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My ears are still ringing from all the SQUEEING. Let me explain: Recently I was privileged to receive review copies of two new books from Fox Chapel Publishing (the same publishers that brought us that lush full color joy that was The Art of Steampunk). The books in question, Sew Kawaii! and Sew Your Own Pet Pillows, created such a effervescent reaction in my 11-year-old daughter that I felt compelled to position her strategically under the kitchen skylight so that the path of her joy-filled trajectory would blow a clean hole through our roof, hopefully resulting in as little shingle damage as possible. So yeah, you could say these books are totally squee-inducing.
Fox Chapel Publishing is totes my new favorite ephemera and artsy instructional publisher. First of all, they get what we want, lots of glossy full color pictures, and easy to follow instructions. Plus the price is fantastic. These books are $19.95 and $8.99, ya’ll. (Cheaper still if you buy them both together through Amazon.) That’s sick — in a good way. And each book is packed with easy to sew kawaii patterns. (Don’t know what kawaii is? Go HERE. )
Now, by “easy to sew” I mean that if you’ve ever sewn anything with a sewing machine you’ll be able to get the hang of these projects in no time. But I also feel that if you are an occasional hand sewer, like me, you’ll STILL find plenty of projects in this book that you can settle down with in front of the tube for a relaxing sewing session, while you watch the latest episode of insert popular geek program here. Personally I’m not the type to get out the sewing machine and rattle off a dozen octopus pillows to give as gifts. But I do enjoy the meditative nature of hand sewing, much the way some folks enjoy knitting or cross stitch. This book has plenty of projects that are perfect for hand sewing.
Patterns for all the projects are included in the back of each book, but you will need a scanner or photocopier to enlarge them 250% for full human size. Or if that’s not your bag, I’ve got another idea for you. The patterns “as is” are , with a few adjustments, a good size for making accessories for teddy bears and dolls of the American Girl, or ball-jointed variety. I know I’ve got a ball-jointed doll that is just dying for a Zombie Kitty hat.
While the books have you using the embroidery appliqué features of your sewing machine to apply kawaii faces to your various creations, don’t fret if that is beyond your skill set. All of the embroidery designs could be easily hand sewn or created using fabric paints and puffy paint pens. With fabrics such as felt and velour, the projects are incredibly affordable, and cuddly to boot. The easy brilliance of the designs makes them a great mom/kid joint project as well, which is of course, always a plus.
These books make a great gift not just for the kawaii-loving kid in your life, or the crafty geekmom, but also as a not so subtle suggestion for a sew-happy grandma. Seriously, if you’ve got a grandparent who insists on spending their free time sewing patchwork bookbags out of of old boxer shorts and giving that stuff as Christmas gifts — well, sister, this book is the perfect foil to their bad taste!
Lastly if sewing just isn’t your thing, but you love love love the designs in this book, don’t fret! Take the easy way out and buy some awesome stuff from the brilliant creatrix behind the books. That’s right, author Choly Knight has an Etsy page.
Happy Holidays!
