Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby [Hardcover-spiral]

Anna Maria Horner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2010

WILEY PUBLISHING-Handmade Beginnings. This book features twenty-four sewing projects to welcome baby. Mothers-to-be; grandparents; family; and friends will treasure this collection of sewing projects to welcome home a new baby. Stylish prints and colors combine in unique designs to give you projects ranging from booties and a quilt to an embroidered family tree and a thank you note organizer; and everything in between. Featuring seven original Anna Marie Horner paper patterns. Author: Anna Marie Horner. Hardcover Spiral-Bound: 160 pages. Imported.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

24 sewing projects that celebrate the joy of a new baby

Come stitch alongside celebrated fabric designer Anna Maria Horner as she prepares for her own new baby. This stunning collection of nursery decor, keepsakes, maternity wear, baby's clothing, and more is all breathtakingly photographed as Anna Maria progresses through her pregnancy.

Mothers-to-be, grandparents, family, and friends will treasure this collection of sewing projects to welcome home a new baby. Stylish prints and colors combine in unique designs to give you 24 projects ranging from booties and a quilt to an embroidered family tree and a thank you note organizer, and everything in between.

• Includes seven bonus loose-leaf paper patterns neatly tucked inside
• Includes a brief primer on sewing for babies, including fabric selection and safety considerations
• Other titles by Horner: Seams to Me

Saturated with gorgeous full-color photography, Handmade Beginnings gives new and veteran sewers colorful, contemporary, yet classic, patterns to mark one of life's biggest milestones.

Free Pattern from Handmade Beginnings

Nesting Cubes

Nesting Cubes Handmade toys are the best kind that you can give your own children, and they make loving gifts for expectant friends and family members. Because these are sweet and soft, they are particularly good newborn toys. Choosing colors and patterns high in contrast will help occupy even the newest baby as his eyes develop. Building, stacking, and hiding objects are all favorite skills for babies as they grow into becoming clever little toddlers. This set of Nesting Cubes helps baby begin to master those skills, and fun ribbon loops make grasping and playing easier. The sewing itself is quite simple, and you’ll have some lovely handcrafted décor for your baby’s nest. The more cubes you make, the higher the tower will grow, and the more giggle-y the tumbling down will be.

From the Back Cover

24 sewing projects for mama, baby, family, and nest

Come stitch alongside celebrated fabric designer Anna Maria Horner as she awaits and then welcomes her newest child. This stunning collection of nursery décor, keepsakes, maternity wear, baby clothing, and more is all breathtakingly photographed as Anna Maria progresses through her pregnancy. Moms-to-be, grandparents, family, and friends will find inspired, truly stylish sewing projects from the irresistibly cute to the pretty as a picture:

Here We Go Bag

• Sixth Time's the Charm Quilt

• Cute as a Button Booties

• Mariposa Dress & Tunic

• Family Portrait Tree

Saturated with gorgeous full-color photography, Handmade Beginnings gives new and veteran sewers colorful, contemporary, yet classic, patterns to mark one of life's biggest milestones.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470497815
• ISBN-13: 978-0470497814
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute patterns but some bugs need ironing out May 16, 2010

By busy_mom

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just got the book and am making the maternity/nursing top. The design is so cute and really functional. My only problem is that I think I may have come across a few problems in the pattern, some of which were not fixable. The pieces in this pattern are all rectangles and I think for one part, the orientation (cross-wise or with the grain) is not given correctly. Once it's cut however, there is no re-doing it without a trip to the fabric store! I was able to finagle it because the print I was using was pretty forgiving but it's a serious flaw depending on the print.
I also thought the lengths didn't end up all the same - I had to cut some pieces to create a straight hem in the end. Not much of a problem however the top is already fairly short. My attempt at lengthening it (using the 'long' direction from the larger and the 'wide' direction from the smaller pattern) was foiled by the aforementioned flaw where the orientation was wrong. Not a big deal - once the shirt doesn't cover my belly anymore, I will just wait to use it as a nursing top.
If you're tall, I definitely recommend figuring out how to make the top an inch longer.

I still love the book and will make the mariposa dress next - I wish I could have found a fabric as cute as the one in the picture, but I had to resort to something less special. I might updated my review based on the next project...

