book review // sew quick, sew cute

There are some projects that take a lot of time, and rarely do I commit to them. I want to make something and be done with it in a hurry, and ready to move on to the next thing. So, when I was offered a review copy of Sew Quick, Sew Cute, I got excited. Especially when I saw the bunny on the cover!

Now, let me start this review by saying that I like this book. And I'd happily make just about any of the projects in Sew Quick, Sew Cute. However, I can't help but find the need to say that this could be a prime example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover...or title.

Are there some quick projects in here? Yes. And perhaps, depending on your definition of quick, maybe all of them are. Are there cute projects in here? Definitely. That bunny is a great example, and I'll show you a few more. Again, it depends on what you think of when you say "cute." It's just...different from what I expected. Not bad, just...different.



One of the sample pictures I saw before I got the book was this one. Aren't the penguins adorable? I seriously think that little me would have played with them for hours. (I had a huge crush on penguins!) Oh, who am I kidding? Grown-up me would enjoy playing with them! Sew Cute!




The Stash Box is another project that I simply adore. I could use at least a dozen of them, but I'll start by making just one. I'd categorize this as Sew Smart! Oh, and see those fun, stylized illustrations? They are throughout the book for assembly assistance.



Doll-Face Pillows? Definitely Sew Cute!



This sarong is beautiful and I love the combination of solid and floral. I'm thinking, Sew Stylish.



In the Sew Cute category, we have the Sensory Play Mat. What a fun place for a little one to play, and then you add in the different textures of fabrics and sound-making fillings in the petals and I call this a winner.



And at last, one that is Sew Quick! The Tree Star! But actually that bunny from the cover is listed as a shorter project too, and there are more throughout the book...they just aren't the stand-out projects.

If you noticed on a few of these, the times are listed for each project. They give a fairly broad range, accounting for different work speeds, and to have them broken in to uniform time spans: 1-4 hours, 5-8 hours, or 9-12 hours. Personally, once you go over 4 hours, I'm not thinking that it's very quick. But again, that's just a matter of what you think of as being a quick sewing project.

I do also want to point out that only a couple of the templates in the book are given at 100%. For those that need to be enlarged 200%, it's not too big a deal to do on a copier/scanner. But the clothing patterns that require re-sizing by 500-800% make me think that you'd be better off buying a dedicated pattern for your new skirt or pajama pants. Or perhaps the template enlarging and assembling is what is taking up some of those hours?

So here's the bottom line. There are some quick projects in here, and there are some cute projects in here, but I'd recommend flipping through this book first to find out if it's exactly what you're expecting it to be. Again, there's good stuff in here, you'll just need some time, and perhaps a bit of your own personality thrown in for extra cuteness. ('cuz I know you love the cute stuff!)

Find Sew Quick, Sew Cute on Amazon (where you can look inside!) or on Barnes & Noble.