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During a recent fabric-related meeting (why yes, we sometimes have meetings where we discuss nothing but fabric) the topic of holiday fashion came up.  This led to a conversation about the free Cool, Calm and Cowl-Necked Top pattern the by lovely folks at Hot Patterns.  This top is perfect for you holiday and every day wardrobe for a number of reason, the first being that it is extremely versatile.  The second reason I happen to love this pattern is that it's very easy to make.  Also, did I mention it's free?  To prove that the above reasons are true, I made the shirt and asked Crystal in marketing to play dress-up.

First, let me reiterate that this pattern is very easy to make.  From the time I hit the print button to the last snip of the scissors, it only took me roughly 40 minutes to put the pattern together, which isn't significantly more than what it takes me to comprehend, cut out and press pieces from one of the "big three" pattern companies.  From there, I was able to cut my fabric and sew the shirt together in one evening in less than two hours after putting my toddler to bed, and I still managed to get a full night's sleep. 

The fabrics I used are our Bamboo/Cotton Jersey Knit and the Bamboo Cotton Baby Rib Knit in lovely Lavender.  I chose this fabric because it's super soft and can be used in both a casual and dressy styles.  Plus, the various bamboo cotton knits are all coordinates which took the guess work out of picking a fabric for the waist band.  It's light enough to wear in Spring or Summer, but can also be easily layered to wear in cooler climates.

The first look we went for was business casual.  Crystal wore the top with a nice pair of black slacks and a black suit jacket.  We added some simple jewelry, and her look was complete.  We all noted that the shirt is a lot more comfy than some of the fussier dress shirts you see in stores.

Next, we took the look from day to "night out with the girls" by switching the black suit jacket for a fitted denim dacket, replacing the necklace with scarf and swapping her black pumps for ankle boots.  Easy and fab.

Lastly, while playing dress-up, we remembered that Fabric.com just got in a shipment of some absolutely gorgeous Silk Velvet Burnouts that would be perfect for a shawl.  After some hunting, I was able to borrow two pieces from Jennifer in customer care (Thank you again!) that coordinated wonderfully with the purple top.  We used the burnout velvet as a shawl and paired it with a long skirt, nice jewelry and nice shoes to give Crystal a dressier look.  Not only did our last-minute creativity work out, I think I might have to divert some of my own fabric funds for enough fabric for a couple shawls...

To summarize, this pattern really is easy, fantastic and versatile.  Plus, it's free.  As usual, I would strongly advise you to make a muslin prior to chopping into your nicer fabric.  We found that the top part wasn't as full as we thought it would be, which was fine, but you may want to play with various levels of room in the top and fit in the band.  Also, if the jersey isn't dressy enough for what you need, this pattern could easily be made with another knit with a bit of shimmer to it.  Either way, have fun with it and get the pattern soon - it's only available until November 12!

My 16-month old has developed an obsession with Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Also known as "bo-bah" in our house).  For Halloween this year I will be making him a brown bear costume using Kwik Sew's baby and toddler pattern KP-3099, and to pull it all together I have made him a "Brown Bear" trick-or-treat bag. 

Bags are surprisingly simple to make.  There are a couple different ways that you can construct a bag from practically scraps.  I picked two methods to show here. The first style, for the outside of the bag, has a front and back panel and a long strip for the gusset (3 total pieces).  The second style I used for the lining, and has only two pieces with boxed corners to create the bottom and sides shape.  While I label the parts of this bag as "inside" and "outside", in reality the bag is actually reversible.

QUICK NOTE - This tutorial is geared more towards someone who is still fairly beginner level, but basically knows their way around a sewing machine.  Those with more experience will probably already know everything below, plus better ways to do it (Please feel free to leave a comment and share any nifty variations and tips!). 

DOUBLE NOTE - There will be math.  I promise I will try to keep it simple, and I will also give definite measurements.  However, my goal is to give you the basic principles for how to construct a bag no matter what size you want it.  The bag I made is child-sized, but once you know the basics of construction you can scale yours up, down and everything in between.

Brown Bear Bag
Measurments: 11.5" x 11.5" x 4"
3/8" seam allowance
Materials:
1 Brown Bear panel (BV-907)
1/2 yd coordinating cotton print (I used BV-951)
1 yd light or medium weight fusible interfacing (optional)

If you do not want to use the panel you can just find another 1/2 yd coordinate.  The panel fabric was a little more transparent than I would have liked, so I used the interfacing to make it less see through and give it body without being too stiff.  You may exclude this step if your fabric is dark or if you do not care if your bag is floppy.

