Customer Reviews

Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby: 24 Easy Projects for Newborns to Toddlers

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has some very cute ideas for baby items. I have been using it to make presents for others and little things for my kids as well. In general, the projects are very simple and can be made by the most novice sewer/crafter. BUT, most aren't so simple that they aren't appealing to the more experienced.

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The good:
Patterns and fairly detailed written instructions are included. Many of the projects are so simple, that you might not even need to use the pattern or follow the instructions.

The photography and styling of the book are very accessible and comfortable, like talking to a friend. It has a nice approach.


I really liked the soft toys, the cozy winter hat, the "boppy" pillow, and the burp cloth/ washcloth/ diaper pad (all different projects but similar).

Lotta inspired the reader to be creative and to riff off of her basic ideas and designs. It was a great start.

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The "eeeehhh:"
The ideas really are very simple. I don't know if most people would feel that they are getting their money's worth out of this book.

Some of the projects are a little too wonky/ unfinished looking to be made as gifts. But, then again, this is "SIMPLE sewing for baby," not "detailed, painstaking, make-you-want-to-gauge-your-eyes-out sewing for baby."

The clothing in this book isn't a strong point, so if you're looking for cute dress or outfit ideas, look elsewhere.

I would have liked to see a few more projects.
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Overall, I would recommend this book as a gift for a newly pregnant crafty chick. I would highly recommend that if you're buying it for yourself, you get it from the library first to see if you would actually make use of the patterns and instructions. I definitely recommend taking a look, though, because the ideas are great and the fabrics she uses are inspiring.

This is a great book with a few flaws that some people will be able to handle and others won't. There are about 24 basic projects that are cute, fun, and simple.

My complaints:
- I have a lot of friends with babies or having babies, but have no kids myself. Like many other sewing for children books, this book does not give you an idea of general sizes for kids if you're making a gift. It is usually not possible for me to measure the child I'll be making the gift for. What fun /surprise is a gift if I have to go over to a friend's house and ask to measure her baby?

- Related to the above point, Some of the projects do not even have age ranges. For example, it does not help me to know that the finished size for the dress is 17 inches long. Will it fit a newborn? A toddler? something in between? I have no idea. Same with the hat - what age baby has a 17 inch head? The bloomers seem to be the only pattern that gives two options - one for a newborn-6 month, another for 6-12 months. It's not clear why the other projects do not have this helpful information.

- Like Lotta's other book, it is LIGHT on illustrations. For some, this is no problem. For someone like me who has a hard time sewing from written instructions that do not include some sort of illustration/diagram, this is an issue. And I have a fair amount of experience sewing. It is often not clear what the instructions are asking you to do, and it is time-consuming to figure it out. This is frustrating since there is ample white space on several of the instruction pages where it would have been so easy to toss in a diagram or two.

If you're able to work with the above issues, then this is a great book. As always, there are fun pictures and the book is very aesthetically pleasing.

This is a great book for very simple projects and I actually believe I can make some of these while I am on maternity leave this summer. I am excited to try and make the snuggler, changing pad, hats and soft letters especially. I was disappointed, however, that the clothing patterns do not have size indicators at all or instructions for making them in different sizes. Luckily I have a newborn so if I make these early enough she can still wear them, but I think this could be frustrating.

I love this book. In less than a week I've already made 2 baby hats and giraffe rattle with plans to make so much more when I learn the gender of my baby next month. There are patterns included for most of the items in the book, plus pictures and written instructions. All but the dress are uni-sex.

The patterns include:
*bloomers
*bib kerchief
*simple dress (with a cute little pocket friend)
*simple pants
*decorated tees and bodysuits
*2 kinds of baby hats and a scarf
*giraffe rattle
*a weird "buddy" that looks like a stuffed person in the shape of a very large fingertip ... with spindly arms & legs
*soft letter pillows (for play or decoration)
*soft book
*mini tag blanket
*snuggler
*bib
*play quilt with pocket
*book mates/bookends (more fingertip-shaped people)
*nursing pillow
*towel hoodie
*washcloths
*crib bumper
*diaper bag
*changing pad
*velcro pouches
*burp rags

Most of the items are simple enough to only take up an hour or so of your time to make (sometimes less in the case of items like the bibs). The instructions are okay. I've had to scribble in my own notes from trial and error or if I disagree with her method (why embroider before sewing if you're embroidering by hand?). But she tends to give too much information rather than not enough for most projects.

I think even the beginning seamstress could manage the projects in this book. A beginner might have to research a few phrases like "slipstitching", but all in all, these are probably some of the easiest and universally useful baby patterns around.

My only gripe about this book is that I really hate Lotta's choice of fabric. Ew. Luckily, this means that when I compare everything I make to the pictures in the book, mine look better even if it's only because I like my fabric choices better. Everyone is entitled to their own taste in colors and patterns. You might not like my navy blue and olive green giraffe as much as I do. ;)

I think this book delivers "simple sewing" projects. It has some cute ideas but I can't help but feel that the instructions were rushed and not tested appropriately. I was disappointed with lack of sizing and measurements. Also, I noticed some editorial mistakes in the instructions section of the dress AND pattern markings. This wasn't a huge issue, since I'm fairly knowledgeable about sewing techniques. Please note that when you make the dress, the patttern does not indicate where you should stop sewing the back peices together. You will have to mark this on your own so that your baby's head can fit through the hole! Yeah, it's that important.

