Ailish Henderson
I am always honest within my reviews, yet I hope this never presses on too negative a thought. I said yes to my lovely contact at Search Press to review this title; however inside I had pre-judged it. I silently apologise to anyone this ever in my mind resembled, because I have well and truly been bitten by the farm bug, one which was inside of me in truth all along. As a child, I was a tomboy. No dolls held my hand, the battle for my parents resided around getting me to clear up the farm world I had created, in miniature all around our house each day. Needless to say, I was obsessed with building a farm life.
I had forgotten much of this memory until my hands held this book. How much fun does this title promise. In it we have a valid excuse. Needless for the reason to make it, suddenly I feel that it is my given right to sew a hen, a cow and yes, even a farmhouse. I am visualising creating the same sort of life - as an adult as I did as a child.
For being such a small, square book, it actually holds a lot. One of my favourite touches has to be near the end of the book, where features if the farm are held - those finishing touches..animal poo is on the list!
From cows, hens, sheep to of course the farmer themselves, who will your create first? Each character is obviously done individually, so just choose one and run with it.
If you need an excuse to embark on this project, make up a child you are connected with - visualise them - make them real to you..but really admit it, really you are remembering your past self, the child you were and still are, even if you hide it within.
Have fun and purchase Old MacDonald today.
Booklist
With a subtitle guaranteed to get readers humming even before page one, Simi and her fellow creators of the UK-based Little Woolly Vision, a YouTube TV series of stop motion animation nursery rhyme videos, translate their vision into these patterns for making your own three dimensional playthings. Sewers will appreciate that the 16-plus patterns are made of felt, one of the easiest materials to work with, and kids will love playing with the finished products as another way to experience the beloved rhymes. Each pattern, somewhat naïve in style, follows the same structure: materials needed, occasional tips (e.g., how to obtain an even blanket stitch), and step-by-step instructions. Actual full-size templates are found in the back, with the option to download from the web. Look for the random bit of humor (such as how to craft animal "poo") and a nod to modern mores (Old MacDonald is a she).
Blodwen from Half Yard Sewing Club
WHAT A TREASURE
This little book is ideal for beginners and professionals. All instructions are given, and information on all you will need to make these 10 little farm animals, and 4 farmyard features along with a Farmhouse. There are templates in the back of the book and also full instructions on stitches you will need to use.
These are all made with felt which is so easy to sew with. A wonderful book for anyone who is learning to sew, a mother or a grannie who has young children in the family. It would make a lovely soft toy for all to enjoy. Under £10 and well worth the money. A very strong hard back book and has a barcode for you to watch a small animation of this lovely make.
Helen from Half Yard Sewing Club
From animals to the farmer, hay bales, fences and even animal poo! This book comes with 100% sized patterns so all you need is to trace them, gather your felt fabrics and get sewing straight away. After making all the farmyard characters you can then make the farmhouse with playmat. By making a home for them all, tidying away is fun and not a chore as well as creating an opportunity for children to fuel their imaginations with stories and adventures at the Farm. You can also tune into the Little Woolly Vision on youtube to watch the felty friends having fun.
Jackie from Half Yard Sewing Club
This is a wonderful little hardback book containing patterns and templates to make your own small fabric farmyard including a farmhouse which opens out make a farm play mat and barn and can be used to store all the characters inside and make it a soft portable toy. This is exactly the sort of toy I loved as a child and will happily make for my grandchildren. The set is based on the Little Woolly Vision animated nursery rhymes. The characters and the farmhouse can all be made of polyester felt with toy stuffing so safe for small children. I would consider adding some stabiliser to the house walls and roof to make it more stable. The book is colourful and well illustrated with easy to follow instructions. The templates for the animals and farmer are in the back and can be traced. There are even suggestions for additional accessories such as hay ales fences and animal poo! Brilliant book at excellent value for money I will definitely be making use of this one.
Jayne from Half Yard Sewing Club
This lovely little book actually looks like a children's nursery rhyme story book. However, within the pages are the instructions needed to make the characters, their clothes, and bring the Nursery Rhyme to life. Each character has full, easy to follow instructions, with the Nursery Rhyme running through the book. The illustrations are colourful, with many close ups of some of the more intimate details. Instructions are included to make a farmhouse with a play mat, to both play with and store the animals in. Details for hay bales and piles of animal are also included! All the pattern pieces are included at the back of the book, which can be traced or photocopied. They are also available as a download. Information relating to materials and tools needed, and example of stitches used are available at the front of the book. This book provides a very tactile way for young children to bring a favourite Nursery Rhyme to life. A lovely idea!
Juliet from Half Yard Sewing Club
Sew Your Own Nursery Rhyme Old MacDonald by Sarah Simi is a book of full-size patterns and instructions on how to create the nursery rhyme Old MacDonald Had a Farm using felt as the main material and hand sewing.
You will need other tools such as a craft knife, scissors, needle and thread, pins, hot glue gun all listed in the Materials & Tools chapter. As Sarah states if youre a crafter you probably have these items in your tools, if not they are not expensive items to gather.
The chapter on Stitches give instructions on the simple stitches used throughout the book such as backstitch, blanket stitch and whipstitch all not difficult to master.
Patterns include the farmer, Old MacDonald and clothes; ten farm animals including a pig, a dog, a chicken, a duck, a sheep; features of the farm such as hay bales, bucket, fence panels and a design for a playmat to house them all in. Really inventive.
The book has a hardback cover and is about a 7½ inch square so not large but each page is filled edge to edge and the pages are matt meaning no glare when working from it. And because of the books size the pattern templates for the farmhouse/playmat need enlarging but all other patterns are full-size.
Step-by-step instructions are clear and come with photographs shot at various angles to help with construction. So far Ive made the dog, which turned out not bad at all. Although I would have preferred diagrams with the instructions on exactly how/where to place the pattern pieces to save having to keep going back to the pattern template pages - I did figure it out in the end! Quite a nice hand-sewing project, and something easy to make with children.
Sandra from Half Yard Sewing Club
I can not wait to get started, a super hardback smaller sized book full of animals and characters from the nursery rhyme "Old MacDonald had a farm". It even has a QR code to link you to the animation. Simple and clear colourful photographs for each make of 10 animals, Mrs MacDonald, her clothes and to complete the scene a barn with accessories and a playmat. A materials, tools and stitches section at the front and templates at the back of the book make this a handy guide to produce this this lovely item that any child would love, that is, if you can part with it. The book is portable enough to keep with you and make an item wherever you are. A beautifully presented book with detailed instructions.
