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Book Review – Present Perfect

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I first found out about Betz White from the While She Naps podcast and I began following her blog and her work is amazing. She is so incredibly multitalented and her new book Present Perfect does a great job displaying all her different skills into a series of projects. The projects in Present Perfect 25 Gifts to Sew & Bestow are a bit more complicated so Betz White suggests starting off as a "confident beginner." There are 25 really great and well laid out projects in the book, but don't get it if you're looking for a resource on how to sew. You should definitely ... Read More

Book Review – Stitch the Halls

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I received a copy of Stitch the Halls! by Sophie Simpson of What Delilah Did and it's lovely! I have had Sophie's first book, Storyland Cross Stitch: 15 Projects and a Free Gift for Your Stitching Pleasure, on my wish list since it came out but I haven't gotten it yet. After seeing Stitch the Halls, I might pull the trigger and finally get my copy! There are 12 holiday projects in Stitch the Halls and there is a great mix of more classic projects and more modern ones. The patterns are really well designed and so many of them can be used outside of Christmas ... Read More

Review – MiniEco

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MiniEco: A Craft Book by Kate Lilley is so much fun! Kate's blog, also named MiniEco, is consistently filled with fantastic craft projects and ideas and the aesthetic is so bright and colorful. The book is no different, the projects are extremely fun and varied. I love how many different types of crafts this book encompasses, some are more simple little ideas while others are more in depth with patterns. Each project's skill level is rated with stars to show the difficulty. The fuse bead projects in this book are what made me go and buy a huge tub of them, I really ... Read More

Book Review – Modern Baby Crochet

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I came across Stacey Trock's book Modern Baby Crochet: Patterns for Decorating, Playing, and Snuggling right after Mira was born and I was immediately interested in checking it out. So I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to review it. Stacey is the designer behind Fresh Stitches, so while I was familiar with her amigarumi animals, I was really excited to see her take on baby crochet items. I was looking for patterns for baby items for Mira and I felt like I kept coming across the same things, Stacey's book offers a lot of fresh new alternatives. While the book ... Read More

Book Review – Hand Embroidered Haven

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I received a copy of The Hand Embroidered Haven by Megan Frock to review, and I fell in love. One of the first things I look at in any craft book is the tutorial section. I want to see how they've illustrated how to do stitches or any other special skills necessary. To me, this is one of the most important parts of a craft book, great patterns and designs mean nothing if you can't teach the reader how to do them. Megan Frock's basic stitches and techniques section is spot on, it is illustrated really well and is very clear and concise. The book covers hand ... Read More

Review – Craft-a-Day

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Quirk Books is a publishing company that prides themselves on giving more unique books a chance. (They have a book on crafting with cat hair!) I loved their book Pom-Poms! 25 Awesomely Fluffy Projects so I was excited to get the opportunity to review another title, Craft-a-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschadt. This book features 365 different projects, each small enough that you could easily make it in a day. Each week is given a theme and there are a series of crafts in that theme. I love this because it makes this the perfect book to do with ... Read More

Review – S is for Stitch

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S is for Stitch review at Hugs are Fun

I was really excited to review S is for Stitch by Kristyne Czepuryk. I love monograms, so the idea of a whole book of alphabet embroidery patterns definitely appealed to me, and it didn't disappoint. The patterns in this book are adorable and a great collection to make some beautiful keepsake pieces! The book has a fantastic collection of information about getting started with embroidery. The photos and information are great and will make any beginner feel comfortable jumping into embroidery. It's very detailed and there are a lot of good tips, even if you're a more ... Read More

Review – My Crochet Doll

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I was really excited to review My Crochet Doll by Isabelle Kessedjian, the adorable cover was enough to catch my eye. This book serves one purpose, to give you a fantastic doll pattern and then all the tools you need to personalize her and make her your own. In the introduction Isabelle talks about her childhood and the quest to find the doll that was especially for her. This book provides everyone with the opportunity to do that, and does a great job of it too. The book feels so personal, I can tell that Isabelle put a lot of herself into making it. The beginning ... Read More