CICO Books
CICO Books
book s sewing
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hildren aged 711 years old
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Published in 2011 by CICO Kidz An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small 519 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York NY 10012 2021 Jockeys Fields, London WC1R 4BW www.cicobooks.com
CICO Books
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Text copyright CICO Books 2011, plus the project-makers listed on page 128 Design, photography, and illustration copyright CICO Books 2011
The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-907563-71-3
Printed in China
Editor: Susan Akass Designer: Elizabeth Healey Illustration: Rachel Boulton and Hannah George See page 128 for photography credits.
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Contents
Introduction CHAPTER 1: 6 CHAPTER 3:
TERRIFIC TOYS
Juggling animals Wise old owl T-shirt creatures Sock monsters Felt mice Toadstool Felt cupcakes Cowboy horse Rag dolls Doll clothes CHAPTER 2: 10 14 18 22 24 27 30 32 34 38
DELIGHTFUL DECORATIONS
Kissing doves Tree treasures Barrette holder Hanging felt stars Ric rac fairy Christmas stocking Lavender bags CHAPTER 4: 68 70 72 75 78 81 84
GIFTS AND CARDS
Felt egg cosies Embroidery card Finger puppet card 88 90 93 96 98 101 104 107 110 114 120 128
FASHION FUN
Button badges Book bag Hair barrettes Flower hair tie Drawstring bag Cat bag Felted bag Cardigan pencil case Embroidered jeans 44 46 50 52 54 57 60 62 64
Glasses case Garden tote Sausage dog draft excluder Needle case Patchwork pincushion Sewing basket Sewing techniques Templates Index, acknowledgments, and suppliers
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Introduction
Once you have caught the sewing bug there will be no stopping you; you will just want to keep on sewing and this book is full of ideas to help you get creative. In My First Sewing Book there are four chaptersTerrific Toys, Fashion Fun, Delightful Decorations, and Gifts and Cards. The materials you use to make them need not be expensivemany projects in the book are made by reusing old clothes. So make sure no clothes, even odd socks or shrunken woolens, get thrown away in your family before you have checked them out for possible ideas! To help you get started, we have graded all the projects with one, two, or three smiley faces. The level one projects are the easiest. The stitches used are very simple and there is not much sewing to do. The level two projects need you to use some different stitches and they are a little longer, but are still quite easy. The level three projects are a bit more challenging, for when your sewing skills are really getting good. Theres a list of all the stitches and techniques you will use at the start of each project and the pages where you can find instructions if you need them. Theres also a list of materials. Since many of these are used in lots of the projects, its good to put together a sewing box that contains the basics.
TOP TIPS
In all projects, remember these top tips: 1. When cutting out patterns, especially rectangles, try to pin them onto the fabric in line with the tiny threads you can see in the fabric (on felt it doesnt matter). 2. When using patterned fabrics, check which is the right side and wrong side of the fabricyou will be able to spot the difference. Be careful to follow instructions about right and wrong sides. 3. Always secure your thread so it doesnt pull out. With yarn (wool) and floss (embroidery thread) tie two knots on top of each other at the end of the thread. When using cotton thread sew a few small stitches on top of one another. Do the same when you finish.
Project levels
Level 1 These are very easy: no complex stitches and not much sewing.
Level 2 These use some more complex stitches and are slightly longer projects, but are still quite easy.
Level 3 These are longer, more challenging projects which might require some adult help with using an iron.
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Your sewing box
We suggest you put together a sewing box that contains: A pencil A pen A ruler A tape measure Squared paper (e.g. from a math book) for making patterns Plain paper for tracing templates Scissors for cutting paper Sharp scissors kept especially for cutting fabric Pins Needles, including some big ones with big eyes A needle threader (this will save you a lot of time!) Cotton thread, embroidery floss (thread), and yarn (wool) in different colors Fiberfill (stuffing) Glue
You also need to start a collection of different materials, so look out for: Buttonsespecially pretty ones. Cut them off clothes that are too worn out to pass on or look out for boxes of them in charity shops and garage sales. Ribbons and braidslook out for them on gifts or on boxes of chocolate. They will always come in useful. Fabricssome you will have to buy, but often, small left-over pieces (remnants) are sold very cheaply. A collection of different colored felts is a must and you can buy these at craft shops or online. Remember to save pieces of fabric from clothes that are too worn out to pass on and keep leftover scraps from other projects. Ask any adult sewers you know to keep any leftover fabric for you. They are sure to want to encourage a new sewer!
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CHAPTER ONE
Terrific toys
ing animals 10 Wise old owl 14 ggl Ju t creatures 18 Sock monsters 22 shir Tlt mice 24 Toadstool 27 Fe Felt c upcakes 30 Cowboy horse 32 ag dolls 34 Doll clothe R
s 38
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Wise old
owl
This wise old owl is a real hoot! Hell sit on the end of your bed and stare at you with big, friendly eyes. Make him bright and colorful by using one patterned fabric for his body and another for his wings. You could even make him from a favorite worn-out dress or blouse (but ask first).
W it T Tw
In this project, you will use:
Backstitch (see page 115) Slipstitch (see page 117) Running stitch (see page 115) Using a pattern (see page 114)
OO!
1
Photocopy the templates on page 124 at double the size, then cut out paper patterns for the owls body, foot, wing, eye, pupil, beak, and feathers. Fold the fabric for the body in half, pin the body pattern to it, and cut around it. Remove the pins and pattern.
You will need:
Scissors 24 x 11 inches (60 x 30 cm) fabric for the body Scraps of fabric for the wings Felt for the feet and feathers White and black felt for the eyes Orange felt for the beak Pins A needle and thread Fiberfill (stuffing) Needle and embroidery floss (thread) in different colors, including black and orange
Pin the two body pieces together, right sides together. Cut a length of thread and thread the needle. Starting with a few small stitches to hold the thread in place, sew the body together with backstitchbut leave the bottom edge open. Finish with a few small stitches. Trim the thread and remove the pins.
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