Book Review: Zodiac Felties:16 Compelling Astrological Characters to Craft

Usually I don't post videos, but this one was too cute.

I loved Zombie Felties and Steampunk Softies by Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate, and I'm looking forward to Beaded Bugs by Nicola Tedman and Jean Powers. So I fully expected to love Zodiac Felties.

The tiny finished dolls could be sewn to pin backs, glued to magnets or have a small loop sewn on the back to add to key rings. They could also be used in a mobile.

It's the attention to detail that make these charming and inspiring.The dolls are hand stitched, with beads, charms and embroidery to add character. In this book, the representations are artistic, however since the shapes are simple you can modify the accessories to match personality with astrological symbol.

If you're a beginner at hand sewing, miniature sewing or embroidery, the beginning of the book shows good diagrams of all the stitches you'll need to know and talks about the tools necessary. The templates for the dolls are provided full size to scan and print or copy if you access to a copy machine. Because the shapes are overlapped, you'll need to make a couple copies of some of the pages. Otherwise you could trace them using tracing paper then use the tracing paper patterns to make sturdier templates using cardboard, which is the method I used. I keep the templates in envelopes marked with which pattern it is, and the page number.

I'm absolutely charmed by the planetary figures which aren't part of the astrological symbols as well. The sun is yellow and bright looking with tear drop pearl finish accents and pearly eyes. The moon has her eyes closed and hair accented by sparkling clouds.

At the end of the book is a background you can scan and copy to make cards to gift the finished felties. It's the same sort of pretty art that the rest of the book is photographed in.

I recommend this to crafters 12 and up because of the diminutive size of the felties and the tiny detail work.
Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.
You can get this book from Amazon using the affiliate links below.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, my reviews are always my personal and honest opinion. You can read more about my review policy here.

Book Review- Steampunk Softies

Steampunk Softies is by the same authors as Zombie Felties, Sarah Skeate and Nicola Tedman.
Softies are a bit bigger than felties, but use a lot of the same techniques for construction, and can be hand sewn.
The book starts with an introduction to the materials that are used to construct the dolls, as well as some fantastic tutorials for aging and distressing the fabrics.
The dolls are just wonderful. Most stand about 6 inches high, and the props and construction methods are very clever. The materials are for the most part, very easy to find, and some of the supplies are things you might normally throw away. The diminutive scale of the dolls makes them perfect for small scraps of fabric and leather. Mini brads, scraps of leather, plastic from deli containers, beads, buttons and toy compasses are all used in the detail of these lovely little dolls.
The dolls themselves are fantastic. Fantastic in the literal sense that they are creative fantasies. A little undersea manikin  looks like he mutated or was genetically created to live in the water, Floyd Fastknight explores the world with a compass for an eye and a case of maps. Chasity Storm is dressed in a cloud of lace and has wings that are reminiscent of the very first airplanes.
All the patterns are in the back of the book and full size, you trace them from the book on to a sheet of paper to cut out the parts for the dolls. Some of the dolls are very simple, the biggest challenge is the scale. Some are a lot more complex. These are not playthings, they are lovely little works of art. The techniques and the accessories used in making them can inspire your own characters and creations very easily.
My son is a big steampunk fan, and he was absolutely charmed by this book. My daughter, who is the serious doll maker in the family loved the techniques and pattern ideas.
You can get this book directly from the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing You can get more information about my review policy here.

Book Review- Zombie Felties

What's the most adorable and disturbing thing you've seen recently? For me it has to be Zombie Felties.
I really loved the first Felties book, so I was fairly sure that this one would be just as much fun.
Felties are tiny little dolls made from craft felt. They are stitched with embroidery floss and thread, accented with beads and sequins and embroidery techniques and are just wonderful little projects for gift tie-ons, making into brooches and as small gifts. They are quick, affordable and a great portable craft or craft to do with kids just learning to hand sew.
The Zombie Feltie book focuses on the creepy side of this craft. Just perfect for Halloween really, and the projects stitch up fast enough you could make a whole bunch little creepy cute brooches to wear through October. There are a bunch of just wonderful patterns, sewing instructions and tips on making felt easier to work with in small scale. The projects include, as you'd expect, a few regular zombies. Then the authors got creative. A diminutive zombie fairy holds a scepter topped with a skull, zombie vampires, a dead duck with little bullet holes and blood, a pumpkin head zombie has sequin brains coming out of a break in the pumpkin. It's gruesome, it's adorable. It's one of the cutest and most clever takes I've seen on horror themes in crafting.
16 full sized patterns and instructions. Just perfect for your favorite little ghoul, as long your favorite ghoul is old enough. The finished projects do have small parts and some of them have jagged edges.
You can get the book directly from the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing or below from Amazon.com (The link is an affiliate link and helps pay some of the costs of maintaining this site.)
U.S.A.U.K. Also, for printie loving crafters, the end of the book has a little coffin you can copy and make coffins to keep your little zombies in!