I’m going to start this review off with a warning: the babies are beyond stinkin’ cute! Teeny tiny baby toes and wrinkled knees, oh my goodness. The day Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby by Anna Maria Horner arrived at the studio you could hear the ooohing and aaawing echo across the room (and probably across the parking lot) as each of us had a turn flipping the pages.
Once I sat down and delved into the details, the beauty of the book continued to delight. I thoroughly enjoyed the story Anna Maria tells through the presentation of 24 sewing projects for mama, baby, family, and nest.
It’s a story that expresses the joy every mother and mother-to-be experiences. One of making things by hand for the newest addition to the family. The book was written during Anna Maria’s own pregnancy and the birth of her sixth child Roman. Her personal journey is sprinkled throughout the subtext branding the book with an authentic, unique, and refreshing point of view.
Handmade Beginnings is organized into four sections: Mama Sewing, Baby Sewing, Family Sewing and Nest Sewing. The projects include bags, quilts, soft toys, clothing for both mama and baby, and several creative decorations for baby’s room. There are full sized patterns for 7 of the projects along with detailed instructions and hand drawn illustrations. I fell in love with the term Nest Sewing. So evocative of what we do in preparing for the arrival of a new baby!
Several projects in the book really grabbed me:
Quick Change Trousers, love the contrasting turned up cuffs and the patchwork back. And yes, that baby is just too cute for words. Caitlin and Leil both had those curls (and still do!)
The Here We Go Bag is a roomy diaper bag featuring side pockets lined with laminated cotton. Each project in the book is accompanied by My Color Notes, a paragraph in which Anna Maria shares her thoughts on the color and design composition for the featured sample.
Nesting Cubes. This pattern is available as a free download on Amazon (yes, Amazon, sort of weird but true and it’s there).
The Dad Bag. This sample is made up in County Fair Scallop Stripe by Denyse Schmidt (such a fantastic use of home dec fabric!). The zipper design on the flap is fabulous. A great aesthetic detail and oh so functional for quick access to important supplies.
The final project in the book is this oversized hexagon block quilt entitled Sixth Time’s the Charm Crib Quilt. I marvel at Anna Maria’s ability to develop clever names for her patterns and fabrics. They always make me smile and sometimes laugh out loud. That extra special something that makes what she creates all hers.
Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby delivers practical projects for giving and keeping. I’m really looking forward to making some of these projects as baby gifts. It’s a delightful book with a sense of fun. Happy Nest Building!
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Wiley has generously donated two books for me to give away. To sweeten the pot I’ll also be giving away a scrap stack of Anna Maria Horner fabrics from my personal stash. Leave a comment sharing a handmade baby gift you loved receiving or giving. I’ll draw the winners Monday morning, May 10.
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More ways to win. I’m stop number 4 of 17 on the blog tour so you have lots more opportunities to win:
May 3~ Craft
May 4~ Indie Fixx
May 5~ Sew Mama Sew
May 6~ Pink Chalk Studio
May 10~ Wise Craft
May 14~ House on Hill Road
May 18~ All Buttoned Up
May 19~ Alabama Chanin Journal
May 20~ Homemade by Jill
May 21~ True Up
May 22~ Oh, Fransson!
May 23~ Prudent Baby
May 24~ Sew Liberated
May 25~ Handmade by Alissa
May 26~ Hazelnuts
May 27~ Petite Purls
And if that wasn’t enough, the publisher is also sponsoring the giveaway of a Singer Sewing Machine, 5 yards of Anna Maria Horner fabric and a signed copy of the book!
Good luck!
i am in the midst of making baby quilts for my nieces who are giving birth to their first children. with one i’ve made a block to match and the other comes with a little pillow. i love giving handmade gifts – they seem to mean so much to the recipient.
My favorite baby gift to make is a whole set of matching baby goodies from bibs to burp cloths to blankets and a roll up changing pad. A sweet embroidered T with babies initial or a coordinating fabric applique tops it all off! There are so many great fabrics out there each set can be tailor made to match the interests of mommy and daddy! So much fun! Can!t wait to see the book. I`m sure the color, patterns, and projects are amazing!
