Book Review: Handmade for Baby

As crafters, we normally have a list of projects in progress as well as a list of ones we would like to start. I know for me that the excitement of a new baby, whether it's in my family or a friend's family, can definitely skyrocket a project to the top of my to-do list!

Handmade for Baby: 25 Keepsakes to Create with Love, by Charlotte Rivers and Emily Gregory, is full of fun projects to inspire you to create something for a baby in your life or your next charity project. Many of the projects include techniques or patterns that would work well for a child of any age or even an adult, such as the Hand Painted Storage Buckets or the Decorative Garland that would be great for a Baby Shower, as suggested, or for any party or room decoration.

The Hand Sewn Cushion shown on the cover is another project that would be a fun gift for anyone but would definitely be adorable in a baby's room. The addition of piping lends a sophisticated touch and the applique lends a bit of personality to the pillow.

Overall I would say that Handmade for Baby has a great combination of the whimsical and decorative, balanced with items that are not only beautiful but also useful. There are clothes for babies (hats, pants, booties, and a skirt) as well as wall decorations and bunting, cushions, a blanket and a quilt, toys, a soft book and quite a bit more.

While this book doesn't firmly fall into the quilting category, there is one quilt in it (a darling chevron quilt) as well as other quilter friendly projects such as an Applique Welcome Banner, the aforementioned cushion and storage buckets, and sewn Fabric Blocks. Beyond quilting, there are projects in many other mediums such as clothing construction, knit, crochet, painting, block printing, paper crafts, sewing with felt, and more. With cute projects and clear instructions, I think this is a great book to have in any crafting library.

The end of the book has a few great resources like sections on crochet and knitting basics. Following each chapter is an "inspiration gallery" which shows projects from that chapter with slight tweaks, such as changing the materials used or changing the finished size of a project to take it in a new direction.

Thank you to Interweave/F+W for donating copies of this title. Lucky winners will go home with this book at our February Retreat!