Now 1, 2, 3 Sew is available in a digital edition! Looks like you will be able to download the patterns online, and you don’t even need a kindle — you can read it right from your computer or tablet. Whoa, technology.
1, 2, 3 Quilt will be available September 10 in both digital and book format.
Last week I got a few advanced copies of 1, 2, 3 Quilt. The official release date is September 10, but I’m guessing that it will start shipping from amazon sometime in August. You can pre-order it now!
The book has 24 projects, divided into eight chapters of three projects each. Each chapter focuses on a different shape and the projects progress in difficulty, to build on your skills as you work through the book. There are patchwork and quilted projects including pillows, an apron, skirt, tote bag, etc. Then each chapter culminates with a quilt, for a total of eight quilt patterns. So, if you’re new to quilting, you can learn skills gradually while making some useful projects. And if you’re an advanced quilter, you might pick up on some sewing projects that you haven’t tried yet.
Projects range from basic to advanced, from a lopsided log cabin to cathedral windows. Throughout the book, you will learn various quilting techniques in the How-To sections. Here’s the Table of Contents below so you can see the full list of projects and techniques.
The photos taken by Laura Malek turned out beautifully. The quilting on the Randoms Rectangles quilt on the cover was done by Tia Curtis. As I show more projects, I’ll talk about all of the people who helped out with the quilting and binding for these projects.
Today I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for Sewing School 2: Lessons in Machine Sewing by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle for Storey Publishing. I’m sure you already have their first book, featuring fun hand-sewn projects to get kids enthusiastic about sewing. This book is the follow-up with thirteen basic lessons on machine sewing, plus 20 projects. The thing I love most about their books is that the kids actually made the projects pictured in the book, which allows children to understand that imperfection is part of the learning process. They will have plenty of time to feel guilty about not living up to unrealistic standards of perfection later in life.
I worked on the Welcome to My Room door hanger with my 8-year-old daughter yesterday.
We decided to use felt for the project and really the whole thing could have been glued together, but the point was to practice using the machine! My daughter had the idea to add a pocket so people could leave her notes. Then she suggested that we braid some yarn for the hanger, but we found a bag of finger weavings and decided to sew one to the back. I even let her use the rotary cutter to slice through the heavy-weight felt, though it required a little extra pressure from me. This industrial wool felt is thick, but I tested a sample, lowered the tension, and set the machine to a zig-zag stitch, then she sewed the project pretty easily.
She wanted to add a photo to the opening, but she plans to also use it when she has very important messages to share with the family, like Keep Out or Dance Party Today!
We had lots of fun with this project and I think the book is an excellent way to get your kids started with machine sewing. You can see the blog tour schedule here.
Today I’m writing about Abby Glassenberg’s new book, Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction. I’ve been meaning to make a project from the book, but of course I haven’t gotten to it yet.
I think this book does a fabulous job of actually teaching you how stuffed animals are made with 52 lessons, 16 projects and 30 pages of patterns. So if you want to design stuffed animals yourself, you can simply use the construction lessons and add your own ideas. And if you just want to make the stuffed animals exactly like she’s done in the book, you can do that too. I really like books that teach you the “why” and not just the “how” of sewing. Abby shows you how different construction techniques will result in different shapes and how simple modifications can make a big difference in the finished design. When working with three-dimensional projects, I’ve mostly experimented with shapes through trial and error because I could never be sure about how something would look until it was stuffed. Abby helps take the guess work out of the process, allowing you to create the result you want with less frustration.
You can make these cute animals shown here, plus more:
Abby makes projects that are practical — toys that can actually be played with and loved, like her new Emma doll, made of washable fleece. She gives a lot of thought to how the toys will be used and the best ways to make them safe for kids. You can see below how she uses clear instructions to demystify the process. For instance, below she shows you how to install those stuffed animal eyes to give your projects a professional look.
You can watch the book trailer here. Abby is also author of The Artful Bird: Feathered Friends to Make and Sew. And be sure to check out her blog While She Naps, where she writes informative and thoughtful posts about making stuffed animals and running a creative business.
Look! 1, 2, 3 Quilt is available for pre-order! The official release isn’t until September, but you can pre-order now or add it to your wish list. After working on this book for nearly two years, it’s hard to believe that it will actually be printed and done. I was lucky enough to work with the amazing people at Chronicle Books again on this project.
This book, like 1, 2, 3 Sew, has projects organized in groups of three allowing you to build on your skills with each set as you work through the book. In 1, 2, 3 Quilt, the chapters are organized by shapes — squares, rectangles, triangles, hexagons, circles, flowers, stars and diamonds. As you create more complex shapes, the projects get a bit more challenging. So you’ll make a reversible checkerboard game mat, then eventually end up making a cathedral windows quilt.
I tried to cover all of the quilting techniques that I could pack into this book including flying geese made three ways, half-square triangles, needle-turn appliqué, freezer paper appliqué, foundation paper-piecing, English paper-piecing, plus much more. You’ll make projects like a Dresden flower quilt, clamshell pillow sham, and hand-pieced hexagon handbag. In this book, each chapter starts with a small project, then ends with a quilt. There are 8 quilts, 16 other patchwork and quilted projects, plus many more techniques that you can use as you continue your quilting journey. For instance, if you enjoy making the appliqué hand towel, you can take that skill and make a full-sized appliqué quilt later. You’ll also learn some basic sewing skills like how to install a zipper, make mitered corners, and create a stuffed animal. If you’re a beginner, the book begins with some simple projects to get you started. I really think there’s something for all skill levels here. I hope to show you more in the coming months.
But today I thought I’d show a bit of behind-the-scenes for the cover. For 1, 2, 3 Sew, I digitized and sewed the cover background design using my embroidery software and my embroidery machine. This time, I stitched the cover title and some other details by hand. In my Instagram photos below, you can see how I traced the title sent over by the book designer, and then stitched it. I then photographed the stitching and sent it to Chronicle, where they added the photos and additional text. I love the warmth and handmade feel it gives the cover and I’m thrilled with the way it came out in the end. On the final cover above, you can see a set of coasters from the circle chapter, a bag from the stars chapter and a quilt from the rectangles chapter.
I’m excited about this book and I hope you’ll love it!
