book review // sew sweet creatures

Prepare yourself for some of the cutest and cuddliest creations you could ever sew up.

Sew Sweet Creatures is a new book from Lark Crafts that is filled with stuffed animal projects. What sets this title apart is that each animal is a character with its own story and accessories that you can also make. And let me tell you, these are the most adorable friends you'll ever make.

I'll be up-front and say that I'm totally biased because some of the critters in Sew Sweet Creatures were designed by yours truly. But the animals I sewed aren't my favorites. Seriously, there are so many sweet projects in here!





There are five designers who contributed to this book, and each has her own style. And yet, they all work well together.

The tiny polar bear above is the most different from the others. But do you see that igloo in the background? Whether I make the bear or not, I think I need a fleece igloo. I might make the felt panda bear into a little felt polar bear that can live inside!

And that's another great thing about Sew Sweet Creatures: you can mix and match many of the accessories with other animals!



For example, so many of the little creatures could snuggle up with this mattress, pillow and blankie! I love everything about this set. Just look at those rosy cheeks!



There's also a little story about each animal in the book. Chip the Lumberjack Beaver is one of the friends I made, and it was a fun story to write. I couldn't help but throw a little Monty Python reference in there. Oh, and his hat? It felt like such an odd thing to design...a tiny hat with ear flaps, and it's set on a bit of an odd rotation. But it was my favorite accessory that I made.



Speaking of favorites, this is the project that I simply must make. A crafty felt bunny? With a Liberty dress? Could there be anything better? I'm smitten.



Each project has thorough instructions for the animal and all the accessories. The patterns are not all full size, but I'm willing to bet that if you didn't want to enlarge them, you could still make these guys just a little smaller. (For all of my fleece animals, I'd recommend switching to felt if you do this).

Any time a step in the making process requires some extra visual assistance, there are illustrations to help, and plenty of tips too. You'll be making your own menagerie in no time!



Aren't they a cute bundle? Sew Sweet Creatures is available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookseller.

Now I want to know...which animal from this book is the one you'd start making first?