Creating the outside:
- Cut out two 12.25"x"12.25" squares consisting of 4 panel motifs. Each square should be 2 smaller squares across and 2 down.  The easiest way to cut it without measuring is to just cut around the outer edge of the green border surrounding the four small squares.  The green border will essentially be the seam allowance.
- Cut the striped strip of fabric from the edge of the panel, trimming the selvage.  This will become the bag handles.

- From the coordinating fabric, cut a 36"x4.75" strip of fabric for the gusset.
- If you are using interfacing, cut two 12.25"x12.25" squares and a 36"x4.75" strip.
- Apply the interfacing to the panels and gusset strip according to the instructions.
- For the top two squares on each of the right sides of the front panels, measure and mark the middle of top of each square (roughly 2.75" from the begining of the white space).  This is where you will line up the handles.
- To create the handles, fold the striped fabric in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.  Press.  Fold the raw edges in toward the middle crease, leaving you with 4 layers of fabric (see image). Press. Cut two 9" pieces from this strip and edge stitch the long, open side (you can leave the ends open).

- To assemble the outside, lay the gusset piece on top of one of the panels, right sides together, with the short edge of the gusset lined up with the top l and the long side lined up with the right side of the panel.  Pin in place.  Bring the gusset side up and and around the corner, and continue pinning it to the bottom of the panel, then back up the left hand side (Hint - to make going around the corners easier, try making a tiny snip in the seam allowance of the gusset right at the corners).  Once it's all pinned, you should have the basic shape of the two sides and bottom of the bag, with the ends of the gusset lining up with the top of the panel (if not, try repinning it).  Stitch in place.

- Pin the second panel to the other side of the gusset.  Stitch.  You should now be able to tell it's a bag (yay!).  Press the seams.

- Position the straps inside the two markings you made earlier, lining up the outer edge of the strap with the mark.  The raw edges of the straps should be in line with the top of the panel, so that the strap is upside down. Pin in place.

To create the lining:
- From the coordinating fabric, cut two 14.25"x16.25" squares.
- Sew together along sides and bottom, leaving the top open.  Press seam allowances open.
- At the bottom corners, measure 3" up and 3" over from corner.  Draw a square.  Using the square as a guide, bring the side and bottom seams together and box the corners (See Moda Bake Shop for better instructions).  Trim 1/4" from the seams.

To bring it all together:
- Line the two bag pieces up with right sides together.  The Side seams of the lining should be in the middle of the gusset sides.  Pin in place.

- Stitch around the top of the bag, stopping a few inches short to leave an opening to turn.  Press the seams.
- Turn the bag right side out and top stitch to finish the top edge of the bag and to reinforce the handles. 
- Voila! All done! Your bag is now ready for whatever your little one might put in it.  Plus, it's reversible!

Let's say you don't want to make a Brown Bear, Brown Bear bag.  How do you go about figuring out how much to cut?  Math time!

To make a gusseted bag:
For the front and back panels -
Length = Finished length + 2xSeam Allowances
Width = Finished width = 2xSeam Allowances
For the Gusset -
Gusset Length = Panel side Length + Panel side length  + Panel Width
Gusset Width = Finished width + 2xSeam Allowance

YIKES!  Here's an easy example.  You want a bag that is 14"x12"x5" with a 1/2" seam allowance
Length = 14+.5+.5 = 15"
Width = 12+.5+.5 = 13"
Gusset Length = 15+13+15 = 43"
Gusset Width = 5+.5+.5 = 6"

Easy!

To make the boxed-corner bag:
Length = Finished length + 1xSeam Allowance + 1/2 Finished Depth
Width = Finished width + 2xSeam Allowance + 1x Finished Depth

Example: You want a bag that is 14"x12"x5" with a 1/2" Seam allowance.
Length = 14+.5+2.5 = 17"
Width = 12+1+5 = 18"
To make the guide for the boxed corners, mark ad 5"x5" square at the bottom corners.

Halloween is right around the corner.  Instead of sending the kids out with boring pillow cases or generic, store-bought containers, make them a trick-or-treat bag that goes with their costume!

Happy stitching!

Sweetest Day is always the 3rd Saturday in October, and is a sort of Valentine's Day for everyone else in your life.  Started in the early 1920's by candy companies (of course), Sweetest Day is mainly celebrated in the northern part of the United States and is a great day to do something special of the sweet people in your life. 

In honor of Sweetest Day, I am going to share some of the sweetest blogs and websites I know with our sweet readers.

