Sewing Books for National Craft Month

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in return for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. The links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

I am continuing with my craft books reviews. Today we are focusing on sewing. I have three books that include home decor, clothes, and doll clothes. I know I have plans to do some more sewing now that I am stuck at home. We will start with home decor. 

Japanese Crafts -- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Disclosure: We were sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This year I thought I would focus on Japanese crafts. I have written a few posts about Japan and Japanese culture over the years. If you want a general overview of the country and its culture you should check out my review here. When I looked at my shelf of books to review I saw a bit of a pattern and realized I had a collection of books about crafts in Japan. Part of what I love about these books is most of them also teach a bit about the culture.

1930's Dresden Plate Doll Quilt Blocks with Free Templates

Awhile ago I posted about making a quilt for Kit Kittredge. Kit is the American Girl from the 1930's/the Great Depression Era. In my post I explained I was having difficulties with the dresden plate quilt block and getting it the correct size. I decided to just make Sun Bonnet Sue squares. I started making them and at some point put them away and now I have to find them. However this weekend my interest was renewed because Hazel had her first sleepover Friday night which has turned into a weekend guest including her American Girl doll, Ruthie. Ruthie is Kit's best friend in the stories, so we have been having lots of doll fun including a trip to the American Girl Store today. However my depression era interest is back. Now awhile ago I discovered Wren Feathers has an easy dresden plate doll quilt pattern on her site. If you look up dresden plate quilts you will see three styles or so of dresden plates. Wren Feathers is the one that is just a circle. I did some more research and finally figured out what I needed to do to make my pattern. I found The Quilting Company's article to be very helpful in sizing of them. I wanted to make one with the scalloped edge and I figured it out!!

Quilt Projects & New Books -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent me copies or ecopies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Some of the links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

This week I have been focusing on quilting. I have six quilt books to share with you and two of them are kid-oriented! The first is Get Quilting with Angela and Cloe by Angela Walters and Cloe Walters. 

Sharing Saturday 18-8

It is time again for Sharing Saturday! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. So glad you joined us!!

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all your diverse/cultural posts be sure to share them at Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop. 

Creating Historic Style Doll Quilts for Beforever Dolls

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

 This past week was school vacation week here and Steve took the week off as well. We spent a long weekend with my parents and had some family time including a trip to the American Girl Store. My parents gave Hazel the retired American Girl Doll, Kirsten, for Christmas and gave her Kirsten's bed (well a homemade version my mother found on-line) for her birthday. My mother told her she would make a quilt for the bed with Hazel. My mother and I picked out a set of farm style precut fabrics for Kirsten's quilt. Her bed is blue with a heart cut out off the ends and berries and leaves painted on it. Her story is from the 1850's and she was an immigrant from Sweden and her family moved to the prairie. Her quilt was a patchwork quilt. (Something like this charm pack would also work.) Hazel has been making 9-square quilts for awhile, so she was excited to make a patchwork quilt for Kirsten. My mother took the big precut squares and cut them into quarters. Then Hazel and Kirsten began to arrange them on batting.

An Amazing Doll Shop (Dolls, Furniture, Clothes and Accessories)

Are you ever amazed by a company? I know there have been some companies that I find have horrible customer service. I tend to complain about them. Today I want to tell you about a company that has the best customer service. It is The Queen's Treasures. (Just so you know I am receiving nothing for writing this post. All opinions are completely my own.)

Little One-Yard Wonders Book Review

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Storey Publishing. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Today I get the pleasure of reviewing Little One-Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins. This is the newest addition to the One-Yard Wonders series. I love these books!!

This book has 101 sewing projects for children and babies. It has everything from clothing to toys and room decor. Just on the cover you can see a floor cushion, shoes, a diaper bag and the mushroom tea set and more!! The first project I wanted to try was the Summer Days Hat. This hat is perfect for Hazel with her long hair that she always wants up. Her sun hats tend not to fit over her pony tail.

