Little Girls, Big Style: Sew a Boutique Wardrobe from 4 Easy Patterns [Paperback]

Mary Abreu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2010

Give Your Girl Some Twirl!

• Every day is dress-up day-mix and match 4 basic patterns into hundreds of adorable outfits
• Complete instructions on all the basics-finishing seams, gathering, topstitching, hemming, shirring, and more
• Beginner-friendly approach to sewing "boutique" clothing for girls
• Make it your own with your favorite fabrics and embellishments

With 23 projects in sizes 2-6, you can create a closet full of clothes for any little girl in your life. Everything you need to learn is here, from the basic sewing to the stylish finishing. It's all about handmade!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reading Abreu's book is like sitting down with a patient, and exceedingly competent, friend for an afternoon of sewing. Abreu, who created the popular blog Confessions of a Craft Addict, is nothing if not helpful, providing tiny inset tips such as "If you cut along the Tiered Pants line, you can make a quick pair of shorts instead of pants or capris," and creating the feeling that anything is possible. She provides a quick review for the unsteady reader in "Techniques A to Z," with good, clear photos helping make her points. And she's always encouraging and forgiving. In "Handmade vs. homemade" she reminds a frustrated seamstress, "There is no shame in 'unsewing' your work." For the non-natural fashionista among us, she suggests pattern pairings, like a "Barely Basic Top" with the "Twirly Girly Skirt." Yes, the names the author gives her outfits crank the cute to 11 but, after all, this is a book for girls who are proud to fly their feminine flag, sometimes with the help of their mothers. And while the names often cross the line from cute into cloying, the photos put everything in perspective. This parade of adorables will have readers saying, "Who cares about the dress, I want the kid!" Photos.
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Review

(This) book is like sitting down with a patient, and exceedingly competent, friend for an afternoon of sewing. Abreu...is nothing if not helpful, providing tiny inset tips...and creating the feeling that anything is possible. --Publishers Weekly

Reading Abreu's book is like sitting down with a patient, and exceedingly competent, friend for an afternoon of sewing. Abreu, who created the popular blog Confessions of a Craft Addict, is nothing if not helpful, providing tiny inset tips such as If you cut along the Tiered Pants line, you can make a quick pair of shorts instead of pants or capris, and creating the feeling that anything is possible. She provides a quick review for the unsteady reader in Techniques A to Z, with good, clear photos helping make her points. And she's always encouraging and forgiving. In Handmade vs. homemade she reminds a frustrated seamstress, There is no shame in 'unsewing' your work. For the non-natural fashionista among us, she suggests pattern pairings, like a Barely Basic Top with the Twirly Girly Skirt. Yes, the names the author gives her outfits crank the cute to 11 but, after all, this is a book for girls who are proud to fly their feminine flag, sometimes with the help of their mothers. And while the names often cross the line from cute into cloying, the photos put everything in perspective. This parade of adorables will have readers saying, Who cares about the dress, I want the kid!--Publishers Weekly (1/31/11)

Mary Abreu has created four basic wardrobe pieces for little girls - skirt, pants, pull-over dress and peasant-style top/dress - and designed a series of variations to result in 23 different items. As the mother of a young daughter herself, she believes that sewing clothing fills a need to be creative, making something useful and fell the satisfaction from being able to say I made that. Her patterns provide you with the opportunity to dress your daughter or grand-daughter in one-of-a-kind outfits that fit perfectly. The book begins with a good overview of various techniques before moving into detailed and well illustrated step-by-step instructions for each garment. Full-size patterns are provided on sheets inserted inside the back cover...