Moda Bake Shop

This awesome blog from Moda features all sorts of simply decadent projects using Moda assortments.  From quilts to handbags to gift bags, you can spend hours scrolling through this scrumptious assortment of how-to's and crafts.  Make sure you check out our Moda fabric and Moda assortments so you can "bake" your own goods.

Bakerella

This fun blog is full of sweet treats, ideas and inspiration of the confectionary kind.   Whether you need to make a special cake or adorable cookies, this blog has a wide variety of recipes that range from super simple to "who do you thin I am? Martha?" complicated.  There are plenty of ideas that would be great to do with kids, including Bakerella's signature recipe - the ever-so-versatile Cake Pop!

All Things Cupcake

As this title implies, this blog celebrates everything and anything cupcake related.  If you need a good source for vegan cupcakes, you've struck gold.  For those of us trying to cut down on our sugar intake, this blog also features various handmade, cupcake-shaped goods, including jewelry, soaps, bath fizzies and knitted/crochetted figurines.  I was surprised to see how popular cupcake tattoos are.

Cake Wrecks

Okay, so this blog is the darker side of the confectionary world, but it is also one of my favorite blogs ever.  Cake Wrecks is dedicated to professional cakes that have gone "horribly, hillariously wrong."  Readers send in pictures of cakes from professional bakeries (home made decorators are off-limits) that are horribly designed.  Some cakes are the kind that you just pick up off the shelf, but some the best entries are from where a customer's request is interperreted in an unfortunate manner.  Every Sunday Cake Wrecks takes a breather from the very bad and spotlights the very good in their "Sunday Sweets" posts.

Before I leave you to this Sweetest Day, don't forget to check out some sweets we have at Fabric.com:

Sweet Cakes By Fabri-Quilt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Treats by RJR Fabrics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweets and Treats by Timeless Treasures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girl Sout Cookies

Last year we asked our email subscribers what their sewing New Year's Resolutions were, and the most common responses (by far) were to learn how to quilt and to quilt more.  My quilting experience is limited to a small baby quilt I made for my brother when I was 11 and the bulky beast of a denim quilt I made for my husband while we were still dating.  When I say "bulky beast" I truly mean it; I ignorantly went for a fairly heavy denim, the loftiest batting I could find, and I nice, thick flannel.  It weighs a ton.  But I digress...

Seeing all those resolutions reminded me of the summers I spent with my family in Utah, sorting through boxes of nine-patch blocks my grandmother and great grandmother had made from old clothes and cutting blocks of denim from jeans worn by various family members.  I remember sitting around talking with my grandmother and aunts as we tied quilts together, examining pieces of fabric that used to be my grandfather's shirt or my mother's girlhood nightgown.   I wouldn't consider myself a quilter, but the importance of it on my development as a sewer is undeniable.  With that in mind, I would like to share the work of one of the most talented women I know and hopefully offer some inspiration.  (Click the link to read more)

In putting together the email announcing the new Fabric.com exclusive free Hot Patterns downloads (available August 12 through November 12) we asked Jeremy from Hot Patterns to give us a brief history of how the company came to be. The document he provided us was much longer than would fit in our email, but I couldn't bring myself to edit it down. His take on the events leading up to the develpment of one of Fabric.com's favorite pattern lines provided fun and witty insight. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  (Click the link below to read the whole story).

 

I will preface this post by whole-heartedly admitting that I am not the greatest seamstress in the world.  My education, while superb, happened while I was young and too stupid to absorb as much of it as I could.  I am just your Average Joe (Jane?) who loves to get creative, was moderately good in math class, and says all too often, "$100!? I could make that in an hour!"  I am the sewing equivalent of the phrases "Jack of all trades, master of none" and "only human."

 

A few months back I was perusing a designer discount boutique and saw a lovely raglan top with a ribbon-supported neckline and keyholes at all four shoulder seams.  At around $100, I couldn't fathom paying that much for a slightly glammed-up t-shirt that even my mediocre sewing skills could handle.  My only apprehension was my lack of experience with sewing knits, but you never learn unless you try, right?

 

Accepting my own challenge, I took up the hunt for the right raglan-sleeved t-shirt pattern (not too sporty, seams in the right place, simple neck line), which was surprisingly hard to find.  After weeks of judging the merits of this pattern over that, the wonderful ladies in merchandising told me about the new line of Textile Studios Patterns we now carry, including the Santa Monica Tee.  Even nicer, I discovered a small stash of remnants of some knits we just put in the store and took a gamble that I would have enough to at least practice on.

