I decided to treat myself.  I had a $50 gift card for Amazon, so I added 39 cents to it and purchased these three books, all of which have been sitting in my cart for quite some time!  Have I ever mentioned that I am a complete book NUT!  I love books, but I especially love craft/sewing/quilting books, it truly is a weakness for me, I am rapidly running out of space to store them all!  I really lucked out with this bunch of books, because I will honestly say that all three are fabulous!

The first, Sew Serendipity Bags by Kay Whitt is a book filled with 12 different bag patterns.  I love her style of books and patterns, she hand draws all of the instructional pictures, and this creates such a nice effect in the book, and such clear instructions.  Not only do I want to make this bag shown on the cover, there is a diaper bag pattern that makes me want to make another, even though I totally don't need it!  At the beginning of the book she goes over all the basics of handbag making and supplies needed, and I really think this is such a great resource of information, and so clearly written and illustrated!  If you make handbags, this one is a must!

As soon as I learned that I was having another little boy, I knew that I NEEDED to get this book.  This book, Sewing For Boys is one of the first, solely devoted to sewing for boys, which is a much needed thing in the book/pattern market.  If you only have boys, then you know that the boy clothing world is seriously lacking in patterns and cute ideas for little boys.  Everyone thinks about sewing for girls, but the poor little boys of the world get overlooked.  Not anymore, thankfully!  I love the classic designs in this book that will withstand the test of time and aren't "trendy."  I really think this one will be just as relevant 10 years from now, as it is today, which is really nice since this book ranges from infant sizing to size 7.  I want to make almost everything in this book, and hope to at some point, I really love all the pants patterns in this book, and do hope to make them sooner than later.  My only complaint, is that there are really only 2-3 infant patterns, and I do wish they had a few more for that size range.  On a whole, that really is a small complaint, and once again all the instructional pictures are very clear to understand and read.  If you want to sew for your little boy, then grab this book!

My last book purchase, Modern Blocks is definitely my favorite of the three.  I have already mapped out all the blocks that I want to eventually make, and that list is really long!  Each two page spread contains instructions on how to make the block, a 6" image of the block (exactly 50% scale, because all of the blocks are 12" finished blocks,) and basic information about the block.  The simplicity of this book makes it that much more appealing, and since there are 99 blocks, you are bound to find something you just "have to make!"  Since the blocks are submitted by different designers, there is quite the variety ranging from applique, embroidery, paper piecing and traditional piecing.  I really hope they keep this series of books going, because I would love to have volume 2, 3... and so on!  This would be the perfect Christmas gift for that special quilter in your life!

I own a lot of sewing/craft books, A LOT, and I am good at giving decent critiques...well at least I think I am, so I decided to review some of the books that I own in hopes of helping other sewing enthusiasts and or crafters in deciding whether or not it should belong in their own collections.  Today is the first review in a series of reviews to come, and first up is "One Yard Wonders" by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins.

The tag line of this book is "Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric!" and honestly that about sums it up, there are a ton of projects in this book.  You may not like them all, but there is bound to be something in the book that you would actually make and love.  I am going to break it down by chapter:

Sewing Fundamentals - The first chapter deals with all the fundamentals (duh) and does a really good job of covering everything and has great diagrams, honestly one of the best set of basic instructions I have seen in a while.
Dwell Redux - Basically a collections of items for your home, from curtains, pillows, bathroom items and to me one of the neatest a filing cabinet cover (hide that ugly thing!)  A well rounded collection, a little something for everyone.
Household Affairs - Think of the chores in your life, now think of the items that make chores better!  Quite a few apron patterns in this book, which is really cool, and the highlight of this chapter to me is a hot dish caddy or casserole caddy that makes transporting that hot dish oh so fabulous!
Craft Organization -  Features a sewing kit, sewing machine cover, an organizer and a really cute smock, among quite a few other things, a nice collection.
On the Go - This chapter features all the bags that you use to haul stuff when you leave the house, like a laptop sleeve, quilted lunch box (which is a really great project,) and four larger bag patterns.  This chapter is great because a lot of the bags can be used for other things, you can easily take "Matt's Map Bag" and convert it into your everyday handbag.  The jewelry roll is also a very nice project in this book.
From Head to Toe - Clothing for women.  Honestly this is my least favorite chapter in this book, think about it though, in order to make women's clothing with one yard of fabric, you have to be a size 2 or wear skimpy clothing, this chapter has patterns for halter tops, short shorts, and a summer nightie that is really cute, but also pretty skimpy...good thing you are only wearing it to bed!  One side comment, I honestly did not get the "Spats" project at all, which is a fabric thing you wrap around your leg to turn your shoes into "boots."  Maybe I haven't been hanging with the "cool kids" lately, but I have no idea as to whom would actually wear this item?
Carry It All -  My favorite chapter (but I am biased since I am a handbag designer.)  It has nine great handbags, all of which I would make in a heartbeat, and I especially love the "Flouncy Bag," "Folklore Bag," and "Scrunchie Bag."  I would buy this book based on this chapter alone.
Outfit Your Small Wonder - Clothing for children or should I say girls...would have loved to see a project or two for little boys!
Accessorize Your Little One - Cute selection of items for children, a baby gift set, smock, apron, growth chart, mobile, and a great firefighters hat.  A great selection of projects (there are a lot more that I didn't list.)
Playtime - A bunch of stuffed animals, a cute doll play set, and a kite.  The "Peg Bear" is so cute and I can't wait to make one as a baby shower gift.
Your Furry Friends -  Gee I wonder what this chapter is about?  A collection of items for the dog or cat in your life  I'm not the type of person who would sew for my pet, so this chapter held no interest for me, but if you would sew for your pet, then you would love this chapter.  The two dog/cat beds in this chapter are very nice...and ok, I admit, I might make them...

Now that I have gone through each chapter, I have a few more things to say, first off the patterns are in a neat envelope attached to the inside cover of this book, this is awesome, and keeps them all together in one place.  The general layout and design of this book is quite stunning, great photography, awesome page layouts, and a great spiral binding allows the book to lay flat.  Only two complaints, I do find the "directions" for each project to be really short, and you almost need to have sewing experience to tackle these projects with confidence.  I like diagrams, and there aren't that many in this book, I'm not saying that a newbie can't create these projects, because they probably can, I just think they would need a little more direction or help.  My other complaint is a trifle one, though the two authors of the book did create a great many projects for this book, (and did a lot of other work, I know) a majority of the other projects are submitted from other people (credit is given to them) which is actually a plus because you get such diversity and range of projects from so many "authors" or "contributors."  I guess I just wish these contributors had received more credit or a mention on the front cover. 

Overall, I would definitely say that this is a "must have" in your collection of sewing/craft books, and it would truly make a great gift for that crafter in your life.  Heck, buy it for yourself, I love it, and think it is great...that means a lot, right?  Five out of five stars or 10 out of 10 yards of fabric, or whatever method you would choose to judge a sewing book!