Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library

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Crafty Mama

Crafty Mama makes 49 fast, fabulous, foolproof (baby and toddler) projects by Abby Pecoriello

If you love crafts and are also interested in baby stuff, this is the book for you. Author Abby Pecoriello is the author of Crafty Mamas blog (subtitled: i had a baby. i freaked out. i crafted. i made friends. we crafted together. i wrote a book. i have a blog.)

The book includes advice on how to find other crafty mamas in your area and start a crafting group, especially since many projects are easier to do once all of the supplies are assembled for everyone. Projects are organized into broad categories like nursery accessories, eating and diaper changing goodies, clothing, and photo ideas. The instructions for each project are clear, supply lists are detailed and photos of finished projects are gorgeous and plentiful.

I was disappointed that the “no sew” instructions sometimes made the fabric projects much more complicated than if you just bought a cheap sewing machine and used a simple straight stitch to make a seam, but if you feel comfortable sewing you could substitute in that step for her alternate instructions. I’m also sad to realize that my baby is more of a toddler (she actually took her first steps the same day I read this book) so some of the projects in this book were too “young” for our family now. I wish I would have found this book a year ago! Since my sister and I both had “crafty” baby showers (scrapbook pages at hers, fabric markers on quilt squares at mine) I was thrilled to see lots of ideas for adapting projects to a baby shower setting.

Crafty Mama book cover

Other projects I am considering trying:

Insta-Bib (attach mitten clips to a ribbon, turn any cloth into a temporary bib)

the no-sew mohawk (fleece, tied up the top with strips to make the spikes)

The project that my sister and I tried last weekend was the 10-minute tutu. It was really as easy as the book described (cut tulle and ribbon, tie onto an elastic headband with larkshead knots, and you are done!) and as a bonus I found cheap fairy wands at the fabric store. As you can see, the skirt was a success!

Do you have a favorite craft book, pattern or project for making kids stuff? Share your ideas in the comments!