the best books: sewing for kids

I have a bit of an obsession with books. The way that some women collect bags or shoes, I collect books! I can easily hang out all day in the local bookstore and I constantly have a new book (or ten) at the top of my want list.

I have so many books about craft, sewing, interiors, gardening, eco-living, etc. that I thought I should start sharing some of my collection with you. First up.. the best books about sewing for baby and child!

1. Oliver + S 'Little things to sew' by Liesl Gibson.
This book is full of awesome things to sew for kids.. not so much clothing but more accessories like hats, bags, art smocks, scarves and the most adorable tutu you have ever seen. The book is perfect for someone who has quite good sewing skills and most importantly.. it's just a damn good looking book!

2. 'Making children's clothes' by Emma Hardy.
This book has 25 sewing patterns for ages 0-5. It contains lots of very wearable items that are easy to make (dresses, tops, pants, hats, etc.) so it's perfect for someone who is learning to sew. I used it a lot when Sophie was young but I always left all the bells and whistles off the patterns (I'm not a fan of too much poof, if that makes sense? I like to keep things simple) but a great book all the same.

3. 'Simple sewing for baby' by Lotta Jansdotter.
This book is awesome, as is everything Lotta Jansdotter does. I've taken to stalking her on Instragram.. she probably thinks I am crazy (and I probably am.. I do have every single book she has ever written!)
This book is filled with very cool, very easy to make projects that are perfect for little bubbas. So many of the patterns would make excellent gifts and the baby yoga pants are awesome. Ten out of ten!

4. 'Girls style book' by Yoshiko Tsukiori.
Anyone who has come across these Japanese sewing books and fallen in love with them will be over the moon, as I am, that they have finally started to print them in english! The girls style book is just adorable. Even if you never make a thing in it, it is worth having just to look at the stunning photography and styling that these beautiful Japanese sewing books have become famous for.
This book contains patterns for girls aged 2-10 and is best for a fairly advanced sewer.

5. 'Happy Homemade Vol. 2' by Ruriko Yamanda.
I bought this book in Japanese years before they released the english version and I was probably seen jumping for joy when I saw they had released the english version, although strangely the instructions are still a little difficult to understand. This book contains patterns for boys and girls aged 2-8 and they are probably the nicest patterns I have ever seen (think simple, elegant designs).

6. 'Carefree clothes for girls' by Junko Okawa.
Okay, I have to admit that I have never actually made anything from this book yet but it looks awfully nice on the bookshelf. If Little House on the Prairie released a sewing book this is what is would look like! Lots of linen and unbleached cotton in rustic, down to earth patterns. I get the feeling you should disconnect your electricity and spend your morning milking a cow before you attempt to sew anything from this book!

So that's my pick of sewing for kids books. Stay tuned next week for the best general sewing books (there are a lot of them!) and in the next few days I will be giving away one of the books above! Yay!

(P.s Sophie took the top photo above.. just in case you were wondering).

What's your favourite book about sewing for kids?

Baby knits and crochet

A few weeks ago I started this (way to advanced for me) baby knit and I have almost finished my second one now. When I learnt how to crochet I thought I would never knit again because I found crochet so much easier than knitting, although I think that was just because I could only knit scarves and had no idea how to read a pattern (or increase, or decrease or do anything really).

Tom's mum was very patient with me when we were up at the farm a few weeks ago and taught me how read this pattern and taught me all the stitches I need to know. (The pattern is from Debbie Bliss baby knits).

I have had a few people ask me what is the best way to learn how to knit or crochet and other than having someone sit next to you and teach you, I found the best way to learn is by watching a tutorial on you tube. There are thousands of tutorials and many are made for the absolute beginner.

I also have quite a bit of time to sit and practice at the moment!

Down to Earth

I ordered this book a few weeks ago after I had seen it popping up all over the place. Tom always gives me a hard time when I buy books like this and says something like "Oh great, you spend money on a book about not spending money" and while I often laugh in agreement (there is something funny about buying things to tell you how to have less things) I don't regret the money I spent on this book for a second.

I am halfway through reading it and I don't want to put it down. It is full of ideas about how to live a more simple life and become more dependant on yourself and your own skills rather than living a life filled with more things. It's not a new concept and certainly one that I know a lot of people strive towards but what I really like about this book is how it makes the kind of life that I dream of living seem so achievable.
It's also not a preachy book, she says very honestly that if you are working full time or have young children then making your own soap, keeping chickens and growing all your own produce may not be a realistic goal.. and that's okay. You do what you can at the moment and work towards those goals in the future.

This book inspires a life where days are spent living simply.. growing veggies, sewing clothes, making delicious nourishing food from scratch, knitting and turning your home into a place that nurtures everyone in it.. whether they live there or have just popped in for a cup of tea.

I really recommend reading it if you can get your hands on a copy. Now all I need is an actual house!
(You may remember that we are staying with Tom's parents while I am on bed rest. Our whole life has been in storage since we moved to Perth last year and my gosh, I can not wait for the day that we get our own place. But.. one thing at a time I guess!)

'Down to Earth' by Rhonda Hetzel available at Booktopia.

Rhonda also has a blog by the same name.

Jiggity jig

Sometimes when Tom is at work I send him a message in the afternoon that just says "Jiggity?" and he replies with the time that he thinks he will be home from work that day. It started because I used to write "home again, home again, Jiggity Jig?" and somehow over the years it has just become "Jiggity?"

Anyways, we are now home again (home again, jiggity jig). We had a wonderful week up at the farm.
I was happy to be lying in a different bed for a week and Tom and Sophie had a ball getting up every morning to feed the horses and pottering about the farm during the day.

(Tom has a couple of weeks off work at the moment as he has just resigned and is starting a new job at the beginning of next month. It was a very difficult decision for him to make but we are hoping that it will turn out to be the right one.)

I spend the majority of my week at the farm with a crochet hook in my hand and had finished two baby blankets by the end of the week. I have really fallen in love with crochet.. I think because I find it soo much easier than knitting and so much quicker to produce something that is finished, although finishing something quickly is not really a priority for me at the moment! I do have quite a bit of time on my hands after all!

Kinfolk.

Look at what arrived on my doorstep yesterday.

Have you read Kinfolk? I do believe it has just become my favourite magazine. (Do you call it a magazine? It does not really feel right, it feels like a book that you will keep forever. One that you will put on the bookshelf so you can see it everyday and be careful not to bend the corners when you pick it up to read.. or is that just me?)

Did you know it is also available on iPad? (But it really is much nicer holding it in your hands and turning those smooth matt pages while sipping tea. Earl grey I think.)

Granny square

Well, it took me a few goes (you should have seen my first attempt.. it was hilarious, it was more like a 'granny hexagon') but I got there in the end.

Tom set up a little kettle next to the bed and the weather in Perth has finally dropped below 30 degrees, so I am enjoying lying here, drinking tea and attempting to figure out what a half-treble is.

Hooked

Look what arrived on my doorstep this morning. Now, I just need to figure out how to crochet.
Apparently that is easier said than done.
Wish me luck.