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Animal Friends to Sew

Simple Handmade Decor, Toys, and Gifts for Kids

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Paperback
$22.95 US
7.33"W x 8.5"H x 0.77"D   | 21 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Mar 30, 2020 | 240 Pages | 9781632172358
"…a slew of child-friendly projects as adorable as they are functional. [...] These sweet DIY projects will appeal to parents who are also avid or aspiring sewers, not to mention to their kids."
—Publishers Weekly

From the author of the bestselling Sewing Happiness comes this beginner's sewing book to making beautiful handmade animals—includes 15 easy projects plus 35 variations. The projects in this book are divided into three main categories of cute creatures to sew: decor, toys, and wearables. Inspired by the beautiful simplicity of Japanese and Scandinavian design, these projects will delight the maker as much as the recipient.

Make adorable handmade animal toys: 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.

Includes:
   • Lookbook
   • Sewing and embroidery primer
   • Project instructions with photos and step-by-step iilustrations
   • Sewing templates

DECOR
   Pillows: Polar Bear, Lion, Koala, Bunny, Sloth
   Placemats: Cat, Bear
   Wall Pockets: Zebra, Reindeer
   Rope Baskets: Cat, Dog

TOYS
   Stackable Blocks: Mouse, Raccoon, Bear, Elephant
   Teether Rattles: Whale, Dove
   Bunny Ears
   Terry Cloth Bath Puppets: Panda, Cat, Penguin, Seal
   Quiet Adventures Felt Book
   Beanbags: Turtle, Hedgehog, Armadillo
   Fishing Game

WEARABLES
   Beanies with Ears
   Baby Slippers: Fox, Penguin, Raccoon
   Hooded Capes: Animal with Ears, Animal with Horn, Animal with Bony Plates
   Bibs: Monkey, Koala
   Backpacks: Sheep, Fox
"Ishida (Sewing Happiness), a children’s book and crafting guide author, provides a slew of child-friendly projects as adorable as they are functional. A chapter on sewing and embroidering basics should get readers up to speed before they begin the projects, which are divided among décor, toys, and 'wearables,' with the last section being the stand-out [...] These sweet DIY projects will appeal to parents who are also avid or aspiring sewers, not to mention to their kids."
—Publishers Weekly

"Ishida (Sewing Happiness) presents competent guidance for the dedicated crafter, showing passion in the construction of each project in this new collection. Here, the photography, soothingly beautiful, depicts the projects in a way that helps readers understand the appearance of each piece [...] A charming collection comprised of lovely fabric items ­crafters will enjoy gifting and creating."
—Library Journal

"Ishida returns with a cheery sewing book focused on creating toys, décor, and clothing for babies and small children. Fifteen projects, many of which have multiple variations, utilize minimalist design, animal themes, and muted colors that evoke an idyllic household filled with calm children engaging in enriching activities."
—Booklist

"Sanae Ishida makes sewing accessible in her new book Animal Friends to Sew."
—Seattle's Child
SANAE ISHIDA writes, sews, draws, and takes photos almost every day. She lives with her husband and daughter in Seattle. She is the author of the sewing books Sewing Love, Sewing Happiness, and Animal Friends to Sew, as well as the Little Kunoichi the Ninja Girl picture book series, and Little Sumo, a board book series. Both she and her daughter have too many handmade clothes. Find out more about her work at SanaeIshida.com.
WHEN I WAS A KID, MY mom sewed me a fluffy little bunny doll that I called Usagi-chan. I must have been quite a literal child since Usagi-chan means “little bunny” in Japanese! She was white and simply made, with small felt flowers adorning one of her ears. I loved her so very much. I still have the bunny doll to this day, forty-plus years later.

There is so much care and attention and love poured into anything handmade, especially when created for little ones. As someone who grew up surrounded by handmade goods, I can attest that they enriched my memories of childhood, filling it with a sense of magic.

