Kindle the imagination with these loveable handmade fabric toys! Inspired by vintage 1940s patterns, projects include dolls, softies, pillows, puppets, and little girl’s handbag. Learn toy-making tips to give your creation personal style and a sweet disposition. Author Jill Hamor gives ideas for involving children in the process to teach them basic sewing skills. Customize any project to fit your skill level and time commitment, and have fun making outfits for your dolly from your favorite fabrics, scraps, or even upcycled bits from old clothes. Share the love of handmade with your whole family…the young and the young at heart!
Storybook Toys
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Jill Hamor has created 16 toy projects all inspired by vintage doll patterns from the 1940s. She studied photographs of old designs and toy patterns as well as images of toys of the era on vintage greeting cards and in children's picture books to get a good feel for the shapes and the look, and then applied them to her own dolls, softies, pillows, puppets and a little girl's first handbag. The book includes an overview of general tools, techniques and embroidery stitches used in the projects; in-depth guidelines for faces and hair; and detailed, step-by-step instructions for eight dolls and eight softies. Jill has included projects that only take a few hours to complete as well as others that require a more significant investment of time and effort. Each project includes suggestions for personalising the toy and tips for involving children in their construction - making it a wonderful resource for passing your crafting skills and interest on to the next genera tion. All patterns are provided full size on pages in the book and in a tear-out pattern sheet inside the back cover.
--Australian Homespun Magazine; 3/5/13
--Australian Homespun Magazine; 3/5/13
About the Author
Jill Hamor grew up in Southern California where she loved to draw. She has since evolved her passion for drawing to design, sew, and knit for the children in her life. She now resides in Northern California. bybido.blogspot.com/
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I followed Jill's blog and was a huge fan of her style and craftsmanship in her doll and toy making. I pre-ordered this book as soon as I heard about it. I have to say this is one amazing book! She generously shares her techniques on how to embroider adorable faces, make different style hairdos, suggestions on fabric the list goes on and on - everything you need to know to make a quality doll or toy. There are 17 patterns that are all adorable! In most books of this type you typically receive just a handful of patterns. The selection she shares is very impressive. She gives templates as well as complete and detailed instructions for beginners and advanced sewers too! If you enjoy making dolls and toys or are thinking of starting I highly recommend this book to you!
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a book for people who know how to sew! All projects are amazing, no filler and same theme through the book.
November 13, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Finally a book where I want to sew everything in it! All the projects are equally as interesting! Too many books have one advanced project and too many beginner projects. This book is for people who can sew and know patterns. I would not recommend it for your very first sewing project but the directions are very easy to follow and complete. It's the best collection in a book that I have ever seen, I am just so tired of books using simple pin cushions and tote bags. I actually want to make the elephant pin cushion in this book! And the girl purse, tote is adorable! It's very orginal, different and has a vintage feel... Well worth the buy. Not your average sewing book!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic Book For Anyone Interesed in Doll and Soft Toy Making
November 13, 2012
By Abigail
Format:Paperback
Jill Hamor has created a truly fantastic book with Storybook Toys. This concept of this book is to revisit the style of handmade toys and illustrations from the 1930s-1950s through 16 projects (8 dolls and 8 toys). Each of the projects is special, beautiful, and unique and each one conveys a nostalgic feeling and is cleverly designed. I made the Roly Poly Duck today and the directions are impeccable! Other patterns include a topsy turvy doll, marionette, hand puppets, a purse, a puppy with a pocket for treasures, a range of lovely cloth dolls, and more.
The front portion of the book give excellent information on doll and toy making. I make dolls and toys for a living and I learned several new techniques from this book - information I've haven't read elsewhere. There is a detailed section on all the different ways to create yarn hair and make various elaborate hairstyles as well as a detailed part about embroidering the eyes on dolls (Jill does excellent embroidery). Jill's craftsmanship and attention to detail is very evident in the images of the finished projects. The steps are illustrated with line drawings and the instructions are clear and succinct. The pattern pieces are all full-sized, including a pull-out section of paper patterns that you can trace.
If you like making dolls and stuffed animals, this book is a worthy investment. It's a great book!
The front portion of the book give excellent information on doll and toy making. I make dolls and toys for a living and I learned several new techniques from this book - information I've haven't read elsewhere. There is a detailed section on all the different ways to create yarn hair and make various elaborate hairstyles as well as a detailed part about embroidering the eyes on dolls (Jill does excellent embroidery). Jill's craftsmanship and attention to detail is very evident in the images of the finished projects. The steps are illustrated with line drawings and the instructions are clear and succinct. The pattern pieces are all full-sized, including a pull-out section of paper patterns that you can trace.
If you like making dolls and stuffed animals, this book is a worthy investment. It's a great book!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cute Dolls
The Rag Dolls in this book are very cute! I like the costumes that come with the Dolls and am looking forward to making one of them very soon.
Published 19 days ago by Giao Tram
5.0 out of 5 stars
Storybook Toys
I've followed Jill's Blog and was jumping with joy when I found out she had a book!!! And the book does not dissapoint. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Krista
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great pictures and instructions
This book is worth the price for the chapter on faces and hair alone. I have made many cloth dolls and wanted a better way to apply hair. Found it in this book.
Published 26 days ago by Sally Carlson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I expected but still very good
This book is really good cause it has a nice section on embroidered faces and yarn hair, that makes it all worth it...but for the projects... Read more
Published 1 month ago by craftyworkaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars
So beautiful
The projects in this book are so beautiful. I am currently working on one of the dolls. As a beginner/intermediate sewer I've found the projects to be pretty complicated. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Momonabudget
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book, great patterns
I was very happy to find the doll--Topsy, Turvy type-- that I was looking for. This book has great patterns that can be adapted as you wish to customize your doll projects.
Published 1 month ago by happy in Idaho
4.0 out of 5 stars
Storybook Toys
I was disapointed in this book as I was hoping that it had a few Topsy dolls and it only has one. But, as for the rest of the book, it has a lot of items in it, good items to do... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dede
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally found a great pattern book for dolls
The patterns are so sweet. The details are perfect from the stitching of the eyes to the detail of the hair. I can't wait to make my own version! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Carolyn H Duffy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book!
I haven't made anything from this yet but it is a beautiful book; seems well organized and well written with clear instructions. The dolls are adorable
Published 3 months ago by Punkin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very happy with this book!
Many patterns for the "old fashioned" vintage-look toys. There are patterns for dolls, animals, and "pop-up" toys. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sunny
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