Prep

It's crazy Christmas build-up time for many.  Busy at work, busy at home and a few finishes too.  I completed the Little Joys quilt- from the Fat Quarter Shop quilt-along and using Elea Lutz Little Joys prints for Penny Rose fabrics.  I am using this as a throw or cover for children's seasonal activities at work so it didn't need quilting. Instead I added Prairie points following Penny Layman's great tutorial.  

I've been despatching patterns, fabrics and books and with the proceeds I bought a Bernina walking foot which comes with three bases: here's the edge stitcher in action.  It is a beautiful thing!   I was fortunate to find it on offer a couple of weeks ago but there's no denying it is an investment.

I've continued to make felt goodies from Pipsqueaks by Sally Dixon.  I made a couple of tiny elephants and some kitties and have promptly lost the photos I took before they were wrapped and popped in the post.  The dachshund is a brooch.

And this tiny pup from the same book is a mini hanging decoration.  It took just over an episode of Fargo to make.

Book Review: Pipsqueaks by Sally Dixon

I've mentioned my love of tiny, miniature things before, back in the day when my daughter was into Sylvanian Families/Calico Critters in a big way.  Even now, we still stop by the local toy shop window and admire their display!  When I saw Pipsqueaks pop up in the Search Press new releases, I leapt at the chance to review it.  I hadn't heard of Sally Dixon before but I had a sneaky feeling I was going to love her book...

It's  book of miniature felt creatures and creations.  All are simple enough shapes but it is the details that makes them standout.  There's the usual detailed techniques section at the start of the book. Sally is an experienced writer across a range of genres and her instructions are easy to read and with an informal friendly tone.

Then it's just a question of choosing which tiny cute creature/food item to make?  Sally is Australian so there is a leaning towards Koala's and Platypuses alongside kittens, rabbits, dogs and picnic foods!

The patterns are included with each project and can be traced or scanned and printed off.  I scan mine and then print them onto freezer paper sheets- easier than drawing on felt!  I Like National NonWovens wool blend felt- as used in When Posie got Cozy's Maggie Rabbit and Pretty Little Fabrics stocks a good range of colours but you can use any sort of felt from wool to acrylic, it's down to personal preference.

Everything is tiny.  The finished size of the mother elephants is 1 ⅝" high!

The cakes take me back to the world of Sylvanian animal picnics.

And the tiny dogs tweak the heart strings. There are suggestions for dog hanging decorations and brooches.

It's a book packed full of simple patterns to be made in felt with the occasional fabric addition.  They will be a little fiddly to sew but all the shapes are straightforward and I get huge pleasure in the miniature magic of sewing tiny things.

Looking at Sally's original Razzle Dazzle Creations blog, she has shared a huge amount of her creative ideas from the last few years in this one book.  I also noticed she trained to be a cook and pastry chef which may explain the many tiny cakes in Pipsqueaks.   I found it a delight to look through and I will be making felt Christmas gifts from it this year. I'm at our local sewing meet up this weekend and I've packed a bag of felt and threads to stitch tiny elephants, rabbits and dogs!

I was lucky enough to be sent this book free for review purposes by Search Press.  I chose to review this title as it looked like it would appeal to me- and I as right!  Needless to say, all opinions are my own.   You can find Pipsqueaks here and at the usual book stockists online and locally.