My daughter was born in 2006, and though I’d had a vague fantasy of finally developing my crafty side for years, it wasn’t until I held my little girl that I was gripped with a sudden desire to sew and sew and sew. I remembered all the sweet toys and clothes that my own mother had made for me and I wanted to create my own version of that experience for my daughter.

And what could be cuter than a handmade animal? My first sewing project for my fifteen-month-old was a ladybug costume, painstakingly hand-stitched out of cheap red and black felt. I had no idea what I was doing; I made some sketches, Googled “ladybug costume” (back then, not much was available online), checked out some craft books from the library, and took a stab at it. After three days of sweat and confusion and mounting concern that I might not finish in time for Halloween, I lifted the puffy, unwieldy thing I was sewing and marveled that it actually looked like ladybug wings. I slipped the makeshift straps I designed onto my daughter’s shoulders and lo! She looked like an insect! A super-adorable insect! I was so proud of myself and she emitted babbles and squeals of approval. We both glowed.

I’ve come a long way in the last ten or so years since I started sewing, and that same ladybug costume would take me a mere three hours to complete now compared with the three midnight-oil-burning days of yore. That sense of accomplishment and joy I got from struggling through that first project has propelled me to make hundreds of toys and clothes for my little girl. I’ve learned a thing or two, and I still get excited about coming up with sewing ideas and experimenting to bring them to life.

The projects in this book are divided into three main categories of cute creatures to sew: décor, toys, and wearables. Like the Japanese craft books that inspired me when I first started sewing for my daughter, this book is structured with a “lookbook” section in the front that showcases the projects, followed by step-by-step, illustrated instructions at the back. If you consider yourself a beginner, check out the basic sewing primer and embroidery tips sections. And if you have years of sewing experience under your belt, I hope you will enjoy whipping out some quick projects and that they will inspire you to try out variations of your own.

I designed all the projects in this book guided by that glowing feeling I got from the ladybug costume. The designs I’ve included here are simple, and I wanted the projects to feel easy to create, but I also believe in taking time to put care and attention and love into every stitch. So don’t rush it or sweat it, and please enjoy every step, mistakes and all!

About

"…a slew of child-friendly projects as adorable as they are functional. [...] These sweet DIY projects will appeal to parents who are also avid or aspiring sewers, not to mention to their kids."
—Publishers Weekly

From the author of the bestselling Sewing Happiness comes this beginner's sewing book to making beautiful handmade animals—includes 15 easy projects plus 35 variations. The projects in this book are divided into three main categories of cute creatures to sew: decor, toys, and wearables. Inspired by the beautiful simplicity of Japanese and Scandinavian design, these projects will delight the maker as much as the recipient.

Make adorable handmade animal toys: 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.

Includes:
   • Lookbook
   • Sewing and embroidery primer
   • Project instructions with photos and step-by-step iilustrations
   • Sewing templates

DECOR
   Pillows: Polar Bear, Lion, Koala, Bunny, Sloth
   Placemats: Cat, Bear
   Wall Pockets: Zebra, Reindeer
   Rope Baskets: Cat, Dog

TOYS
   Stackable Blocks: Mouse, Raccoon, Bear, Elephant
   Teether Rattles: Whale, Dove
   Bunny Ears
   Terry Cloth Bath Puppets: Panda, Cat, Penguin, Seal
   Quiet Adventures Felt Book
   Beanbags: Turtle, Hedgehog, Armadillo
   Fishing Game

WEARABLES
   Beanies with Ears
   Baby Slippers: Fox, Penguin, Raccoon
   Hooded Capes: Animal with Ears, Animal with Horn, Animal with Bony Plates
   Bibs: Monkey, Koala
   Backpacks: Sheep, Fox

Praise

"Ishida (Sewing Happiness), a children’s book and crafting guide author, provides a slew of child-friendly projects as adorable as they are functional. A chapter on sewing and embroidering basics should get readers up to speed before they begin the projects, which are divided among décor, toys, and 'wearables,' with the last section being the stand-out [...] These sweet DIY projects will appeal to parents who are also avid or aspiring sewers, not to mention to their kids."
—Publishers Weekly

