Reviewed by annieb123 on
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.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 11 April, 2020: Finished reading
- 11 April, 2020: Reviewed