Baby Gifts: Simple Heirlooms to Make and Give [Hardcover]

Ethel Brennan (Author), Laurie Frankel (Author, Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002

What better way to shower a mother and baby with love than with gifts made by hand? Even the not-so-crafty get the itch to create when a new baby arrives on the scene. Baby Gifts is the perfect collection of easy-to-make handmade heirlooms for every level of ability, all filled with sweet sentiments and warm wishes sure to make the little one feel welcome. The book features easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for 30 irresistible treasures, including embroidered One-of-a-Kind Onesies, a cozy Snuggle Suit, a charming Vintage Toy Chest, and a soft Silky Quilt. Illustrated with beautiful full-color photographs of every finished project and complete with accessible directions, this is an enchanting and usable guide to creating gifts to be cherished for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ethel Brennan lives in San Francisco, where she works as a freelance stylist and writer. Her previous books include Herbes de Provence (0-8118-1933-7), and her charming creations appear in Aperitif (0-8118-3145-0), Bead Girl (0-8118-3038-1), and Cheap Frills (0-8118-3019-5).

Laurie Frankel is a photographer and designer whose work has appeared in The Beauty Workbook (0-8118-2385-7) and several other publications. She lives in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1st Edition, 1st Printing edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811832295
• ISBN-13: 978-0811832298
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,943,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and useful, April 11, 2003

By 

Jeni P (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baby Gifts: Simple Heirlooms to Make and Give (Hardcover)

This book is beautifully photographed and designed, a pleasure to leaf through even if you have no intention of making any of the crafts it describes. Almost as a bonus, it includes easy-to-follow instructions for creating fun, practical and personal baby gifts. Projects range from embellished baby tees to nursery organizers to painted furniture, and many of them require no sewing. For those projects that do require stitching, the book starts with an illustrated review of simple stitches and sewing terms, for those of us who aren't born Martha Stewarts. Grouped into convenient chapters like Wardrobe Classics, Pretty Practicalities and Toys, many of the projects are inexpensive but stylish, providing great ideas for shower gifts on a budget.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars cute ideas... measurements are off, August 16, 2006

By 

D. Pojas "mickeymousears" (SLO, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baby Gifts: Simple Heirlooms to Make and Give (Hardcover)

Some of the projects in this book are great ideas, and the patterns look easy.
Once i started actually making the projects, i noticed the measurements are way off!

I double/triple checked MY measurements, and they follow the book exactly.

For example: The diaper cover turns out to be sized for a doll (maybe a premie baby... maybe).. and the bibs end up having 2 inches on either side to tie around the babies neck. I believe they will be easy to remedy-it's just annoying (especially after you have already cut the fabric). Another thing I noticed, is the suggested iron on vinyl, for water-profing the material, has to be ironed every time it is washed. I, personally, dont know anyone who irons their babies clothes-or has the time!

I wont return the book, because the patterns/ideas I like... I just need to figure out the proper measurements.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pratical crafts and sewing, June 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Baby Gifts: Simple Heirlooms to Make and Give (Hardcover)

This book is wonderful! I have read and tried countless baby craft books and this is by far one of the best! Instructions are easy to follow and it a has useful and beautiful things for baby! Like the burp cloth made out of damask napkins or cashmere sweater made over for baby! I highly recommend this book!