 

On that note, I would like to take a moment to wax poetic about my wonderful little find.  I know that it's hard to truly judge a fabric over the Internet, and 10 different collections of solid stretch knits tend to all look the same.  Unfortunately, this means some collections just aren't done justice, and such is the case with the Premium Brushed Micropoly Stretch Knits.  This collection is buttery soft, with vivid colors and fantastic stretch.  It's slightly thicker and sturdier than a lot of the knits you find in stores lately, and a million times more luxurious.  It's a breeze to work with and has possibly dethroned Dupioni silk as my new favorite fabric to work with.

 

Back to my story, the pattern choice was far better than I could have imagined.  The Santa Monica Tee only has three pattern pieces: front, back, and sleeve, which can be made three ways (long sleeve, short sleeve and ¾ length).  To make the casing at the neck, I traced out the top 1 3/8" from all three pattern pieces onto parchment paper (3/8" for the seam allowance, 1/8" to close it up, leaving me an almost 1" casing).  After cutting all of my pieces out but before unfolding everything, I marked the front and back bodice pieces 4" from the top on the edges where the sleeves would be joined.  This mark is where I would stop sewing the sleeves and bodice together to create the key-holes at the front and back shoulder seams.

 

I followed the pattern's instructions for construction and seam allowances except where modifications were necessary to make my changes work.  First, I sewed my casing pieces to the tops of each of the sleeves and bodice pieces by placing the fabric right-sides together and stitching along the top.  Next, I sewed the sleeves to the front bodice, stopping at the 4" mark I made earlier.  At the point where I stopped stitching, I folded the seam allowance back and top stitched from the casing on the sleeve, down to the seam where the sleeve and bodice were joined, and back up to the top of the bodice casing (making a big "V").  This step finished off the edges and made the key-hole clean and pronounced.  After finishing the top stitching on both sides of the front bodice, I then repeated the whole process to join the back bodice piece to the sleeves.

 

      

With the sleeves attached and the key-holes finished, I pressed and folded the casing pieces down to the inside of the shirt (wrong-sides together) and stitched them shut about 1/8" from the edge, creating that rod pocket affect.  From there, I finished the sleeves and bottom hem by following the pattern instructions.  I used brown satin ribbon at the neckline and tied it in a bow, but since it is not attached I can change it out whenever I want.  After all was said and done, I would say the top took me less than 2 hours (not including time I spent goofing off with my stretch stitches).  The pattern was simple and easy to follow, which makes it perfect for both a quick top or as a jumping-off point for some creative license.

Some quick notes about changes I would consider on my next go - I think I would probably make the casing larger by about a half to a full inch.  This would give more room to add a sturdier ribbon or bulkier sash.  Also, my husband gravely expressed his disdain for the bow at the shoulder (many, many times).  I might play around with some buttons, buckles or brooches to secure the ribbon and add a decorative touch.

 

Happy stitching!

 

When I was approached by Victoria and the Fabric Maverick to do a "12 days of Christmas" blog, for once I was reluctant because I had no idea what to do.  Usually the holidays are a huge time for inspiration for me but I'm still getting used to having a six month old, and most of the time my brain is dominated by thoughts of doctor's checkups, teething and finding clothes to fit him (really long and slender... especially hard to fit since good boys clothes are hard to find anyway, but I digress).  That same day, Laurie Eady (marketing manager and my boss) were discussing fun things we see in sewing magazines, and she mentioned finding a small blurb on Christmas lights that look like spools of thread.  At that moment the metaphorical light bulb went off and I knew what to do - a "Sewer's Christmas Tree"!

First things first, we ordered 8 strands of the adorable lights from our vendor (while we don't carry them, you can easily find them by doing a quick google search for "mini spool lights").  Next, I went to work thinking of various ways I could use notions as ornaments.  The goal was to make each ornament as specific to sewing as possible.  Here are the few that made it past the drawing board and to the tree:

The Yo-Yo Christmas Tree
Our new graphic artist, Valerie, told me of a great ornament she had seen a while back where you alternate various sized yo-yos (small to large) with stacks of buttons to make little Christmas trees.  Now, I know yo-yos aren't really notions, but they are making a HUGE comeback right now and are being used on everything from pillows to dresses and purses.  You can even find yo-yo makers.  So I used some Christmas fabric we had laying around here and some of buttons and came up with these ornaments.  They don't take too long to make, and would be easy for older children to make.  One quick tip for making them: use thin jewelry wire instead of thread to assemble them.  It's much easier, faster and structurally secure that way (Thanks to Moniqa figuring that one out!).

