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60 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's okay...probably not worth the money, October 20, 2009
This review is from: Carefree Clothes for Girls: 20 Patterns for Outdoor Frocks, Playdate Dresses, and More (Make Good: Crafts + Life) (Paperback)
This book is okay. It has some basic patterns (full-size, you have to trace and add seam allowance) that you could use as a springboard for your own ideas, but you could also wait for a sale at Jo-ann Fabrics and get a Simplicity pattern or two for 99 cents for the same purpose. As for the unfinished hems and general 'shabbiness' of the finished products...well, I'm not a fan. I don't like threads hanging off of clothes. I prefer French seams and finished hems. From what I can see, this shabby look takes more work than having lovely French seams.
So far, I've made one thing, the bag, which doesn't have any pattern pieces, just measurements. The instructions are not good. One step is impossible unless you rip out some of what you've already done. I followed the instructions meticulously for the purposes of this review and was not impressed. I'm a fairly experienced seamstress and I've sewn a lot of bags, and I cannot fathom why anyone would put a bag together the way you're told to in this book. I felt like I was following the instructions of a six-year-old beginning seamstress. And the finished product looks like a six-year-old beginning seamstress made it. I deliberately followed the instructions so that I could see how the bag looked in real life (and, like I said, for this review), as opposed to cutesy-photos in a book. It's as, um, 'homemade' as I thought it would look. My three-year old likes it, though. It's her new library book bag. I'll definitely use these measurements to make another bag, but I'll put it together the RIGHT way and I won't leave any raw edges showing.
I'm probably going to make a few projects in this book, but I'm not going to follow the instructions. From reading through--not just skimming or glancing, really reading through--the instructions on several projects I can say that there's going to be frustration going on for those who aren't very experienced. Me? I know how to put pants together and do a (proper) facing and hem and, and, and. These projects are simple and basic, but if you don't have the know-how, it could get confusing.
The photos could be clearer, too, though I don't think this book is alone in that respect (I've seen plenty of sewing books that don't show enough of a project). I prefer clear close-ups of important details with a good full-body shot for the overall look. This book is nice to look at, but not great for the nitty-gritty. It's kind of like a magazine that happens to have some basic pattern pieces included.
If I hadn't gotten this book with a gift certificate and it hadn't gotten milk spilled on it the first day I had it, I probably would have returned it. It's a charming cover that promises something it doesn't deliver. You'd do much better buying a basic A-line dress pattern with pants from one of the Big pattern companies, or, even better, investing in some Sense & Sensibility patterns ([...]). The Sense & Sensibility Girls' Pinafore and Pantaloons pattern is great.
Overall, I'd say save your money. If you want the shabby look, you don't need the instructions in this book to achieve that (if you do, here they are: Leave unhemmed.). The patterns are basic and you can find something similar in any of the Big patten companies pattern books. For inspiration, there are a plethora of crafty blogs that have clearer instructions.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic - Beautiful, Easy Clothes, Great Springboard, March 4, 2010
This review is from: Carefree Clothes for Girls: 20 Patterns for Outdoor Frocks, Playdate Dresses, and More (Make Good: Crafts + Life) (Paperback)
I bought this book after browsing it quickly in the local bookstore. I have made one dress and the smock & trousers set shown on the front cover so far, for my 4-year-old. She loves all of them. They are truly carefree - I used natural fabrics (mostly cotton muslin, sailcloth, gauze, and light cotton canvas) prewashed on very hot and dried on very hot settings for maximum shrinkage. This ensures that you are sewing with the fabric you're going to get when you have clothes, and you need not worry about washing in hot for stain removal later on.
The book stresses that these garments are not supposed to have seriously ironed crispness - part of the charm and beauty of them is the inherent texture of the fabrics. I have never had to iron the things I made for my daughter. I purchased a bunch of little remnants of natural fabrics, and after washing and drying as above, you know your fabrics pretty well. Some fibers will completely crumple up and stay crumpled - don't make clothes out of these unless you WANT to iron them. Others will unrumple in a hot dryer if removed promptly, and they will keep their texture without being deformed beyond wearability. There are some remnants I chose not to sew with after washing/drying them because they were intractable.
The clothes are simple, boxy, untailored, loose-fitting - perfect for an active little girl. Some people (some of my friends even) did not like the designs because of the boxy look, but I think it is a really beautiful, sweet, natural look for a girl, and is a welcome contrast to the kind of...uhhh...MATURE-looking clothes you see in stores. I'm sorry, but I don't really want my 4-yr-old daughter running around in a David & Goliath Pink "You Can't Afford Me" Tank in sparkly writing across the front (and yes, I realize that the model is older than 4, but I have seen these things for toddlers too).
My only problem, and it's a small one for me, with the book was that the patterns come printed in very thin lines of contrasting colors on one large sheet of fairly heavy-weight (heavier than butcher paper) paper. Because of having to conserve space, the patterns overlap each other. So you have to be a bit vigilant when tracing the patterns. My response to this is to outline the pattern piece I am using in dashed lines with a Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Markers, 5 Colored Markers(30653PP)so that I can see it easily through my butcher paper.
Additionally, the patterns provide a unique springboard for experimentation. They are simple enough that changing a line here or there is fairly easy, and of course experimenting with decoration, fabric, etc is always possible. Someone else mentioned just buying a couple of Simplicty patterns, but I have to say (having sewn from MANY mass-market patterns over the years) that you will not find Simplicity, McCalls, or the like with this kind of style. They are so much more conservative and traditional - and of course there is a place for that, too.
However, this book offers much more in terms of creativity and style. If you are looking to sew girls' clothes that people will look twice at and that will ALWAYS get compliments (I have people asking me all the time where I got the little smock, which I sewed to be reversible from light to dark), this book is for you. I would go so far as to say that it is along the lines of Couture for children, and I HIGHLY recommend it.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps a matter of taste, but these clothes looked like feedsacks to me, November 10, 2009
This review is from: Carefree Clothes for Girls: 20 Patterns for Outdoor Frocks, Playdate Dresses, and More (Make Good: Crafts + Life) (Paperback)
I read about this book on a crafts blog that I trust, so I splurged and bought it right away from Amazon. I'm afraid I was terribly disappointed. The patterns are almost all the same, and they're these big sloppy sack-looking things. The photography is beautiful, but it can't completely disguise the fact that these are awfully messy looking garments. I think if I made one of these dresses for my daughter and sent her to school in it, they would send her back home because she was wearing dirty underwear as a dress.
I, too, love the Japanese aesthetic, and I've purchased a bunch of clothing books in Japanese, figuring I might be able to decipher the patterns. So, I was really looking forward to having a Japanese clothing book that was actually translated into English. What a disappointment that the publishers chose to translate this one when there are so many adorable Japanese kids clothing books out there.
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