Little Quilts and Gifts from Jelly Roll Scraps Book Review

Disclosure: Search Press gave me a copy of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

This has been another one of those weeks where life is getting in my way of what I want to do, but it has been a good week. Hazel has one week of school left so all the end of the school year craziness is happening. Yesterday we enjoyed a field trip to Drumlin Farm. Hazel was the only child who had previously been there so it was fun to see it with new eyes. I have been trying to find time to make a few of the items in this beautiful book, Little Quilts & Gifts from Jelly Roll Scraps by Carolyn Forster. 

Simple Patchwork Gifts Book Review

Disclosure: Search Press gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Did you know that March is National Craft Month? Well, in honor of National Craft Month I am going to review some fun craft books. Today's is Simple Patchwork Gifts by Christa Rolf. Now one of the the first things I love about this book is the fun and simple projects in it. I decided to try a couple projects as handwork. They were easy to adapt as either hand or machine sewing. Since I sewed by hand, Hazel wanted to try as well. The first project I made was the Phone Charm or what we are calling bird ornament.

Little Quilts -- Book Review

Disclosure: Ryland, Peters and Small gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. 

Today I get to share a wonderful quilt book, Little Quilts by Sarah Fielke and Amy Lobsiger. Two things interested me with this book. First the idea of little quilts will mean easier (smaller and quicker) projects so it will not take me months to make one and second little quilts are often doll size. With Hazel being so focused on her dolls she wants doll quilts, so I figured this book would help me get creative!!

Color Exploration: Art, Quilts, Music and Color

Congratulations to Cindy R for winning the latest giveaway!!

We have been rather busy with our color explorations. Awhile ago we discovered some fun color music. I made a CD of songs from the following CD's having to do with colors or a color. It is one of our favorites to listen to besides maybe the Frozen Soundtrack. One of the songs on it is The Purple People Eater. (We found it on the Kidz Bop Halloween Party CD.)

Since Hazel has been loving the song, I made her a purple people eater peg doll. So here is our "One-eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater."

His horn and arms are from pipe cleaners and his wings are a piece of felt with a pipe cleaner to form them. 

We also had a big adventure yesterday. We headed into Boston to go to the Museum of Fine Arts. I went to meet my mother back in April to see the Quilts and Color Exhibit. Hazel really wanted to go see it, so I took her before it ended. We have also been reading books about artists some are shared below. Hazel wanted to see some of the paintings by the artists we read about. She really wanted to see something by Pablo Picasso. She has decided her favorite artists are Pablo Picasso and Georgia O'Keeffe.

When we first got to the museum we were told to go to the customer service area and ask for an art bag for Hazel. They give you a little tote bag full of scavenger hunts, questions about artwork and a sketchpad and colored pencils. Most of the things were for exhibits we were not planning on viewing, but she loved the sketchpad and tried to sketch some of her favorite quilts. After not finding all the colors she needed she decided I should take pictures and she would sketch them at home. 

In preparation for the visit to see the quilt exhibit, we have been reading books having to do with quilts. Above are the ones we have enjoyed. We loved reading about each state in A Quilt of States by Adrienne Yorinks and fifty librarians from across the United States. Another great one that teaches some American history as well as information about quilt squares is The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days with Projects Kids Can Make by Mary Cobb. We have done a few of the activities in it. The first is making a paper nine-patch square. For the paper you cut out color squares from magazines. We did this at my parents and cut up two of my mother's old magazines. Hazel had so many squares and so much fun, she made three paper nine-patches.

While at my parents, my mother offered us some five-inch squares she already had cut. Hazel picked out nine and began to hand sew them together. Then she picked out another nine to sew. Neither is completely finished, but she is close. She wants to make a reversible quilt for Ducky.

For more on color and quilts, check out:

• Exploring Intermediate Colors and Shades  
• Exploring Hues and Secondary Colors 
• Color Wheel and Mixing Colors
• Color Explorations: Painting
• Luka's Quilt
• Book Inspired Painting
• A Baby Quilt
• The Colors of Us
• The Colors in Nature
• Dying Yarn with Fruit and Vegetables Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Outside Water Play
• Square It Up! Quilts
• Picture a Tree
• Mixing Colors
• Brown at the Zoo
• Color Experiment Pinterest Board
• Quilt Pinterest Board