Animal Friends to Sew: Simple Handmade Decor, Toys, and Gifts for Kids

by Sanae Ishida

Create beautiful handmade animal friends for the whole family- a darling whale teether, adorable fox baby slippers, stackable animal blocks, a sweet lion throw pillow, or a fuzzy sheep backpack! Perfect for gifting, these one-of-a-kind handmade treasures are sure to be cherished. Inspired by the beautiful simplicity of Japanese and Scandinavian design, these projects will delight the creator as much as the recipient.

15 beginner-friendly projects with 35+ variations. Includes lookbook at the front followed by a sewing and embroidery primer, project instructions with photos and step-by-step illustrations, and templates at the back.

• ISBN10: 1632172356
• ISBN13: 9781632172358
• Publish Date: 30 March 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 12 July 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sasquatch Books
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781632172358

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Animal Friends to Sew is a decor and tutorial book for soft toys and furnishings by Sanae Ishida. Released 30th March 2020 by Sasquatch Books, it's 240 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a beautifully illustrated, well written, and whimsically appealing sewing book for animal themed soft furnishings. The tutorials are not limited to plush pillows and animal cuddly toys; there are numerous decor items, adorable stylized silhouette placemats (which I want to sew for my grown-up table settings), and wearables including bibs, slippers and a backpack. I didn't count carefully, but there are more than 35 projects to keep anyone crafting for a long while.

They are grouped thematically by project type. All of the tutorials are pictured (in color) in the table of contents with page numbers included for easy lookup. The introductory section has a good basic overview of tools and general techniques which is beginner accessible and clearly written.

The tutorials themselves include a color photo of the finished project, tools and materials in a bullet list in a highlighted sidebar (US standard measurements only), followed by step by step instructions. The book includes an index, metric conversion charts, and a resource/links list.

I really love the breezy and sweet style, and the quirky comfortable projects. Full size templates are included for all the tutorials (in the back of the book).

Five stars. There are a number of these projects I fully intend to do myself (and I have grown children and no grandkids on the horizon).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.