I loved this book! I bought it during the last two weeks of my maternity leave in a sprint of creativity. I was able to make a number of projects that turned out very cute in a short amount of time. Most projects are easily completed in one evening, even with an infant and a 3 year old pulling on me.

Yes, more pictures might be nice. But, the written directions are very clear if you take the time to read them closely. And, the pictures that are included are very good.

My favorite projects were the bloomers and the simple pants. So adorable!!!

I'm not much of a sewing savvy person (I had to ask someone what it meant when I first read 'bias strip'). So, this book would probably be boring for someone with any sewing skill. But, that's why it is called "Simple Sewing". And, I think it also has value simply in that it gives you ideas you can use as springboards for more complicated projects down the road.

I received this book as a gift and I have enjoyed it immensely. So far I have made the snuggler, five pairs of the bloomers, five rattles, the bag, and the nursing pillow, all with great results. I really love that she included the nursing pillow pattern--this is probably the easiest thing I have made and you could never go out and buy a linen boppy! I plan on making more bloomers and some more of the clothes, hats, changing pad, etc. The sewing really is simple as long as you know some basic techniques, and in some of the projects you can alter the procedure a bit to either make it easier (or more complicated) to better fit your time allotment/tools/agenda. For example, I don't have a serger and some of my materials still get fringy after pinking shears and/or zigzag stitching, so I have been putting a french seam in some of the items. On the flipside, I didn't feel like making bias tape one day so I just used store-bought (that wasn't quite the size called for) and altered the instructions a little and it worked fine.

Like most reviewers, I was a little confused about sizing, even with the bloomers that are labeled; being that my baby is not born yet, I pretty much just guessed at the elastic in the waist and legs, left some extra, and sewed them so they'd be easy to alter later if necessary.

Also, I have found that the amounts of fabric called for are pretty generous and I have made most items with far less, although I guess it always depends on how wide your fabric is.

My sweet husband bought this book for me in my fifth month of pregnancy because I love to sew and craft. I found the book's format very approachable, and the projects seemed doable. The author is straightforward about how much time a particular project will take. So far I have made about a dozen pairs of the bloomers (love them!), two snugglers, the dress with pocket friend, a diaper bag, two changing pads, and a nursing pillow. I have plans to make the tag blankie, several rattles, and two more snugglers as gifts and eventually I want to make an alphabet's worth of soft letters and a bunch of "buddies" in various sizes. The sex of our child is a surprise, so once s/he arrives I'm sure I'll be making a bunch of little dresses or pants.

I agree with other reviewers that sizes would be helpful. However, I'm not that worried about it, as every child grows at their own pace. I have size 6mo onesies that are smaller than size 3mo onesies, and I know 8-month olds that weigh 25 lbs compared to 12-month olds that weigh 20 lbs. Infant sizing just seems kind of arbitrary to me.

The only reason I won't give this book 5 stars is that there are some flaws in the sewing instructions. For example, in the snuggler pattern, after you sew the darts, you are told to leave the lining piece wrong side out and turn the outer piece right side out, and then pin them together so that the right sides are facing each other. Well, if you follow the instructions exactly, you end up with the wrong sides facing each other, not the right. In the dress pattern, you are never told to sew down the neck bias strip, even though the picture of the finished project shows it done. And I sometimes feel that she requires a bit too much fabric - the dress calls for one yard but I made it out of 3/4 yard with plenty leftover, and the bloomers call for 3/4 yard but I can get two pairs out of 3/4 yard with plently left for bias strips.

My second baby is now 6 months old and I wish I had time to sew beautiful outfits, toys, blankets and stuff. But, there is the toddler to play with, the baby to feed, not to forget the husband, and, oh well. You get the idea.

Along comes this book. Lots of fun ideas - yes, they are simple, but did I come up with them? No. My brain is full of diaper changes and temper tantrums.

I am actually looking forward to completing some of the projects in the book as decoration for the nursery. I love the Alphabet and will certainly make some of the stuffed letters.

I also like the tag blanket (not a new idea but still fun) and the baby rattle.

As I haven't made any of the projects (yet) I can't talk about the instructions, they seem fairly detailed, though and like a previous reviewer said, most of the projects are easy enough to do without detailed instructions as well. I specifically like the take out patterns. Very well thought out layout.

All in all I think it's a great book full of fresh and simple ideas.

Yay: Yes, the patterns are easy, which is nice when you have a free day to sit and sew a few things quickly. Get some nice fabric and you can make some seriously cute velcro baggies and nursing pillows!!

Nay: As I recall, the pattern for the snuggler called for 1 yard of outside fabric and 1 yard of inside fabric...but when I laid out the pattern on my fabric (right sides facing, selvages together) I could not cut the 2 pattern pieces (it looked like I was at least an extra 1/2 yd. short!). That meant an extra trip to the store and time wasted. Not cool. If you sew the snuggler you should get 2 yrds. to be on the safe side (then you can make some matching toys or baggies with your extra fabric).

I'm glad I got this at the library and spent my money on the copy machine.