I love to knit hats for babies because the babies and their hats are so tiny and cute! (and fast to make!) I love to choose a deliciously soft and decadent yarn, too, which is a bit easier to justify to my banker because the little hats don’t take much. The last one was bamboo and silk–perfect for a baby born in the warmer months…
I also enjoyed making a fabric box with fabrics I pieced together.
Take care, Kathy! Enjoy your new space, too–I look forward to visiting your island boutique one day…
I love Anna Maria Horner fabrics and would love to win this giveaway. I’ve got pregnant women in my life so I’m looking forward to getting this book and her fabric in my newbie hands.
I love making baby gifts! The ones moms have appreciated the most have been the simple ones- like burp cloths made of flannel, bigger than the usual ones and more absorbent. The projects in Anna Maria’s book look fantastic!
I’m just getting ready to have our first kid and my favorite handmade gift has been a beautiful quilt that a friend made. She took me fabric shopping so she could get an idea of what I liked and in the end, its a perfect reflection of both of our styles!
What a wonderful book! My favorite baby gift is the Baby Surprise Jacket or a handmade quilt. My baby quilts are always different, but always fun to make. I love that big hexagon quilt and that tiny baby is beyond adorable!
I can’t wait to see this book and a pile of fabric is always welcome here!
oooh you have so many comments already lol
am i too late to enter????
My mother made my daughter a knit chunky lace blanket when she was 2. She is now 12, soon to be 13 and she still uses it. We are on a road trip and she brought it with her!
I made my friend some cloth nappies for her newborn which I felt so good about giving (as she was a cloth nappy user)… I was so happy with my cloth nappy pattern and to share it with a good friend was lovely!
Thanks for a lovely review with plenty of honest detail on what’s inside. When I first heard Anna Maria’s book was about babies, I thought I wouldn’t want it because I have already had mine and won’t be having anymore (boo-hoo!), but there are so many versatile projects in there that I’ve convinced myself (OK it wasn’t difficult) that I have to have a copy!! I just love her style and the way she writes, she’s a hoot!
The best gifts I’ve ever received would have to be the homemade meals delivered to the door. They just made every else more do-able.
I love making baby quilts for all of my friends’ babies. I’ve made them from simple one-patches to elaborate applique. The one that got the most rave reviews: the simple one-patch. Ain’t that always the way.
I’m still a beginner, but I love doing baby kimonos and super soft burp cloths.
Ive wanted the book for ages and now after your review I want it even more….please pick me randomly…;)
I just finished my first baby quilt for my first great-nephew. A fun project and I look forward to doing more. Anna Maria’s book and fabrics are so beautiful–not to mention all the lovely photos and babies!
The first baby gift I made was a quilt that I made for my niece who now has two children of her own. I still have a soft spot for that quilt. This book looks lovely and your review was terrific. Thanks.
I love giving (and receiving) handmade burp cloths. They are getting so fancy and beautiful, none of us moms want to use them. Love that!
I received two crocheted blankets when our daughter was born. Both were lovely, and completely unexpected.
Receiving – a knitted blanket for my firstborn in shades of blue with white from someone I’d never met, but was friendly with my mom – still have it 27 years later. What an impression that made – a true gift from the heart.
Giving – a handknit sweater to my friend at her baby shower in February, which brought HER to tears. I guess the circle is complete.
Happy mother’s day to all. Kathy, you always inspire.
In the next few years, I plan to start a family. In the mean time, I have been welcoming many nieces and nephews into the world.
My favorite hand-made baby gift that I have given was to my niece, for her birthday. I made her a quilt. To my surprise, amidst all of the toys, shiny things and chaos, she (along with her other baby/toddler cousins), decided to play with the quilt and abandon the toys. To this day, she sleeps under her quilt every single night.
=)
Would love to win! Love all of Anna Maria’s beautiful fabrics!
oops…favorite handmade baby gift I received for our twin girls …the softest pale pink knitted blankets…we still use them and the girls are almost 6! And because they were made by hand with love from a friend…well that makes them even more precious!
Blessings,
Caroline
My mom made my youngest a quilt when he was born last year called “hugs and kisses”. It’s so sweet and a perfectly named as they have a very special relationship.
