Meet
Mouse – a lively character who loves to travel. He is
made from scraps of fabric and doesn’t take long to
put together but this is just the start of his adventure –
an adventure in sewing!
I have seen – and reviewed – a lot of books filled
with wee stuffed toys. There are a lot of them around but
I haven’t seen anything quite like this before. Mouse
has an adventure in each chapter going on safari in Africa,
to the South Pole and to the Moon. While in these locations
he meets all kinds of other creatures and needs different
outfits and accessories from a rocket to a boat and there
are patterns for all these things. At the end of each chapter
there is a story illustrated with the projects showing what
Mouse got up to. What a wonderful way to make simple toys
for children that are sure to engender all sorts of imaginative
play. This book is written in a very user friendly and entertaining
way, almost as if the author was right there with you. Adults
can make everything for children, but apart from the mouse
(a little tricky for beginners) everything else is pretty
simple and older children will have fun making it. There is
a section at the front showing what you need, basic terminology
and techniques such as dealing with curves. I like the way
that only a very basic sewing machine is needed and everything
in the book most sewers will already own; there is plenty
of scope too for a lot of recycling and using up of odds and
ends. Everything is not even made from fabric either; Mouse’s
jungle lean-to requires some sticks, the robot is made from
clay and tinfoil, there is rock shelter constructed from polystyrene
and a sugar cube igloo. This all reminds me of my own childhood
crafting and encourages you to think outside the box and use
your imagination. Where else could Mouse go next? I do hope
that Ms Maloney creates another book so we can all find out,
but the meantime this book has certainly inspired me to find
out by myself…
If you cannot find a good range of toymaking and sewing materials
locally try www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers.
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