Another fun sewing book for children's garments is Little Girls Big Style by Mary Abreu. Mary Abreu hit it out of the ballpark with this book, as her patterns are all the rage in mainstream children's fashion. Lots of ruffles, lots of colors and mix-matching fabrics. Mary focuses on garments that have a "boutique" feel to them. Not the pricey, ritzy brands we usually think of, but the "one-of-a-kind" custom-made garments that every little girl will love. Mary gives a lot of thoughtful comments about how she goes about choosing fabrics, colors, styles and weights as well as always keeping in mind whom she is sewing for. Mary gives a thorough introduction to tools and techniques, which include many clear and easy-to-understand photos. The patterns are divided into four basic garments: Basic Bodice, Peasant Top/Dress, Pants, and Skirts. She offers nice variations and a ton of embellishments to truly make your garments one of a kind. Mary offers 23 patterns in sizes 2-6. -- Review Source: www.petitepurls.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: C & T Pub (November 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607051885
• ISBN-13: 978-1607051886
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After stitching her first pillow by hand at age eight, Mary Abreu received a Holly Hobbie sewing machine - which she quickly ignored because the toy machine only sewed a chain stitch. Mary documents her many crafting adventures on her blog, Confessions of a Craft Addict (www.confessionsofacraftaddict.com), because her family grew tired of the daily craft show and tell. She also teaches apparel sewing classes at Intown Quilters in Decatur, Ga. Mary aspires to sew fantastical cosplay and Steampunk creations for herself -- if only she could tear herself away from sewing her daughter's wardrobe. When not sewing, she enjoys photography, baking and beating her husband and teenage sons at Scrabble.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mom's and Grandma's...Must Have Book! November 5, 2010

By J. nielson

Format:Paperback

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book last week! I Love it!
The first thing that caught my attention was the great photography. The outfits and styling are amazing! Then, I started reading the book...It is FULL of useful sewing information for the beginning and more advanced sewist. There are step by step photos detailing the how-to's of the more technical aspects of sewing the clothing items. The full size patterns, sizes 2-6, are a bonus! I recommend this book for the novice as well as the advanced seamstress. I can't wait to start sewing for all of the little girls in my life.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Beginners! January 10, 2011

By CountFergula

Format:Paperback

Although I am quite crafty in other ways, I had never been a machine sewer until I got a sewing machine last Christmas. The machine sat in a box until this Christmas, when my husband got me a copy of this book. What an amazing gift! I quite literally went from taking the machine out of the box to having a finished skirt for my daughter in less than four hours--and that included setting the machine up!

What sets this book apart from commercially-prepared patterns is that it actually explains what you're supposed to do, with great pictures to illustrate. There's an illustrated reference section in the front about various sewing techniques that's invaluable for a beginner. I suppose if you're an experienced sewer, that's not a big deal, but I found it to be EXTREMELY helpful, and I have consulted it often.

I can see how more advanced sewers might find this book a little "basic," but I found it to be totally approachable, non-intimidating, and easy to follow. The patterns are simple, but the resulting projects don't look that way. What a great way to build confidence and skills!

Since Christmas, I've made three of the skirt patterns, and am just starting on one of the "basic bodice" tops. Every project I've finished has looked just as cute as the pictures, and that makes me proud and fires me up to try the next pattern and make something else for my daughter.

The only downside: I think I'm addicted to sewing now, and I've spent far too much money on fabric to make cute things!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!!! Loved it!!!! November 16, 2010

By N. Torres

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really like this book because it takes the basic core patterns and provides details on how to create variations from the basic core design.

The projects and directions include the Basic Bodice (Barely Basic Top/Dress, Knotty Apron variation, Sunshine Halter, Side-Tiered smock, Perfect Party Dress, Pocket Pinafore, Ruffled Peek-a-Boo Jumper), Peasant Top/Dress (Classic, Ruffled Empire Dress/Top, Tiered Twirly dress, fluttered-Sleeved top, ruffled neck top), Pants (Pants/Capris, Ruffled pants, Racing stripe pants, Lace-Edged Gauchos, Tiered Pants) and Skirts (No-Hem, Treasure, on-the-border, apron skirt, double layer twirl skirt, twirly girly skirt).

I would definitely recommend this book to both the novice and the experience sewer. If you are starting to get into sewing boutique type clothing, I would recommend starting with this book instead of buying all the separate patterns that are out there. I wish that I was able to purchase this book before sewing girl clothes because it would have definately saved me money so that I could buy more fabric for my stash. :) You definitely get A LOT from this book and a bang for your buck!!! Happy Sewing!!! :)