Boyd - Fairy Tale Sewing: 20 Whimsical Toys, Dolls and Softies

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Dedicated to my Sweet Celia; thank you for sharing so many wonderful books with me, for being my ever present tester and expert design consultant.

One of the joys of being a teacher, grandparent or parent is reading stories out loud to our children. We travel to wondrous places in our imaginations and share the adventures of heroines and heroes. Whether its quiet time, sitting by the fire or snuggling under the covers at bedtime, by sharing beautifully written and illustrated stories, we ignite a love of reading while passing timeless legends to the next generation.

Classic fairy tales are an integral part of our storytelling culture; most tales were shared verbally long before they landed in print in the early 1800s. While some of the original Hans Christian Andersen and The Brothers Grimm stories can be dark, many of the retold versions are wonderfully empowering. Lisa Campbell Ernst authored two such books: in her The Gingerbread Girl, a feisty cookie outsmarts the fox by lassoing him with a licorice rope, and a capable tractor-driving Grandma takes care of the pesky fox in Little Red Riding Hood, A Newfangled Prairie Tale.

Creating original toys based on beloved old tales and spunky new ones reinforces the importance of reading. The predictability of a well-known character like the Princess and the Pea or Puss in Boots will comfort your child; theyre the superheroes of the book world. By placing the actual character in their hands, youre inspiring them to rescript the stories and act out their own adventures. All the projects in this book can be props for open-ended pretend play. The gorgeous fabric vegetables in the Stone Soup Pot might turn up in your next restaurant meal. The pop-up Castle can set the stage for countless dragon battles or tea parties. The familiar pig and dwarf characters in the play totes can move beyond their classic tales, teaming together to explore the exciting world of your home. And who says the Little Mermaid has to put up with the evil sea witchs curse? She can live happily in the human world and swim through a sea of blankets at night.

Designing this book was an absolute joy; you couldnt find a more inspiring cast of human, animal and magical characters. I strove to simplify construction so that every project is easy and fun to stitch, while ensuring the finished creation would appeal to a discerning young audience. Enjoy perusing the photo gallery of projects. Once you reach the instructions, youll find of most of the designs require a yard or less of fabric. Dig right into your fabric stash and see what you already have on hand; within an hour or two you could be stitching eyes onto a finished toy. Its impossible to suppress a smile when youre stuffing a fluffy dragon, snipping apart a unicorns mane, stitching up troll pants or attaching little pig tails. By sewing for a child in your life, youll reawaken your own inner child. Best of all, by creating a handmade keepsake, youll become your childs creative hero/heroine.

Happy Stitching!

Heidi

Troll, .

Whos that tramping over my bridge?

Three Billy Goats Gruff, Norwegian fairy tale

Puss in Boots, .

You have but to give me a sack and a pair of boots and you will find you are not so ill off as you suppose.

Puss in Boots, Charles Perrault

The Little Mermaid, .

I would gladly give all the hundreds of years that I have to live to be a human being only for one day, and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of that glorious world above the stars.

The Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf (reversible), .

Grandmother! What big eyes you have!

Little Red Riding Hood, Charles Perrault

Unicorn, .

Even now, between the breaking waves, you may sometimes hear the warm breathing of the Unicorns close by.

Unicorns! Unicorns!, Geraldine McCaughrean

Shoemakers Elves, .

At midnight, the elves came into the room and sat at the table. Instead of leather cut out and waiting, they found wonderful little clothes.

The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Brothers Grimm

Little Red Hen Embroidery, .

Very well then, I will do it myself.

The Little Red Hen, Russian folktale

Ugly Duckling Embroidery, .

Im not an ugly duckling, he honked. Im a beautiful swan!

The Ugly Duckling, Hans Christian Andersen

Frog Prince Embroidery, .

But as he fell, he ceased to be a frog, and became all at once a prince.

The Frog Prince, The Brothers Grimm

Cinderellas Shoes, .

Cinderella sat down, and, putting the slipper to her foot, he found that it went on very easily.

Cinderella, Charles Perrault

Dragon, .

None of my books ever told me that dragons purred!

The Reluctant Dragon, Kenneth Grahame

Medieval Castle,

The king ordered the castles great brass gates to be opened so that the tidings of peace and joy might spread through all the land.

Saint George and the Dragon, Margaret Hodges