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Review and giveaway: Sew Liberated

by 69 Comments

coverIf the word “applique” conjures up images of Sunbonnet Sue and gingham-checked Scottie dogs, then you haven’t seen the new twist on applique by modern sewists.

In Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist, Meg McElwee captures the spirit of this new approach with a handful of projects that use simple applique patterns to create items for the home, items to wear, and items for baby.

Flipping through the book, I found myself saying, “Oh, I am SO making this!”  again… and again… and again.  Standout projects for me were the Capture the Moment camera bag (the color and texture are such a happy departure from the typical black canvas camera bag), and the Funny Animals Children’s Tote (ribbon legs for the critter – oh my!).

As much as I want to keep this book for ever and ever, I’m giving away my review copy to one lucky Craft Gossip reader.  Leave a comment on this post to enter.

Deadline for entry is midnight CST on February 15, 2010.

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Comments

  2. It sounds so much fun and I obviously need it becaue my first thought was… what’s wrong with gingham-checked scotty dogs? *g* 😀

    Thanks for the chance to win.

    Reply

  4. It’s so kind of you to offer this giveaway! I’ve been wanting this book for so long, it looks amazing! Thank you so much for the generous giveaway!

    Reply

  6. I’ve just found Meg’s blog and have really enjoyed her work. I would love to add her book to my library and get to work making her awesome projects!

    Reply

  22. How perfect! I would love to have a copy of it! Sounds like the perfect thing to keep be busy and create a few fun pieces for spring!! =)

    Reply

  24. Oh, man. I saw this book at Barnes and Noble and fell in loooovvvvve, but my wallet was all, “Uh, how about groceries, moron?” So now I’m well-fed and ready to craft my ayuss off…with that book?

    Reply

  25. I’d love a copy– I’m learning to sew and have spent a lot of time with Amy Karol’s book– and I’ve been hunting around for new challenges to tackle!

    Reply

  29. ooh- I was just looking at this on amazon! It came up after I bought Betz White’s “Warm Fuzzies” (which is incredible). It’s definetly on my ‘to get’ list

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  33. This book would be worthwhile just for the pattern for that camera bag! I use lots of recycled denim and I can ‘see’ that bag in denim. It sure would be a great book to win!

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  39. This book sits on my amazon wishlist waiting to be purchased. It would be great to WIN it instead!!! Thanks for the opprotunity.

    Reply

  41. Everytime I go to the book store I flip through this book. It looks so cool! I really shouldn’t buy anything else until I finish what I have soooo…I should win it instead! 😉

    Reply

  50. I saw it at the craft store this weekend. Unfortunately hubby made me choose between the book and fabric! This is my shot to have both. Thanks!

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  51. I really enjoy looking and dreaming about the projects in this book everytime I browse through it at the fabric store…I really want it!

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  56. Cool book and projects. I would love to curl up with it. With so much snow coming again to MD I need something to read!!!!

    Reply

  61. I have a hold on it in our library, but it is taking soooooo long! My grown daughters and my 15 year old son decided that this would be the year they all learned to sew. We would get a lot of use out of this book.

    Reply

Have you read?

DIY Kids Gingerbread House Bag with Free Pattern

I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag.  This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid.  It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes.  It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows. 

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not.  The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary.  (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.)  The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends.  And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches.  Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure.  The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag. 

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish.  That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings.  Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies.  They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project.  I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.  

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall.  That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

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