Update: I finished the mariposa dress today. Again, I had a problem with the pattern - this time the width of the skirt back panel and the bodice back panel didn't work out to match after cutting the hip shape as instructed. I don't think I messed up. I could still work around it though.... There was one typo in the instruction referring to step 38 instead of 39, which was a pretty obvious one yet disastrous if not caught.
I am currently 32 weeks PG (and currnetly 167lbs) and the dress in the S/M size barely fits my belly. I made the dress an inch longer and I wish I'd made it 2 more inches longer. I am 5'8" which makes me sometimes 'tall' but mostly 'regular' in store sizes. This is not a serious flaw, just something to be aware of.
Something else I noticed is that when they say 'line up the notches' that you cut to mark the orientation in the pieces (e.g. when putting in the sleeves) it just means to put them together so the notches are on the same side. If you tried to actually match these notches, you'd end up with a mess. I usually sew of European patterns which are altogether different, so I am not positive this is really a flaw. But I am used to have the notches actually match exactly, so this was disconcerting and I am glad I went with my gut feeling and didn't line them up exactly.
Overall the dress came out cute, and I have gotten compliments on it. I took only 1 afternoon to sew (after cutting the previous day), and it's really a neat design.

Update#2: I have now made the hooded toddler jacket as well as the reversible toddler pants from this book, both projects went off without a hitch and came out TOTALLY ADORABLE. Lots and lots of compliments on the results. I wonder if I will figure out how to post a photo. This book as proven itself totally worthwhile and I think I will continue to use the patterns in it a lot. Read more ›

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Some good, some disappointments April 29, 2010

By C. Jacobs

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been waiting for this book to come out, so I was thrilled when it arrived in my mailbox. I love Anna Maria Horner's style. I think the baby projects are great - reversible pants, cute booties, quilts and other necessities, but stylish, modern and sweet. The instructions seem clear, though there could be more photos or diagrams of some patterns.
My biggest disappointment is in the Sewing for Mama chapter. The pattern sizes for clothing are only in small, medium and large. I'm not an accomplished enough seamstress to properly enlarge a pattern for myself, so the Mariposa dress I was really hoping to make is out. But, that part aside, I am really enjoying the book and have already picked out some projects to work on for my little one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sewing Book For More Than Babies May 10, 2010

By Vanessa K.

Format:Hardcover-spiral

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this book and Anna Maria does not disappoint. The projects are really cute and versatile. While of course there are a group of projects specifically for babies (it is a baby-book after all), many of the projects can be made for other purposes as well. I just made the Lingering Layers skirt, and I can say that the directions were clear and the pattern pieces fit together as they should. I highly recommend this book for any sewing/crafter.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Newbies! January 12, 2011

By Jen Gordon

Format:Hardcover-spiral

I'm new to sewing, and the most difficult part of getting started on is finding projects that have well-written instructions. The book is beautifully illustrated with easy to understand directions and really cute photos of the finished product. Highly recommend!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Projects June 11, 2010

By BOOK REVIEW VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover-spiral

I haven't made any of the projects in the book so I can't speak to the accuracy of patterns but the designs are really fun. Beautifully photographed. For those who are having some trouble with the patterns, I'm not really super surprised. Independent designers don't have the support of pattern testers and technical writers like the main pattern companies like McCall's etc. who use standardized terminology, phraseology, symbols etc. Sort of the trade off you end up making when you select a pattern from an independent designer. On the other hand, have you noticed that a lot of fabrics from quilt fabric designers are showing up in the big pattern company catalogues? Also, every time I walk into a department store it seems that some textile manufacturer has ripped off design ideas coming out of the blogosphere. After reading the reviews here, I think I would try to make a mock up of any of the clothing garments out of inexpensive muslin as a trial before I cut into my expensive fabric from the quilt store. Also, it would be so nice if these patterns could be published simultaneously with the launch of a new fabric line so people have the opportunity to buy the same fabric as that seen in the sample from the book. Either way, the book is definitely a keeper, something I'll enjoy in my library for a long time.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous style and really unique patterns April 29, 2010

By A. Sell

Format:Hardcover-spiral

I have been patiently waiting for this book to publish ever since the author mentioned it on her blog a few months ago. The projects are really unique and I love that the book has projects for the mama, baby, family and nest. Any sewer would find these projects inspiring. As soon as I received it, I started working on a pillow that would look great in any room of the house. I can see myself making projects out of this book for myself- and wonderful baby gifts for others- for many years to come.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally a useful baby book July 22, 2011

By ABK

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are so many "sewing for baby" books out there. And they all seem to have certain obligatory projects that are just too simple to actually be in a book (plain bib, changing pad, baby blanket/quilt). But Handmade Beginnings stands out because the projects are different, inspiring, and not something an advanced beginner couldn't just whip up on their own without a pattern or instruction. This is a book that would actually be used for patterns and instructions, not just eye-candy ideas.

I have only made the quick-change trousers so far, and I did alter the pattern a bit to fit more loosely over a cloth-diapered bum. But they worked up fine and I didn't run into the errors that other reviewers claimed were out there. Double check Anna maria's website for Errata (known typos and omissions) and you should be good to go!

I've looked at a lot of sewing for baby books (preview from the library before I commit to buy) and compared to Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby or even Amy Butler's Little Stitches, this book is a stand out.