Embroidery Hoop Ornaments
These were super easy to make.  Simply get a small (5") embroidery hoop, cut out a small motif from fabric, and put it in the hoop like you would if you were going to embroider it (I secured it with a little glue).  Next, I added some ribbon accents around the hoop, a bow at the top and a bow to hang it from.  If you have a little extra time and creative ambition, you could actually start some embroidered accents and maybe leave a needle (a blunt one) and thread in the fabric, like you stopped mid-project.

 

 

Tomato Pin-Cushion Ornaments
 Pin cushion + ribbon loop + hot glue = the easiest and most obvious ornament.

Victoria's "Fat-Quarter" Ornament
As I was coming to the conclusion that not many notions lend themselves to ornaments and this project wasn't as easy as I thought, Victoria swooped down like an angel (in many ways, but more about that later) and blessed me with her "Moda Fat Quarter Ornament."  She wrapped a foam cube in stripped material (the stripes look like stacks of fabric), then tied the whole thing up in a Moda ribbon just like a fat quarter.  Adorable and easy as pie!

 

 

Measuring Tape Bows
I gathered a few of the heavy duty, 10" measuring tapes for an attempt at a tree topper (more on that later) and ended not using them.  Instead, I decided to make little bows to put all around the tree.  I formed the bows (held by hot glue), and ran a chenille wire tie through the back and then just twisted them onto branches.  Once again, this was quick and simple.

 

 

"Stash Buster" Ornaments
Having acquired a bunch of little scraps of Christmas fabric to use for the embroidery hoop ornaments, I noticed that a lot of them had some adorable motifs but were too big for the hoops and too small to use for anything else.  Doesn't every seamstress have that problem?  I took a few of the cutest ones (some Scottie dogs, birds and cookies), cut them out and fused them to just some scrap fabric with Peltex II Two Sided Fusible Ultra Firm Stabilizer.  I looped some ribbon through a small hole I made at the top to hang, and I "iced" the cookies by going over the frosting design with puffy paint (any child of the 90's knows ALL about the glory of puffy paint).  These ornaments don't necessarily fit the notions-as-ornaments criteria, but I felt the philosophy was in-line.

Tree-Topper Trials and Tribulations
Originally, I wanted to make a large, grand bow out of the aforementioned measuring tapes.  To my despair, the tape was just too thick, floppy and shapeless.  After toying with a couple other ideas that would involve yarn, foam balls, toying with the laws of physics and a Christmas miracle, Victoria swooped in like an angel with... well, an angel. 

Years ago she was playing with some scraps she had and came up with what she dubbed "the bag lady angel."  She hadn't done anything with it, and told me to go ahead and have fun with it.  With a lot of help from Moniqa (what can't that woman do!), we were able to retro-fit her with a beaded halo and a smaller bow made of measuring tape that we allowed to just kind of drape down the tree.  On one hand it looks like a bow, but on the other it almost looks like she's got quite an armful that isn't all together - kind of reminiscent of how I looked trying to make my tree topper (although I wouldn't exactly consider myself angelic...). 

In closing, I would like to thank Victoria, Valerie and Moniqa for all their help in making ornaments and getting the tree up, and Nancy for her adorable gum-drop pillows that make it look less empty (every tree needs gifts).

I had some other ornament ideas that never quite made it through production, but I also found myself running out of creativity.  What kind of ornaments would you make for your "Sewer's Christmas Tree"? 

Many of us around here are fairly big Project Runway fans.  Not necessarily the "dress up and have a viewing party" variety, but the day after each show is generally full of chatter about who won and who was "out" and whose construction was atrocious.  This was my first season watching the show, and I was instantly drawn in.  I never thought I would feel the urge to throw things at my TV over a reality show, but there were some nights that I came close.  Since Season 5 just wrapped up last week, I thought I would give you some insight into our thoughts on how the show shaped up.  Here's the scoop...

September is winding down, and soon all the kiddies will don their finest, scariest, furriest, most heroic garb and make that time-honored pilgrimage for the ultimate sugar high.  I have to admit, even as an adult Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  I simply cannot pass up the one time of year where I have the opportunity to play dress up without the risk of looking like a complete fool.  I love costumes, but not in the way or for the reasons most people do.  I have never been to a Renaissance festival or a any of those over-the-top comic/anime/video game conventions.  I don't do reenactments and I'm not a member of any historical or costume-centric society.  Some might consider me a fairly normal adult, even boring.  My love of costumes goes back to my younger days.

