Sew Creative

About Jennifer Pol Colin

Jennifer Pol Colin is a native of France. She now runs Little Print Fabrics Studio in San Diego, California, where kids and grown-ups love to sew creatively. Her website is, mylittleprintfabrics.com

Be Creative

Get kids excited about sewing with projects they will actually want to make; sew a critter coin pouch, chalkboard backpack, mermaid tail blanket, glow-in-the-dark light bulb, donut pillow, traveller neck pillow, dolman T-shirt with lace and embroidery, and more!

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myshelf.com

This book teaches 8-16 year olds how to sew, and more importantly find sewing fun and relevant in an age of mass produced goods. If you make it yourself you can customize it how you like, make sure it fits and have it in the color of your choice. It is written in an accessible way and encourages young people to have a go and not be afraid to ask for help if they need it.

There are thirteen projects in here to make your own and, as it also says on the cover tons of techniques. The more techniques you know the more you can do and every page is packed with useful information. In fact, I wish I had had a book like this when I was the right age and learning to sew! You can learn in the first chapter all about different types of fabric, what tools you need and why you need them plus a list of other more fun things you might want. This is an American book and some of the items might not be quite as inexpensive or easily available, but it is good to see what is new out there and what can be done with it. Techniques covered include working with patterns, measuring for garments, using an embroidery hoop, making a tassel etc and more things are covered in the actual projects. All the projects in here are contemporary and sure to appeal to the target age group. They include a mermaid tail, animal neck pillow for travelling, animal face purses, a skirt with novelty shaped pockets, a pillow and T-shirt you can decorate how you choose and my own favorite a donut shaped pillow. The projects are grouped in themes (on the go, fashion, in my room and accessories) and have three difficulty ratings. Four are beginner, eight require some experience and only one is rated for requiring some help (a pillow). Each project is written in a way that is easy to understand and features a list of what you need split into materials, tools, patterns and sometimes optional. Often an item with have a page number so you can look up to find out more about it, and the method is divided into preparing the pieces, and step by step. Photographs are given of many of the stages and although there are a few that could have been a bit larger it is usually easy to see what is going on. Measurements are all imperial but as most sewing patterns are American even if the person using the book is only used to metric learning the other system is a good idea. All the patterns used are provided at the back, the garments in different sizes for typical 8-16 year olds. Overall this is a very up-to-date and user friendly book for any young person who wants to learn to sew.

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Postcard Reviews

13 projects to sew, embellish and which are easily adapted to suit your style. Applique, embroidery and even a backpack using blackboard paint can be made by adults and children.  This fun project book comes complete with full sized paper templates. All the projects are gorgeous. They are colourful and definitely something that will be used over and over again. There are lots of techniques to advance your sewing skills, and what I loved the most was that the author has made the instructions so easy to follow,  this ensures that even a beginner will achieve a project that is usable and beautiful. Cushions, hats, bags and sweatshirts, are included in sections that are specific to Fashion, On the Go , DIY and much much more. The Critter Coin Pouch is adorable and I know just the small human that is going to love it.