Annabel Wrigley - We Love to Sew: 28 Pretty Things to Make: Jewelry, Headbands, Softies, T-Shirts, Pillows, Bags & More

Dedication For Darren, Ollie, and Ruby ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my amazing husband, Darren, whose infinite encouragement and support has made this entire process a little less terrifying. Your unspoken dedication to making everything easier for me never went unnoticed and will be forever appreciated. To my creative daughter, Ruby, who has served as constant inspiration to me and has shown me that children are capable of so much more than we give them credit for! To my extraordinary son, Oliver, who made it his priority every day to ask me how my day was going as I sat in pajamas in front of the computer with bed hair at 3 P.M. To my amazing and supportive group of friends, old and new, near and far, who have served as sounding boards, therapists, cheer squad, and pit crew. You know who you are, and I love every last one of you. To Gresh, whose constant love, support, daily messages, and genuine excitement for this project have lifted me up and kept me motivated to keep going even when piles of homework and dirty dishes threatened to take me off track.

To my wonderful family members back home, who have been through this process with me all the way and whom I miss daily. So many thanks to my agent, Kate McKean, who handled my freak-out emails with patience and understanding, and whose guidance has been invaluable. Thanks to everyone at C&T for helping me and guiding me in the process of making a beautiful book. To Cynthia Bix, my amazing and calm editor who has never once doubted I could do this even though at times I was not sure. To Diane, Kristy, and Zinnia for understanding my creative vision and letting me run with it. To Carolyn, for helping me make this book easy to use for all the crafty kids out there.

And, of course, to acquisitions editor Susanne Woods, who made this all happen and took a chance on this crazy book idea I had! To my photographer, Kristen Gardner, who helped make this book so beautiful. Your breathtaking images constantly make me gasp! To Peter Dahlquist for his ability to take an idea and sketch it so beautifully. Your illustrations are wonderful! Of course, to Ruby, Alexa, and Molly, my little models, who braved subzero temperatures and still remained happy in every shot! A mountain of love and thanks to each and every student at Little Pincushion Studio. You are the reason I do what I do, the reason I love what I do. You have given me so much joy in the creative journey we all take together. Finally, thank you to my grandmother, Nin, whose crafting spirit I feel is with me in every stitch, every creative decision, and every great achievement.

I miss you. A note to parents from Heather Ross The value of handmade objects, for most of us, is learned in childhood. It is in our nature to make thingsa small but sure boat made from a leaf and stick, a first pretend pet imagined from a friendly looking pinecone and a few twigs, or even small but promising sculptures from our unloved mashed potatoes. As children, we will look at any object and instinctively ask ourselves how we might use or be amused by it. And with these exercises, we learn to create, to imagine, and to seek inspiration. It seems crucial to our development, this process, and yet we hardly have to strain a brain cell anymore.

As parents it is all too easy to provide quick, vivid entertainment in the form of technology. Of course we would rather give our children a simple bag of craft sticks and push them to imagine what fun could be had with them. But its far too easy to hand them the iPad instead. Thank goodness for books like these, that put so much at our fingertipsgorgeous images, excellent how-to guidance, and most important of all, Promised Fun. Delivered. Annabel Wrigley has done an exceptional job with this book, which should be included in every home and craft library.

Annabels crafts are designed to appeal to many ages. They are beautiful and in some cases quite useful. Her lovely, wistful photos will remind you that childhood is best spent out of doors surrounded by those you lovewith enough paper, string, and glue to build a small city, and a bit of mud on your knees and elbows. Heather Ross Heather Ross is an author and artist. Her illustrations appear on textiles and paper goods; on the pages of her books, Weekend Sewing and Heather Ross Prints ; and on her blog, heatherross.squarespace.com . W elcome! I am so glad you decided to take the plunge and start sewing with me.

Sewing is so much fun! Once you get the hang of it, youll be amazed at the awesome things you can create all by yourself. In my sewing classes at Little Pincushion Studio, I teach girls like you to sew. I love showing people how to make things! We make all sorts of fun projects just like the ones in this book. I wrote this book because I really want to inspire you to start sewing. I want you to get creative and not be afraid to try something new. There are no complicated instructions.

And perfection is optional! Listennone of us is perfect. We all just try to be the best we can. All the projects in this book have been designed just for you. Some of them may take a little bit more time than others. But I guarantee that all the work will be worth it in the end when youve created something that you are proud to call your own. At the end of every sewing class I ask my girls, What do you want to make next week? This book is a collection of the most loved projects that we have made in class together.

These are the projects that kids really do want to sew. I know you will, too. Enjoy! Annabel How to use this book In this book, you will find everything from cute owl stuffies to felt flower accessories. Some projects are pretty easy, and some are a bit more challenging. Youll notice that each project has a symbol at the top. Heres what each symbol means.

EASY PEASY Start with these projects, especially if you are not super comfy yet with using your sewing machine. These are fun hand sewing projects that youll have no trouble finishing. A TEENY BIT MORE CHALLENGING Youll need a little confidence for these projects. You should be comfortable with using the sewing machine and with hand sewing. You are going to have so much fun with these! TAKE YOUR TIME AND ASK FOR HELP These projects need some patience and a great attitude. If you really know your way around your sewing machine, go for it! I know you can do it.

You may want to ask for help from an adult or other experienced sewer. We all need a little help sometimes! I really think that working through the skill levels in the book will help you gain confidence. And youll soon have the super crafty skills to tackle the challenging projects!

Thoughts to sew by Gosh, Ill bet you are itching to dive in and get started on some of these projects! Before you do, take just a minute to think about these important things. 1 Stay positive Always start a project with a positive outlook. Some projects might look hard to make. But theyre not! If you get stuck, take a break.

Get a cookie and a glass of milk. Dance to your favorite song. Then come back and try again. Youll be amazed at how much better youll feel. 2 Use your imagination Please dont be afraid to be creative. Go ahead and mix some crazy fabrics together.