I come from a very large family, and I have a lot of cousins my age.  We spent summers trying to find new and creative ways to fill the time (without killing ourselves or losing too much blood in the process).  One of my personal favorite pastimes was digging into my grandmother's huge chest of various costumes and accessories then running around like complete idiots as we acted out our own little plays.  These were costumes that our parents and aunts and uncles wore on Halloweens-gone-by.  Some were garments that had been found at garage sales and edited down (the 60's and 70's were great for this!).  Some were simple outfits made with spare fabric that had previously been taking up room in a stash and needed a new home.  Some were intricate and fun, while others were nothing but a sack with strategically placed elastic.  All provided hours of goofiness, fun and pure magic.

One Halloween my grandmother agreed to send me an "Arabian Nights" princess costume she made from an old garage sale steal.  Unfortunately, she didn't insure the package.  I spent many days waiting by the mailbox for it, then many weeks mourning its loss.  That wasn't just a costume; it was grand masterpiece of carefree fun and imagination lost forever. 

As October peaks its head around the corner and you start considering making a costume for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, friend's child, random neighbor kid, etc., think a little longer before you decide you are "too busy."  While it maybe easier to just run down to your local megamart and grab an inexpensive, simple, mass-produced, polyester costume, will that costume stand the test of time?  You don't need the most expensive fabric, best sewing skills or even a fancy-shmancy pattern.  A couple hours of creativity and a few yards of fabric are all it takes to create days, weeks, months or even years of fun and magic.  That's all it takes to make memories that last a lifetime.

When I posted a few months back, I had many grand plans for sewing projects for my little guy.  Well, the reality of pregnancy exhaustion kicked in, and I didn't get a single thing done.  Now that my little Mr. Monkey-Toes is going on 3 months and we've started to find our post-baby groove, I thought I would try to find something simple to make.

  As anyone with kids (or close to kids) knows, sewing for little boys isn't nearly as fun or easy as it is for little girls.  There are so many cute outfits and accessories for girls, and not so many for little boys - especially babies.  With this in mind, I was skeptical when I purchased Amy Butler's new book, Little Stitches for Little Ones.  I love Amy Butler's work as much as most people, but many of the baby projects and patterns out there are not gender neutral or boy-friendly.  I purchased this book because a) I love Amy and b) I have oodles of friends having little girls.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this new collection of projects was full of creative temptation, not just for gifts, but also things for my son.  Sure, there are some definitely girls-only projects, but for the most part this book is composed of a wide range of gender nuetral ideas.  From the beautiful photography to the helpful illustrations, you get a clear representation of the finished product for each project along with a skill level (from 1-4).  Pattern pieces are stored nicely in the envelope-like cover of the book, and measurements for non-pattern projects are easy to understand and cut.  Even without step-by-step illustrations, the instructions are very clear and easy to follow.  The crafts themselves range from highly functional (diaper changing pad with removable bumpers) to fun and cute (quilted toy blocks).  Each project is cute on its own, but all seem extremely adaptable for customization.  As a glutton for sewing books, I can safely say this will probably be the most utilized in my collection.

In order to back up my review, I decided to try out one of the projects from the book.  I chose a fabric photo album that is rated as a level 4 project (if a high-level project is easy to follow, then the lower level ones should be a breeze).  To give you an idea of my skill, while I know my way around a machine reasonably well, I'm not an expert seamstress by any means.  The difficulty level seems to have come from the technical part of this project, since you have to scan, edit and print photos on printable fabric.  Butler suggests using a photo manipulation program like Photoshop, but I was able to easily lay out my images in Microsoft Word and even add captions to the photos.  Cutting the pieces and sewing the whole thing together was pretty straightforward.  I was a little perplexed by some of the measurements, which I chalked up to sleep deprivation induced sloppiness and easily remedied with a little trimming here and there.  I also had to fiddle with attaching the pages to the cover, as my poor little machine wasn't up to the challenge of sewing all the way through the pages and cover.  In the end I was extremely pleased with the finished project as well as how easy it was to put my own little finishing touches on it.

In short, Amy Butler has done it again with this new book.  If you have little children, plan on having little children, have friends or family members with little children, etc, I would highly recommend this fun and inspiring book.

As a side review, I was extremely skeptical about how well the printable fabric would come out since some of my pictures had a great deal of detail.  However, I found that every picture printed beautifully and without any mishap.  The instructions were simple and easy, and the pictures have stayed flawless even after taking a slight beating while I sewed the book.