Here at Feeling Stitchy we were lucky enough to be given a copy of Fun of the Fair by Melanie McNeice to review. Fun of the Fair features five different animal soft toys; a pony, elephant, lion, seal and monkey and the instructions for each are very comprehensive with good, detailed diagrams. The patterns are ideal for bright, colourful fabrics and the design of the toys is particularly good, I think, for young children, with the alternative suggestions on what to do instead of using buttons. I also liked how the toys could be styled in multiple ways, depending on the child you're giving the toy to.
Photo from Fun of the Fair by Melanie McNeice
I would say that the book is ideal for an intermediate sewer or perhaps a beginner up for a challenge. I had a go at making the elephants (I made a daddy, mummy and baby elephant, as there are two different size patterns) and although I've made quite a few soft toys in the past, I think I may have been staying well within my comfort zone because these elephants took me out of it!
And although I'm not totally happy with the result, that was absolutely down to me and not the book. I've definitely learnt new stuff to make these, thanks to the book's tuition and I'm eager to make more!
So a big thank you to Stitch, Craft, Create for letting us have a look at this book and an extra big thank you as they would also like to give away a copy of Fun of the Fair to one of our readers. The giveaway is open internationally and to be in with a chance please leave a comment below saying which Fun of the Fair animal you'd like to make first; a pony, elephant, lion, seal or monkey. The giveaway is open until 1200 GMT 1st October 2014. Good luck!
And if you would like to follow the rest of the Fun of the Fair blog hop, you can find the rest of the dates and links here!