I love to make baby gifts for friends. For little girls I make a tiny wrapover pinafore (so they’ll get more wear out of it), and if it is a little boy I will make a cute waistcoat. These seem to be more appreciated than buying something [that the new parents probably already have:)]
Thankd for the great giveaway.
What a giveaway! I love the book and would really like to have it.
I try to make something for every baby that I know, and the favorite gift we recieved was a quilted baby blanket/bunting/stroller blanket from my Mom. It is beautiful, made with so much love, and incredibly functional!
What a wonderful review. Thanks for a chance to win.
Think my favorite handmade gift was a hooded towel made by my sister for our first daughter. It was a soft aqua toweling and trimmed with turquoise ribbon for a binding. She didn’t sew a lot and it was a true labor of love for her first niece.
The baby gift I most enjoyed receiving was a beautiful knitted heirloom baby blanket from my Grandma. She passed away when I was a teenager, but she had made the blanket in preparation for her great-grandchildren. My aunt kept it and gave it to me after the birth of my first children (twin girls). My only regret was that my grandmother couldn’t be there to share in the joy. I will always treasure that blanket.
I am so excited about this book. I’m a HUGE Anna Maria Horner fan. I’ve made plenty of baby quilts for friends but I adore the teeny tiny knit hats my friend Heather made for my third daughter when she was in the NICU.
this is such a beautiful book!
the handmade gift i most enjoy making for a new baby is a soft and cuddly quilt. knowing that it will keep the baby warm and cozy and hopefully become a favorite item to snuggle with makes my heart warm!
my favorite baby gift i made was a small quilt for my sons nicu isolette i made him from scraps of his larger quilt
I love handmade blankies!
This is too special. I need a copy! I am such a fan of everything AMH, and this looks like a wonderful addition to her line. I love giving and receiving blankets. I seriously can’t get enough, from the simple to the complex they are all wonderful.
I *love* AMH’s fabrics and patterns — and I would love to have a copy of her new book! The best baby gift I received for our most recent addition was a quilt made by my second cousin. I was so touched by that handmade gift — and it inspired me to start quilting! One year later, I am obsessed with this craft, and my little one is growing up surrounded by fabric and all the accoutrements of quilting. I have my fingers crossed that I am lucky on this draw!
I like making bibs!
Thanks for this great opportunity!
What a lovely book! I’m in the market for baby projects right now as all of my friends are expecting. I just put together a gift of bibs, burp rags, nursing cover and a knitted hat for my friend.
Such an adorable book & since I am the Aunt who sews, these would make great projects to give for the holidays. I always have a cousin having another baby lately & my 2 are getting old enough to babysit. Thanks for the giveaway!
I love making the outfit and blanket for coming home from the hospial.
Oh, it almost makes me want to become pregnant again! At my age and currently with teenagers, who am I kidding! I will just drool over this lovely book and make gifts for others. I just love baby things. I find myself donating items to women and children’s shelters or nicu units when I don’t know someone to gift things too. The gift I get request for are embellished (applique, ribbon, rick rack, etc.) burp cloths made from cloth diapers.
I love to give handmade gifts for babies…especially decorated burp clothes, baby bib’s, and appliquéd onsies.
My babies have loved their silky blankies from the stores so I had to make my friend one for her baby who didn’t have one yet. All babies should have a silky blankie!
I love baby quilts! Making them to give away is always fun. But, I also love all the quilts friends and family made for my son when he was born.
Love the book and projects, though I will be creating as a great aunt or granny, my kids are older…:)
please count me in on your fab giveway!
I recently made my first baby quilt for my ceramics professor’s baby, Anna. I would love to make even more things to give this adorable baby!
Oh I would love to win…please pick me!!!
My SIL is having a baby and I would love to be able to make her and my brother some gifts for their new baby.
I made my sister a diaper bag, the best part was how much she loved it… a year and a half later she still uses it, and claims that even when the diapers are gone, she’ll still use it as a bag!
The book looks chock full of beautiful projects. I like knitting baby hats and making cotton flannel receiving (swaddling) blankets in bright fun prints.
One of my mom’s freinds made my last two children the prettiest knitted hooded sweaters. Can’t bear to pass them on. My mom has made all of her grandchildren a special quilt.