"Ishida (Sewing Happiness) presents competent guidance for the dedicated crafter, showing passion in the construction of each project in this new collection. Here, the photography, soothingly beautiful, depicts the projects in a way that helps readers understand the appearance of each piece [...] A charming collection comprised of lovely fabric items ­crafters will enjoy gifting and creating."
—Library Journal

"Ishida returns with a cheery sewing book focused on creating toys, décor, and clothing for babies and small children. Fifteen projects, many of which have multiple variations, utilize minimalist design, animal themes, and muted colors that evoke an idyllic household filled with calm children engaging in enriching activities."
—Booklist

"Sanae Ishida makes sewing accessible in her new book Animal Friends to Sew."
—Seattle's Child

Author

SANAE ISHIDA writes, sews, draws, and takes photos almost every day. She lives with her husband and daughter in Seattle. She is the author of the sewing books Sewing Love, Sewing Happiness, and Animal Friends to Sew, as well as the Little Kunoichi the Ninja Girl picture book series, and Little Sumo, a board book series. Both she and her daughter have too many handmade clothes. Find out more about her work at SanaeIshida.com.

Excerpt

WHEN I WAS A KID, MY mom sewed me a fluffy little bunny doll that I called Usagi-chan. I must have been quite a literal child since Usagi-chan means “little bunny” in Japanese! She was white and simply made, with small felt flowers adorning one of her ears. I loved her so very much. I still have the bunny doll to this day, forty-plus years later.

There is so much care and attention and love poured into anything handmade, especially when created for little ones. As someone who grew up surrounded by handmade goods, I can attest that they enriched my memories of childhood, filling it with a sense of magic.

My daughter was born in 2006, and though I’d had a vague fantasy of finally developing my crafty side for years, it wasn’t until I held my little girl that I was gripped with a sudden desire to sew and sew and sew. I remembered all the sweet toys and clothes that my own mother had made for me and I wanted to create my own version of that experience for my daughter.

And what could be cuter than a handmade animal? My first sewing project for my fifteen-month-old was a ladybug costume, painstakingly hand-stitched out of cheap red and black felt. I had no idea what I was doing; I made some sketches, Googled “ladybug costume” (back then, not much was available online), checked out some craft books from the library, and took a stab at it. After three days of sweat and confusion and mounting concern that I might not finish in time for Halloween, I lifted the puffy, unwieldy thing I was sewing and marveled that it actually looked like ladybug wings. I slipped the makeshift straps I designed onto my daughter’s shoulders and lo! She looked like an insect! A super-adorable insect! I was so proud of myself and she emitted babbles and squeals of approval. We both glowed.

I’ve come a long way in the last ten or so years since I started sewing, and that same ladybug costume would take me a mere three hours to complete now compared with the three midnight-oil-burning days of yore. That sense of accomplishment and joy I got from struggling through that first project has propelled me to make hundreds of toys and clothes for my little girl. I’ve learned a thing or two, and I still get excited about coming up with sewing ideas and experimenting to bring them to life.

The projects in this book are divided into three main categories of cute creatures to sew: décor, toys, and wearables. Like the Japanese craft books that inspired me when I first started sewing for my daughter, this book is structured with a “lookbook” section in the front that showcases the projects, followed by step-by-step, illustrated instructions at the back. If you consider yourself a beginner, check out the basic sewing primer and embroidery tips sections. And if you have years of sewing experience under your belt, I hope you will enjoy whipping out some quick projects and that they will inspire you to try out variations of your own.

I designed all the projects in this book guided by that glowing feeling I got from the ladybug costume. The designs I’ve included here are simple, and I wanted the projects to feel easy to create, but I also believe in taking time to put care and attention and love into every stitch. So don’t rush it or sweat it, and please enjoy every step, mistakes and all!