Want to show your love for animals in your sewing projects, but feel you need to sew more practical pieces for your home? Look no further than this gorgeous book by designer Helen Rhiannon!
In Sew Practical Pets, 18 whimsical and imaginative animal-themed projects have been designed not only to add character and colour to your home, but also to serve as functional items that will last for years to come. From useful items such an owl doorstop, a snake draught excluder and a sheep hot water bottle cover through to an elephant tea cozy, fox pillow and doggy oven mitt, there is a cute and handy little creature for every room. For kids (and the child within us), Helen has also included beautiful cat and dog toys and an animal-shaped apron.
Key techniques and basic materials are detailed at the beginning of the book, and all of the projects include easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Templates for all the animals are provided on a fold-out sheet at the back of the book.
For sewers of all abilities, bring a touch of playfulness and practicality to your home today with these fresh faux animals that you'll soon love as much as the real guys!
Show moreWant to show your love for animals in your sewing projects, but feel you need to sew more practical pieces for your home? Look no further than this gorgeous book by designer Helen Rhiannon!
In Sew Practical Pets, 18 whimsical and imaginative animal-themed projects have been designed not only to add character and colour to your home, but also to serve as functional items that will last for years to come. From useful items such an owl doorstop, a snake draught excluder and a sheep hot water bottle cover through to an elephant tea cozy, fox pillow and doggy oven mitt, there is a cute and handy little creature for every room. For kids (and the child within us), Helen has also included beautiful cat and dog toys and an animal-shaped apron.
Key techniques and basic materials are detailed at the beginning of the book, and all of the projects include easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Templates for all the animals are provided on a fold-out sheet at the back of the book.
For sewers of all abilities, bring a touch of playfulness and practicality to your home today with these fresh faux animals that you'll soon love as much as the real guys!
Show moreIntroduction
Materials & Equipment
Basic Techniques
Projects
As a fully qualified teacher and lecturer, Helen Rhiannon set up
the All Sewn Up sewing workshops in October 2010, designed to help
people learn and develop new skills, and to be creative. She runs
sewing workshops regularly, teaching people how to make items such
as bags, cushions, toys and garments. Her expert tuition has
attracted students from as far afield as Spain and Saudi Arabia.
For more information on Helen’s work, visit
www.allsewnupwales.co.uk where you can also find a wide range of
tutorials and Helen’s YouTube channel.
Helen is also an award-winning fashion designer specializing in
bespoke wedding dresses. She creates beautiful, timeless, handmade
gowns from her home in Swansea, Wales. Helen has gained a solid
reputation for her superlative dressmaking skills and her bespoke
bridal wear website can be viewed here: www.helenrhiannon.com.
I really love the way the patterns are full size (you do have to
transfer them to paper though). There are 18 full colour tutorials
in this book - great photographs (I want to start sewing them all!)
My favourites are the Hedgehog pincushion and the Owl door stop...
so very cute! This book would make a great Christmas or Birthday
present for those who are new to sewing or have been sewing for
years and years! Well done to Helen Rhiannon for a great book!!
*Customer review*
A really great book. Lovely animal projects that make perfect gifts
or are great for the home. I love that the templates are on
separate sheets of paper and can be stored away in a pocket at the
back of the book. Highly recommended.
*Customer review*
This book is well written, well presented and has lovely clear
pictures and instructions. It is perfect for beginners. A sewing
machine is not essential as the projects can be completed by hand
stitching. The templates are full size and stored in a pocket at
the back of the book. There is a good range of projects including a
snake draught excluder and a hot water bottle cover. I look forward
to sewing them.
*Customer review*
I'm just beginning to sew again and so pleased this book has
projects from beginner to the more experienced. Great Quality and
clear instructions. Full sized paper patterns provided in a handy
pocket at reverse of book. Perfect pet makes from owl doorstops,
dog toys and my favourite the dog oven glove. Would highly
recommend.
*Customer review*
When this book arrived in the post I was wonderfully surprised by
the quality of the book and the photography. As I was flicking
through I noticed I had a big grin on my face. As the title says it
is full of 'adorable' pets, and I know lots of people who would
just love to have this book but I want to keep it. The projects
will be keeping me busy for a while, hopefully some of my loved
ones will have a new 'pet' for Christmas.
*Customer review*
Please the animal lovers on your gift list with these fun, creature
inspired projects for the home. All are useful and none require a
lot of sewing experience; with the staged instructions they are
ideal for anybody who knows the basics but requires some practice.
There are eighteen colourful, contemporary projects in this book
plus plenty of advice for the improver level crafter. Starting with
the reasons you need all the tools and materials plus help on
topics such as attaching fusible webbing, bias binding, appliqué,
clipping seams etc it is a great way to learn as you sew. All the
patterns are stored in a handy wallet at the back, outlines drawn
in different colours for ease of identification. Each project has a
list of what you need in metric and imperial, a finished size plus
sheet number where you can locate your pattern. Instructions are
mostly written but there are several photographs which show all the
trickier things, plus give a good idea as to what the item should
look like at key stages. Choose from an owl doorstop, elephant tea
cosy, cow handbag, penguin apron, butterfly place mat and coasters
or bear laundry bag plus many others, all shown in handy thumbnails
at the front for ease of selection. Fabrics used are mostly cotton
and felt which are simple to work with, and the bright colours give
a cheerful, modern look to the items. A good book for any animal
lover, plus a great way to build sewing skills.
*myshelf.com*
Sew Perfect Pets contains 18 fun animal themed projects for items
you would use around your home such as oven gloves, a draft
excluder, cushions, an apron, a laundry bag, soft toys, a bottle
bag and an egg cosy. The book starts by covering the basic
techniques you’ll need to make the projects, with photos. Then it's
onto the projects. Each project comes with full size templates
(provided in a packet at the back of the book) as well as step by
step instructions and accompanying photos showing you what you need
to do. Helen has used a colourful mix of fabrics to create eye
catching animal designs. The animals featured include a penguin,
owl, fox, pig, dog, cat, bunny, cow, frog, bear, hedgehog, snake,
mouse, butterfly, fish, elephant and sheep – something for
everyone. I’ve shared photos of my favourites in this review. There
are several pattern sheets, and the templates for each project are
clearly labelled and each in a different colour to make it easy to
pick out those you need. They also specify how many of each
template you need to cut and in what materials (eg. fabric, felt,
interfacing) making the templates simple to use. After a decade of
teaching beginners Helen knows how to break projects down into easy
to follow instructions, and has made sure the projects feature easy
to find supplies that most stitchers will already have in their
stash. This book is great for beginners learning to sew, and for
more advanced sewists looking for fun animal theme projects for
their home.
*The Sewing Directory*
What a fun sewing book this is. Sew Perfect Pets is ideal for
stitchers of all abilities. It includes 3 full sized pattern sheets
that are double-sided, and a basic techniques guide. The 18 pet
projects are absolutely delightful, and with an Owl Doorstop, a Dog
toy, Cow Handbag and an adorable Fox Pillow, they are all
beautifully showcased in a colourful array of sewing loveliness.
The instructions are easy to follow with a written and visual
format. The pattern sheet that you will need is given and all
materials and sizes are listed. The information is really helpful
and even a beginner will fully understand how to achieve a
beautiful and usable item. This is an ideal sewing guide and is one
of those books that you will always be reaching for whenever you
need the perfect gift for a little one.
*Postcard Reviews*
We are really keen to try some of the patterns. The
instructions are really clear. The ideas are great. It is
a really good quality book. I have watched demos by Helen
Rhiannon she is excellent and very knowledgeable. Overall we
are very impressed with the book.
*The Quilters' Guild*
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