Two Sewing Books

 

Lately I can't seem to get enough of sewing books.  I love Amy's book -- Bend-the-Rules Sewing -- which I thought I reviewed here, but I can't seem to find the post.  Hmmm. .

Now I have two more books to love!  First (and my favorite of the two) is Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.  It's filled with beautiful photographs of incredible projects.  Many are super easy and could be tackled by any first time sewer.  Just some of the projects I want to try from this book:  Flannel Baby Blanket, Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt, Kelly's Pincushions, Puzzle Ball, Peanut the Wee Elephant, (Sort of) Crazy Quilt -- and there are others.  I mean, almost every project in this book looks like something I would make or build off of. 

The projects here are modern and fresh.  The instructions appear to be well written and there are photos (like on the puzzle ball) to get you through the tricky parts.  I also like the full size patterns glued inside the back cover on regular weight paper.  This is a very impressive book! 

Next up is Simple Gifts to Stitch: 30 Elegant and Easy Projects by Jocelyn Worrall.  There are 30 projects in this book -- everything from bags, to scarves, to kitchen items and blankets.  While the projects are for common items, each project has a little added twist that makes it fun.  The baby bib has a cross-stitch bear on it, there is a pillow that is shirred, and the pattern for the Botanical Tiara shows you how to make your own flowers out of ultrasuede.

All in all I liked the projects in this book.  There is a nice selection of different items and a few fun ideas to perk things up.  I guess that most of the projects were just a bit too simple for my taste.  If you are just beginning to learn to sew, there are easy projects here to get you started.

I'm so glad to see fresh sewing books hitting the market -- keep 'em coming!