Little Birds: 26 Handmade Projects to Sew, Stitch, Quilt & Love (Design Collective)

This book contains a colorful flock of fun and folksy sewing projects with a contemporary edge. The projects are varied: mobiles and ornaments and stuffies and aprons and quilts and wreaths fill the pages. It was hard to pick which project to start with. So far, I've made the peacock and I have 5 other projects earmarked.I do want to offer some warning. Even though it claims to be for beginners, this book isn't really for anyone who doesn't have basic sewing skills. There isn't always precise step-by-step instructions- I had to fiddle a bit with the peacock's beak and tail to make it work. Luckily, most of these projects don't require careful precision. I think some fiddling gives each piece its own character.Quite a few of the projects use embroidery for the finishing touches. There is a very basic guide to embroidery stitches in the back of the book but I think you would fare better if you hone your skills before tackling the projects that depend on your ability to do this well. Ditto for the quilts. I've never made a quilt and I would only feel comfortable attempting one from this book if I had some basic quilting skills already.For somebody with strong sewing skills this book is 5 star. But, despite my intermediate-beginner status, I found enough projects in here to feel that the book was worth the purchase price.

Amazon sent me a link informing me of this book due to my history of purchases. I went ahead and took a look and was intrigued by the photos.I purchased this book and received it in three days.It was in a heavy duty plastic bag, inside a heavy duty padded envelope; no danger of any damage to this in shipping.I immediately looked at the book and saw that there is so much more than what I had seen on this website. I am very pleased with this book and only wish I had owned it years ago.It is like a muse to any crafter in the sewing field.The pictures are great and detailed. The directions are simple. The patterns are inspired and inspiring.I recommend this to any mother, grandmother of children. Children will be fascinated and pick these items as their favorite quilt, wall hanging, toy.These craft items, that you make, will be favored Christmas, birthday or any occassion gifts.This book will be treasured by anyone who receives it as a gift.It is now my favorite book. The book has 26 pattern suggestions by you can incorporate from the different patterns and there are endless possibilities.

Ive only got about half way through the peacock design but I love it! It has more embroidery ideas than I thought. (About half stuffed animals half embroidery and quilting) so I was a little disappointed but as soon as I have the money for an embroidery machine I'm gonna give it a go! Also, every design is in the back of the book however they tell you to enlarge by 200%. I found that useless considering it should be full sized already to match the dimensions they specify on each project. So I free handed and it turned out pretty darn well so not that big of a deal. But if you find it hard to get to a computer to scan then enlarge then print which I did, and can't free hand the patterns to match this may be a problem for those of you who don't have either of those options.

I was in a little birdie frame of mind when I found this cute book. I wanted to make birds for various projects and really liked several of the patterns. There are fat little birds, skinny little birds, birds that are flying and birds that are nesting. Many are stuffed projects, but there are embroidery projects, apron projects and a few other ideas as well. If you like birds, this book won't be a disappointment. I wouldn't recommend this as a first craft book for a brand new sewist however. You do need basic sewing skills and some prior crafting experience to understand it well.

This is a must have even if you don't make a single bird! The book is perfect. First, the tutorials are easy to read, engaging and very visually appealing. The steps are clear, concise and well illustrated for any level. The variety of projects is well worth the investment in the book. Truly the author cared about putting out a brilliant work. This book could have been written just for enjoyment!!!! However, bonus....you get to actually learn how to craft your own tweeters. If you love birdies, this book is a must have for your library.

I expected an inspiring project/idea book for intermediate crafters and the item delivered!! Great as a starting point to get your creative juices flowing and come up with your own ideas or even to just do the projects as is and be assured you will get many compliments on them. I give it four stars as it is. My only criticism is that it is not a book for absolute beginner crafters as it suggests. For example, I have never quilted before and felt as though I should read a bit about quilting methods before tackling the quilts in the book. So, if you are a beginner and don't mind supplementing the book by doing a bit of research yourself on sewing, quilting, etc. or if you are an experienced crafter, then I think you will find value in it. However, expert crafters would probably find this book too basic for their needs. Don't let my four star review make you hesitate about this book, it really is effective for projects/ideas, I just don't personally give 5 stars to a craft book unless it gives you directions from start to finish for those of us new to the world of crafting. Little Birds: 26 Handmade Projects to Sew, Stitch, Quilt & Love (Design Collective)

This is a pick me up and buy it book for crafters, but I was not inspired to make anything yet. I will re evaluate it and yet it may be a shelf sitter! Cute, and catching cover.

Can't wait to start making these little guys - maybe not all of them, but I consider each of them a prototype to encourage and spark creativity. Very clever, each is very different from the others (from embroidery to a journal cover, purse, etc.) and requires a minimum skill set. Birds are always 'in' and these cuties will be in demand by friends and family.

I read a short review of this book in a craft magazine and was able to 'look inside' on Amazon. The projects and layout of the book had great appeal though since receiving the book I think there are only a few things I would make. Several of the designs are too contemporary for my personal taste and seem rather fiddly although they will appeal to anyone who likes using bird designs/motifs. I may still have a go at making them although it would have been nice to have known before I purchased the book. It probably wouldn't have stopped me buying it however, as there are certainly some projects I will be trying out. Many of them use small pieces of felt or other fabrics and would be a good way of using up those scraps we are reluctant to throw away. Each project features the designer and gives a little background information on them including contacts and web sites. It may be more useful if the patterns were larger but although they are squeezed into a few pages they are clearly labelled. Almost all of them require 200% enlargement and this is more straight forward than some other similar books I have.

This little book has some very good and unusual ideas. Lovely for a change. The only problem I have with the book is all templates have to be enlarged by 200 and 400%. Its great if you have a printer to do this for you. I am using the templates the size they are in the book and so my cuddly little friends are so much smaller than suggested. I would rather have paid a little more for the book to get some reasonable sized templates.

This is a charming little book with lots of fun projects, each from a different artist. I have made the sketchy stitching bird quilt and am delighted with the result it was fun to make and a pleasure to own. I am hoping to tackle the birds on a wire quilt but may need a bit more practice in applique. I would recommend this book and cant wait to get on with another project.

i have tried in vain to load the page outlined at the pattern section in order to begin making these items. the page is not available and there is no way of opening the actual site.the pictures throughout are so small it is impossible- not that i should have to- try and copy by hand. increasing text does not increase size. MOST Frustrating

Liked that the condition was better than expected and all inserts were intact. More than happy to use again