Back cover Pom-poms!

And it gives you all the skills to come up with your own unique projects based on what you've learned. It would be great for someone new to crafting too - you don't need to have any prior craft knowledge to be able to make some fun pom-pom projects. Definitely a good gift idea too. You can find even more info about the book Pom-Poms! HERE.

I was not financially compensated for this post. I was sent a copy of this book to review. The opinions are completely my own, based on my experience.