review - Countryside Softies by Amy Adams

The little critters in Countryside Softies: 28 Handmade Wool Creatures to Stitch have such wonderful, quirky personalities -- just look at that cute little fox on the cover! They're made from felted sweaters and scraps of cotton print, and weighted so that they'll actually sit upright. The close up illustrations of blanket stitching and the fabric choices and little details provide so much eye-candy, I can't decide which project I want to tackle first. Probably the fox. Or the hedgehog, which has actual prickles. Sure, they're soft, but he's got actual texture. And the squirrel has an amazing fluffy tail!

I love the author's attitude towards the difficulty of the projects. She says that the more complicated projects aren't harder, that they just have more parts and will take longer to complete.

If you want a sample of the author's other work, she offers free patterns on her blog, LucyKate Crafts. And she sells softies at her etsy store.

Note -- a PDF review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher.